My heart goes out to the all the people that have been laid off during this economic slowdown and especially the latest cohort from VTS. There’s a whirlwind of emotions and as someone who has been through the layoff roller coaster, I’ve found the following exercise to help me in moments of uncertainty: name that feeling. I would recognize that I’m feeling something and immediately give it a name.
Over the course of many weeks, I found feelings and states of humiliation, emotional fragility, karmic reflection (or existential crisis) and finally to break out of the spectrum into a place of knowing. It was the point where I could objectively analyze the events of the previous months and craft it into a lesson that would propel me forward.
Being let go by your employer places immense pressure on us psychologically and trying to process everything takes incredible energy and effort. To take a moment of reflection and awareness and name what gives us unease makes it easier to reckon with or even turn into a positive force.
It’s okay to feel because it may be the case that that’s all we have – our emotions. You are not alone in the feelings of chaos, vulnerability, or hopelessness. Heck, there might be feelings of joy, relief, and optimism. Whatever it is, I think it’s healthy.
And here is the permission to reach out for help. Words elude us and that’s where our support systems come in. They can help us sort through it and put a name to it. Once it’s named, we can put in a cage and lock it away or let it roam around our insides but simply knowing what it is gives us comfort.
When I went through this, I eventually found poetry. I found rhythm and harmony in the feelings that I could weave into my next job app or interview. And with that, the universe listened in kind.