Good Grief! A Guide to Coping After Layoff

Losing a job or work is traumatic!  Especially if you enjoyed it!  In fact, there is a grieving process very similar to that of losing a loved one.  (You are, after all, losing good friends.)  It’s called the “grief cycle.”   There are a variety of grief cycle graphics available online.  We like the diagram below:

In the first Step, “Shock & Denial,” you may experience any of the feelings underneath the subtitle such as Fear, Blame, Confusion.   As you move through the cycle, you are likely to experience “Anger” (How could they do this to me after all my loyalty and hard work? Why did they just lay off people over 50?  How will they function without my position?  They did this just to mess with my pension.)  As the cycle continues, you may move to “Depression & Detachment.”  You don’t feel like doing anything, you aren’t motivated, you feel helpless.  As you continue to move through this process, and we know that you will, you may start to reach out for answers through dialogue with others, sharing your story, searching for meaning.  Hopefully, you will then come to terms, accept your predicament, and start developing a new plan.  Finally, when you do execute on your acceptance and plan, you can return to a meaningful life and move forward.   Just try not to let yourself get stuck along the way.  Know that you have friends.  You have us: Riff on Jobs!