maintaining your mental health after a layoff

If you’re reading this, you may have lost your job recently or know someone who has. That’s a stressful situation that can challenge the mental health of anyone, regardless of whether you’ve struggled with it in the past. Here are some tips for taking care of yourself in the wake of a layoff; it doesn’t erase the pain of losing your job suddenly or the stress of trying to find a new one, but it’s a good starting point to help you stay well enough for whatever you need to do next.

Note: I am not a medical professional and this is not medical advice. Please talk to a doctor or therapist if you feel you need help or advice specific to your situation.

Ok, here are my tips:

1. Keep routine and structure. Try to wake up at the same time (doesn’t have to be the same time you did while working but it should be the same every day) and have breakfast and get dressed just like you were going to a job. Consider going for a walk every morning.
2. In all the below items, focus on concrete goals you can control (I will apply to x jobs per week, spend y minutes cleaning a day, put my phone away by 9pm) rather than outcomes you can’t (I will get a job by x date, I will have a clean house, I will always fall asleep by 11pm).
3. Keep work/life boundaries with job searching. There is a diminishing return on investment in terms of time spent and it definitely is less than 40 hours a week. If you have a work desk or area you would sit in to work from home, use that for job searching; try not to do things like scroll LinkedIn on your phone outside that area. Don’t job search evenings and weekends (or declare some other time off-limits if your schedule makes that easier).
4. Take care of your health generally. Maintain good sleep hygiene (tips below). Try to exercise at least a little every day—consistency > intensity, and if you can, find something you enjoy and/or with other people. Now may be a good time to schedule doctor/dentist/etc appointments you’ve been putting off if you still have insurance.
5. Reach out to people. Make plans to see friends. Call people you haven’t talked to in a while and catch up. Volunteer. If you have a hobby or community group or faith community you used to attend regularly, start again. http://Meetup.com is good for finding free or cheap events in your area.
6. If you have a past history of needing a particular type of support—like you used to see a therapist or you have gone through substance abuse recovery—now is a good time to set up an appointment with your old therapist, call your sponsor/attend a meeting, etc.
7. Please try not to let all this be another thing to worry about. If you fall short one day, try to forgive yourself and think “I’ll do better tomorrow,” not “I’m failing at all this mental health stuff.” This is all very hard and anything you do to care for yourself in this time is better than nothing.

Sleep hygiene tips https://www.healthline.com/health/sleep-hygiene#bed-and-sleep

I may update this later with some more detailed resources. Feel free to share what has worked for you in the comments!