First things first: breathe. Then cry, scream into a pillow, or rage-clean your kitchen. Whatever you need to do, get it out. Because tomorrow, you’re not waking up unemployed. You’re waking up unleashed.
Now, sleep. Not revenge-scroll, pass-out-at-2AM sleep. I mean actual, under-the-weighted-blanket, REM-cycle, full-body-reset kind of sleep. Your brain just got sucker-punched. It needs a nap, not a panic spiral.
Once you’re rested, start moving. Not because you’re “finally going to get fit,” but because motion helps emotion pass through. Walk the dog. Dance badly in the living room. Stretch until something cracks (hopefully a joint, not your spirit). This isn’t a makeover montage. It’s about reclaiming your body from the stress grip of capitalism.
Hydrate. I know, it’s basic. But it works. Water, not wine. (Or at least not only wine.)
Now set a rule: 3 hours max per day on job stuff. Applications. Resume tweaks. Networking emails. That’s it. The rest of the day? Off limits. Nobody’s hiring you at midnight, and LinkedIn isn’t handing out gold stars for burnout.
You’ve been conditioned to think panic = productivity. It doesn’t. Focus > frenzy. And no, sending out 87 résumés in one sitting won’t bring you faster offers. It brings carpal tunnel and existential dread.
Instead, get outside your bubble. Volunteer once a week. This isn’t charity—it’s therapy. You need to feel useful. Needed. Human. Plus, good people hang out in places like food banks and animal shelters. You might even make a friend. Or hear about a job. Or remember what matters.
Also, read a novel. Yes, fiction. No, not one that turns into a TED Talk. Just a good story. Your brain needs to visit another world. (The real one sucks right now.) Bonus points if you get it from the library.
And that project you keep whispering to yourself about? Start it. Write the first line. Record the video. Build the thing. Doesn’t matter if no one sees it. This isn’t about going viral. It’s about not dying with your dream trapped inside a bullet point on your résumé.
This period of your life—the messy, uncertain, unstructured time—is not a waiting room. It’s a training ground. And it won’t last forever. So don’t waste it trying to impress people who never noticed when you were employed anyway.
One last thing: You are not a job title. You are not your productivity score. You are not someone’s “headcount.” You are a fully formed, wildly capable human being who just got a second chance at choosing what comes next.
So, choose with intention. Choose with courage.
Now close the tab, make a sandwich, and go be free for a bit.
#layoff #jobsearch #careertransition #recoverytime #mentalhealth #jobhunt #reframe #restisproductive #careerchange
Angela Malagon 