Experiencing a layoff, especially when you’ve poured over a decade of your life into the same organization, hits deeper than people expect. When I was laid off after 11½ years, it felt like the floor shifted underneath me.
The first 72 hours after a layoff are a blur of shock, instinct, emotion, and survival mode. When I received that ominous Friday afternoon calendar invite, I felt the truth of it before I even opened it. If you know, you know. Your body knows.
This is what those hours — and the weeks that followed — were really like for me, and how building a daily self-care system became the structure I needed to keep going. There’s the shock, the fear, the grief… but there’s also this quiet pocket of opportunity, if you can create just enough space to breathe.
THE REALITY OF POST-LAYOFF LIFE
There’s a moment after the initial shock where your brain starts running marathons:
- “What’s next?”
- “How will I manage expenses?”
- “What do I do with all this unstructured time?”
- “Who even am I without this job?”
And the truth is: you’re not supposed to have the answers yet.
You just need structure, gentleness, and habits that support your nervous system.
If you’re early one in the process, I recommend starting here to process some of these early questions and emotions. The first few days of constant mind spinning are ruthless, so I created the 5-day healing journal to help you get your thoughts out of your mind and onto paper.
THE MOMENT EVERYTHING CHANGED
When the calendar invite hit my screen, I felt a shock run through my body. People describe it as a “sinking feeling,” but for me it felt more like someone reached inside my abdomen and squeezed everything at once. I’m intuitive — and anxious — so I knew instantly what this was.
My first instinct?
Evacuate.
I went straight to my office to clean it out.
But then the emotionally intelligent part of my brain kicked on. I texted my boss asking for a chat. When I got no response, it confirmed everything.
I started saying my goodbyes.
The first person I called was the coworker I felt closest to — before I even told my mom. And it just so happened to be her 65th birthday. When she called me, I lied and said I was running an errand. I didn’t want to ruin her day.
Eventually, I came clean. She told me to come to her house. We didn’t talk much about the layoff, but being there mattered.
THE WEEKEND OF SUSPENSE
The next day our family was getting together to celebrate my mom’s birthday.
I stayed in bed half of the day, still without any official confirmation of the layoff. I was avoiding everything — conversations, emails, even my own thoughts.
My mom eventually told my stepsister and brother-in-law what happened, and when I came out of the bedroom, they acted normal until I brought it up. They knew exactly what to say. It helped. But I wasn’t sad yet — I was angry.
At the same time, I was planning my “communication strategy”:
- texts to the people who mattered
- messages to coworkers
- outreach to my professional circle
- even a scheduled LinkedIn post
I wanted to control my narrative.
THE MEETING
By Monday morning at 7:30am, I was prepared for the final blow.
When I walked into that meeting and finally got the official details, I told myself I was fine.
I wasn’t.
I said things like:
“Someone made the decision for me.”
“Maybe I’ll find something better.”
“Maybe this is a blessing in disguise.”
And maybe those things were partially true. But underneath it?
I was heartbroken.
I loved that job.
I loved what I did.
And someone took it away without giving me a chance to fight for it.
That deeper pain didn’t surface until weeks later.
WHY SELF-CARE HITS DIFFERENTLY AFTER A LAYOFF
Post-layoff self-care isn’t about bubble baths and spa days. It’s about:
- rebuilding your confidence
- managing emotional turbulence
- creating meaningful structure
- regaining a sense of identity
- restoring mental clarity
- feeling proud of yourself again
It’s less “treat yourself” and more “support yourself.”
If you want a gentle, structured way to navigate the days ahead, download the free printable now:
👉 Download: The Post-Layoff Self-Care System — A Daily Guide for Healing, Routine & Rebuilding
(PDF instantly available—no email required)
This guide includes five categories of care, each with actionable steps, plus a custom routine builder.
WHEN THE CALLS STOPPED
During the first few days, the calls and texts kept me busy. I repeated the same story over and over — so much that I almost believed my own version of “I’m fine.”
But then the calls slowed down.
And the quiet settled in.
That’s when the weight hit. I didn’t want to get out of bed except to let my dogs out and feed them. Before the layoff, I woke up at 4:45am, worked out, and followed a calm morning routine before heading into the office by 7:30.
After the layoff, I wasn’t working out.
I wasn’t doing my hair.
I wasn’t doing makeup.
I just … wasn’t doing much of anything.
I told myself I had things to keep me occupied:
- cleaning the house
- mowing the yard
- cleaning the garage
- sitting outside in the sun
- responding to LinkedIn messages
And I did those things.
But there was nothing underneath them.
No structure.
No purpose.
So slowly, subtly, I started waking up later and doing less and less.
THE MOMENT I REALIZED I NEEDED A SYSTEM
One morning I said:
“Okay. Enough.”
I created a simple structure for myself to mimic the stability I no longer had:
I didn’t need a perfect routine, I just needed one that helped me feel safe, grounded and capable.
My entire life was shifting. But that means I get to rebuild it, intentionally.
Here are a few things that helped me anchor my days:
✔ Gentle mornings
Focus on slow, simple rituals like making your bed, stretching, or journaling.
✔ Creative grounding
I know it sounds so lame, but my paint-by-numbers kit helped my mind focus on something calm and repetitive.
Here’s the exact one I used:
👉 Ninonly 4-Pack Paint by Numbers for Adults (As an Amazon Associate, I may earn commission from eligible purchases, but from the BOTTOM of my heart, this paint by numbers set saved my sanity)
✔ Budget-conscious self-care
You don’t need to spend money to take care of yourself and honestly I don’t recommend spending money if you don’t know where your next check is coming from. Most of the items in the free guide are completely free and rooted in wellbeing, not consumption.
✔ Reclaiming identity
You are still you—valuable, capable, resilient—regardless of employment status.
This moment doesn’t define you. It simply redirects you.
You deserve support—especially now. Create structure, soften the emotional load, and rebuild with intention, by using this guide:
👉 Download The Post-Layoff Self-Care System: A Daily Guide for Healing, Routine & Rebuilding
Save it, print it, use it every day.
THE ENCOURAGEMENT I WANT TO LEAVE YOU WITH
If you’re a single woman navigating a layoff with no built-in support system except yourself (and maybe your dogs or your mom), hear this:
Losing a job is not a reflection of your worth.
It is not a measure of your capability.
It does not define your value.
It does not determine your strength.
You are still all of those things — without a job.
It’s okay to be sad, angry, petty, or exhausted.
Give yourself a moment.
But then get up.
You’ve got things to do.
You are capable of doing them.
And you get to decide who you become next.
If you want a gentle, structured way to rebuild your days, download the guide I created for myself — and now, for you:
👉 Download the Post-Layoff Self-Care System: A Daily Guide for Healing, Routine & Rebuilding
I hope it brings you the same grounding it brought me.
You’re not alone — even if it feels like it right now.