A lay-off is a working professional’s worst nightmare and it has become even more tangible during the COVID crisis. Layoff means reducing job opportunities, which in most pessimistic terms means, a bleak future in the coming months. Whereas most companies are trying to be humane about the lay-off, the employee who has to go through doesn’t see any compassion in it and is bound to be grudging, depressed and embarrassed about it.

But that is exactly the state of mind that needs to be avoided, easier said than done, right? Here, we bring some pointers that will give you a perspective and help you deal with your layoff better.

1. See it as a transition: Most of us have this habit of living in the past or the abstract future; worry about what could have been or what will come to pass. But experts suggest that we should look at the lay off as a compartmentalized phase of our life and not our entire life story. Attempting to refocus the layoff as a timely interruption will help ease the pressure of the mind.
2. Accept the change in lifestyle: With a loss of income, there may be a few life adjustments you may need to make. Rather than lamenting about them, go back to the time when you did really adjust and lived happily in lesser--maybe a smaller car, a smaller house..but if you survived that, you will survive it again. Believe in your character and abilities rather than the frills of life.
3. See the more in life: Our work brings us identity, no doubt about that, but there are other aspects to life also. If you are a male member of the family with a wife, look at her for inspiration. She willingly gave up her job but that doesn’t make her useless; it gives her a new identity of a ‘mother’, ‘wife’. Look for those meanings in your life. Treat your life as a large movie where you are the sole hero who is playing different roles. If the office-goer has moved to the background for sometime, it is time to bring out the father, the creative guy, the husband, the cook, the janitor in you...whatever makes you feel fulfilled.
4. Be productive: You may not be able to go to office but there are still many things that you can do to keep yourself feeling productive even if it as small as buying groceries, helping children with school work, helping your spouse with cooking and cleaning. You have the physical energy and that needs to be channelised before it eats into your mind. Everyday in the morning plan a productive task for yourself that will consume a few hours of your time as well as tire you out physically so that you can sleep better at night.
5. Normalize your worry: It is not just happening to you but also happening t a lot of others so you are not in the battle alone. You have a right to be worried but ask yourself if this worrying is going to take you anywhere productive. You could write down your worries since writing is considered therapeutic and also gives you an insight into your own mind’s workings.
6. Limit job hunting: Though it seems contrary to the situation, long hours spent at job hunting means facing long hours of rejection and sadness. So, make a plan and strategy for yourself that you will spend one hour on your emails sending out your CV, maybe half an hour on networking for work opportunities and that’s it. Don’t let job hunting consume your entire day since it brings sadness with itself.
7. Address the shame: Don’t feel forsaken and overwhelmed in this situation. It is not your fault. If you are not able to handle the shame then it is better to seek professional help online with a counsellor.