Navigating layoff contagion
Layoffs take more of a toll than we openly admit. It doesn’t matter what side you’re on, the impact reverberates through our lives.
We feel pressure to perform.
In the job search.
For our job job.
The stress eats into rest of our lives.
For most people, the push is to move faster, keep going, work harder. We feel like there’s no choice.
Job searches are demoralizing. You’re constantly evaluating yourself and being evaluated by others. There’s always more jobs to apply for.
If you still have a job, and saw your smart, high performing colleagues get fired, you may wonder why it wasn’t you. You may feel the need to prove yourself even more.
Meanwhile, there’s more on your plate.
If you lost your manager, it can feel like a layer of protection is gone.
Things feel uncertain.
In these situations, our nervous systems can get stuck on high alert.
You might notice that you’re skipping meals, or snacking continuously. Sleep might be more difficult. You might even be getting weird headaches or stomach pains. Your thoughts might spiral around work, but it can be hard to actually focus. The work you can do might feel scattered.
These are signs that your nervous system is in overdrive trying to create safety.
What we truly need in these moments is a dedicated, safe space to process our experience so we can get clear on what’s next.
Feelings don’t disappear, they get louder when they’re buried.
And then our system is bogged down simultaneously trying to perform and quiet our feelings. It is draining.
We think our emotions are “getting in our way” but that’s because we haven’t learned how to work with them yet.
Charged feelings can resolve quickly when they are attended to. You don’t need to push yourself to “just get over it.”
When emotions get to resolve (instead of being pushed aside), they organically offer insights for how to move forward.
Think of the last time you had a good cry. The release lets you see things in a totally new way. It’s like the sun coming out after a rain. Everything feels refreshed and sparkly. Things that never occurred to you now seem obvious.
We can actually learn how to move through emotions with more skill. How to navigate charged internal experiences. How to ground our nervous systems.
Don’t get anxious.
Get clear.
In this self-paced workshop, I teach practical techniques that will allow you to pursue your own dreams in spite of layoff contagion.
These techniques will allow you to
Stop thinking about work when you’re not working — let go of the spiraling need to “do more.” Do enough, then have the mental and emotional energy for your real life.
Feel your spark again — instead of feeling trapped by work, get the emotional relief and space to connect to your own sense of inspiration and excitement.
Believe in yourself again — feel excited about your future and what you can do in the world. Regain your sense of agency.
Leave feeling refreshed and energized, with clarity on how you want to move forward at work and in life.
Here’s what people are saying…
“A huge weight has been lifted. I feel so much lighter. It’s helpful to have somewhere safe and objective who can reflect things back and help me understand what I’m going through so I can find a better way forward.”
— P.R., Senior Manager
“I resonated with the framework immensely. It felt like all the messy convos I had with myself in the past 30+ years suddenly found a structure, and more importantly a reason.”
— Helen, Senior Manager
Full Workshop Videos
Introduction (9:21)
Learn about my background and unique orientation to this work
The Big Picture (4:48)
What is happening big picture, and what narratives are used to justify layoffs.
For a deeper dive, also see my substack article.
Our Stress Responses (6:23)
More about the specific ways stress responses show up at work.
Reflection Exercise:
How does your stress response tend to show up? What are the specific ways you experience your stress response? Do you typically fall into one response or a couple?
Emotions and Parts (8:25)
The heart of this workshop!
Reflection Exercise:
Look at your notes about your stress response. Do you notice any “parts”?
What do they think is happening right now? What do they want you to do? Notice, is this pattern familiar? Does it feel like this kind of thing seems to happen to you? Or do you usually need to take care of things in this way?
When Parts Get Polarized (2:15)
Reflection Exercise:
When it comes to work, what conflicts do you have about it? What perspective is on each side? Can you see those two sides as two parts, or constellations of parts?
Notice if you have one part or multiple parts showing up? Which one tends to be more “in front” or louder?
How do they tend to relate to each other?
Bringing In Presence (2:34)
Reflection Exercise:
Can you think of a time where you really felt like yourself? When you felt open and curious and in flow with things?
What did that feel like for you?
How did you feel towards yourself in that moment?
Building Relationships With Parts (4:00)
Reflection Exercise:
Check in with the loudest part. What are they worried will happen if they don’t keep pushing you? What are they protecting you from? What are they trying to do for you?
Building Relationships With Parts (4:00)
Reflection Exercise:
Share your gratitude with this part for looking out for you and for their level of commitment.
You can just imagine reflecting your gratitude to them. You might want to put a hand where you feel them most (e.g. chest/belly/heart).
Notice what happens when you do this. How does the part respond? How does your body feel?
Pulling it All Together (7:10)
To keep going with this work
Book a Walk-it-Out Session with me!
Or keep going with Jay Earley’s book “Self-Therapy”