Two weeks before Christmas in the big recession I got laid off. Earlier in the year I had gotten divorced had just told my bosses how much I appreciated having the job to focus on because of the loss of my marriage. I was told they were bringing in an MSP who would charge half my salary and come in twice a day but the details didn’t really matter. I can see now in hindsight how you cope really just boils down to what kind of person you are and of course depends also on your financial situation. Mine was not good and so the stress of having to rely on unemployment, which I will say thank God for Massachusetts and for Obama (he extended unemployment financial help during the recession), which for me meant I got paid enough to pay rent and live for over a year and a half. I looked for work every day but I did what they recommend which is to spend time in the morning, sending out resumes working on LinkedIn, networking making calls and then I put it away. But the stress of it was enormous. For just a moment in the morning I would wake up and feel really good, rested, and then I would remember that I didn’t have a job and the fear would grip me for the rest of the day. I’m sure it took gears off my life. I try to help anyone who is in a similar situation not sure words can really help those of us who are more inclined to be worrywarts. There are people who don’t care who are unemotional about it and good for them, but for me, it was a very difficult time. I’m still scarred by it. I refuse to trust business. My friend says it’s PTSD, but really I think in those moments you have to be kind to yourself and do everything that they say helps in stressful situations; exercise stay away from alcohol travel yoga and actively try not to beat yourself up if you’re a sensitive kind of person. Anything that helps with endorphins consider working in a side field or part-time doing whatever you have to do to pay the bills. I was proud and wanted to stay in tech. I remember a few years ago finding a big amount of space taken up on one of my old hard drives. I found that the reason was hundreds and hundreds of PDFs of my resume that I had sent out. It does eventually get better. You do eventually find a much better position with good people better pay, but you have to believe that it will happen. You have to generate that goodwill and belief in the future. Best of luck to anyone looking.
