Getting Through It: When You Get Laid Off

Guest Post By Kim White

While the purpose of Earth Regarded Travel is to provide inspiration and resources to help people travel more sustainably, we also want to recognize that people have a lot on their minds, and travel is the least of their worries (especially since, for many of us, it’s not yet possible). We wanted those of you who may be facing some unprecedented adversity to know you’re not alone. While we are all responsible for the rehabilitation and care of our planet, we are also stewards or our mental health and in order to best serve our environment in the long run, for some of us, it might be a time to focus inward. 

Recently I, along with many others, was laid off.

On Friday, March 13, I was sent home from my job as a publicist at a thriving marketing agency in San Diego, told I had the choice to work remote a few days the next week. The following Monday, I was told we would all be working remotely indefinitely and that each employee would be put on a one-day-per-week furlough for a short time to help alleviate some of the agency’s costs. By Friday, March 20, I was put on a full-time furlough until May at the earliest.  

Now, I know what some of you are thinking, getting unemployment pay and six weeks of time off work is pretty nice. Yet, while i’m grateful for that cushion, it didn’t keep the anxiety at bay once the reality of the pandemic and my furlough set in. Some days in March and April, it was just a dull, throbbing feeling at the back of my head-- thinking about having to find a new job, hanging in a sort of limbo and not knowing whether to move or sit still. I thought to myself, do I want to continue being a publicist, do I want to make a radical career change? How do I want to spend this time off? Each day in April I exercised, worked on puzzles and kept my finger on the pulse of my former clients and how the pandemic was unfolding and being handled in California and around the world. Then, at the end of April, I was fully laid off. 

Through college and after graduating, I’ve pretty much always worked. I had a job and internships every summer. I took two weeks off after graduation before starting a full-time internship in a new city. I’d consistently interviewed and found odd jobs at home in Boise, Idaho before landing my first full-time position as a Publicity Assistant at a national PR agency in San Diego. I didn’t take any time off between leaving that company and starting the position I was laid off from. Now, I am unemployed, living off the government, facing more uncertainty than I have in my entire life. In many ways, I’m lucky. I’m not married, I don’t have children, no one is relying on me to provide anything for them. However, I live alone in San Diego, far away from my parents’ house and a rent-free refuge. And I have a life here that i’m not willing to let go of. I have friends, professional contacts, a boyfriend. I’m just not ready to let COVID-19 uproot my life more than it already has. 

When I got the phone call in May that the agency I worked for was not able to bring me back, that dull throbbing became a full-blown gut punch. But, I had to come to terms with the fact that the only way out of this mess is to start making my way through it. I was going to have to be patient and open-minded as I began a new job search. I was going to have to find ways to stay physically and emotionally healthy. It’s now July, and I’m still unemployed. For the first time since graduating college, my job applications are met with radio silence as I go head-to-head with the multitudes who find themselves in my same position. It’s no picnic, and some days I can hardly get out of bed knowing the uphill battle that looms ahead of me. Yet since being laid off, I’ve found a few ways to keep my spirits up. With some exceptions (we all have those days), I find I feel a little bit better after employing these tools, and I hope they can help some of you, too. 

Catch Some Rays 

I grew up in Idaho and one of the main reasons I moved to Southern California is because I figured after 18 years there, three years in Oregon and give or take a year in Washington, I’d paid my dues with the cloudy, grey seasons. I couldn’t wait to be tan and blonde after moving here, but it didn’t take long for me to figure out that having a full-time job meant paying someone to make me blonde and buying my tan in a bottle. Now, I try to get outside and enjoy the sunshine as often as I can. I go on walks and runs, lay out at the beach or at the park. Vitamin D is crucial for our health, and we can’t let quarantine keep us from soaking it in from the sun. Being able to bask in this resource in abundance has brought me joy and refuge on days I am particularly stressed out (just don’t forget your ocean-safe sunscreen!). 

Get Moving

When everything feels like it’s spinning out of control, I like to firmly grasp onto something I know I have power over. For me, exercise is my way of regaining control in my life. I know, every time I step out for a run or unroll my yoga mat in my living room that I am doing something positive for my physical and mental health. After breaking a sweat, I feel on top of the world and I ride that endorphin high for as long as I can. Of course, when I’m working I also find time to exercise, but it’s never been as fulfilling as it has been these past few months. It’s a source of esteem and confidence helping fill the gaps left by the pride and joy I got from a great day at work that. 

Find a Hobby

I am not an idle person and being unemployed in quarantine has been tough -- I can only sit on my couch for so long. So, I decided to explore getting better at something I hadn’t made time for in my previous life as part of the workforce. When things began to reopen, I bought myself a pair of beginner golf clubs and have been hitting the range regularly over the past few weeks. I’m goal-oriented (in case any potential employers are reading this), and I plan to be game-ready by August so I can challenge my boyfriend to nine holes. So far, I’m hitting them pretty straight -- and nothing relieves stress like whacking a club at something! 

Enhance The Quality Of Your Connections

I don’t know about you, but I’ve spent more time connecting (and reconnecting) with people during this pandemic than I have ever before. I feel as though I’ve strengthened so many relationships by using this time to nurture them. Whether it’s binge watching the Sopranos with my boyfriend, FaceTiming with faraway friends and family, or just spending hours on-end on the phone, I don’t feel that the distance presented by the pandemic has any bearing on my relationships, and that has held me together through most of this time. 

Keep In Touch With Your Network 

I’ve been so fortunate that the professional network I’ve built is filled with caring, compassionate people. Shout out to Bonnie, founder of this blog, who gave me the opportunity to do freelance work for her after I checked in with how she was coping through quarantine. I didn’t reach out with personal gain in mind, but continuing our relationship helped bring me an opportunity to gain new experience while between jobs. I’ve kept in touch with other former colleagues who have volunteered as references, provided me with samples of past work I didn’t have a chance to save, sent over job openings and overall provided moral support. Maintaining these relationships reminds me that I not only have supportive colleagues, but more friends who care about me than I may realize on my darkest days. 

Actually Job Search 

While it may appear that I am only discovering new ways to procrastinate rather than actually finding a job, that is not (always) the case. I spend a lot of time on LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Indeed and company websites poring over job openings and working on applications. As things begin to reopen, more opportunities appear to present themselves. While I may not find something that interests me or is a fit every day, with each day of exploration, I feel as if I am closer to figuring out what I want from my career long-term. Right now, I’m listening to my gut and trying to focus on openings and companies that excite me. Overall, I am figuring out what I want my path to be, and that’s progress. 

For those of you who are in this position too -- I feeeeeel for you. While I am trying to appreciate this anomaly of free time and put it to good use -- I also know it’s really fucking hard, and I’m one of the lucky ones. Regardless, I am confident that we will all come out of this on the other side, ready to take the world back on. Until then, keep your heads up, we got this.