Thriving or Surviving

On June 27th, 2024, I was given a layoff notice and 60 days to finish out my position before it would be eliminated. August 27th, I walked away without a new job lined up, despite many applications and many interviews -- a technicality in my old job's classification was getting in the way of a new job offer.  Fast forward to October 7th when I started a new job.  I was actually offered four jobs all at about the same time and had interviews for several others lined up. It felt great to know I was WANTED. I felt validated and valued! Of the four jobs I was offered: The first was offered based entirely on my resume and after only a five minute conversation. The pay, however, was low and the hours not great. The second job I was offered seemed like a great cultural fit and everyone was welcoming and warm when I did a shadow session as part of the interview process. The HR person told me that I not only could negotiate any offered salary but that I SHOULD . They offered just a tin...

This post contains affiliate links towards the end. Any purchase made through such links may result in a commission to me, but at NO COST to you. Thank you in advance! My mental health has been suffering lately. I received a layoff notice at work on June 27th and my job was officially eliminated on August 27th. Throughout the two months in between, and the month and a half since then and when I am drafting this post, I've been stressed out, anxious, and depressed. I very quickly started to binge more social media content than is normal for me, but I also realized that even before these events, I was spending a lot more time on social media than is ideal.  You can learn more about my lay off journey on YouTube HERE . Early in September, I was scrolling on Instagram, mindlessly, and realized how dissatisfied I was with my time on social media, primarily Instagram and Facebook. I really don't use much else -- I dabble in YouTube and go to Pinterest for inspiration and recipes, but...

I received a layoff notice on June 27th and learned that my job would be permanently eliminated 60 days later -- that 60 days was up yesterday.  This past weekend, I experienced some mental shifts and moved from anger and panic to curiosity and excitement. I could see any number of possibilities ahead.  Yesterday and today, I woke up exhausted after sleeping horribly and having extremely vivid bad dreams -- I'm pretty sure at one point that I yelled out loud while asleep and woke myself up last night. All of my anxieties and insecurities have been coming out in my dreams, even if I'm not necessarily feeling them in my waking life.  So, on day one of being unemployed, I'm feeling a little bit scattered mentally and emotionally, a bit worried about the future, but a bit excited too.  Today, I: Spent my morning tidying my kitchen, living room, and bedroom; Had two job interviews with different departments at the company that had just laid me off; Went to coffee with a f...

Something interesting happened this weekend.  With only two work days left before my job is eliminated, I expected to be going into this week panicked, worried, and freaking out.  Instead, something else entirely happened. First, I started to feel calm -- calmer than I've felt in a very long time.  Second, I started to feel excited and curious about the possibilities of hours not spent at a job working for someone else.  I've spent the last two months growing increasingly anxious and depressed about my layoff, to a degree that I started to see a new therapist and have considered trying an antidepressant. Through working with my therapist and facing the elimination of my job, I've been considering what I really want out of life. Am I just pursuing certain paths because I feel like I should or because I think it's expected?  I am still looking for a new job and have had several promising interviews, but this mental shift and the possibilities raised by not having ...

Two days after writing my last blog post , I got a layoff notice at work.  I had asked to have a meeting with my boss about a process at work, and I thought that's what our Friday afternoon meeting would be about -- until I saw that the meeting was scheduled for only 10 minutes. Until a friend messaged to ask if I also had a 10 minute meeting. Until another co-worker messaged to ask if I had a 10 minute meeting. Until my friend messaged again to tell me about a weird interaction in which another employee asked her, out of nowhere, "So, are you looking for a new job yet?" At first, we had speculated that maybe our contracts were being extended (we were directly hired employees on six month contracts and supposed to have the option to renew, become permanent in our roles, or to move on other other roles within the company). I was catching on that this 10 minute meeting was probably a lay off notice in light of the fact that our company was talking about laying off a lot of ...