The 5 Stages of 'Severance'

Knit one, pearl two, newly laid off AIG friend, this one's for you...

The 5 Stages of 'Severance'

Shock
Even if you have been preparing yourself mentally for months, actually getting hit with the bad news will sting like a mother.  As you are guided through the HR process of finding out your individual severance package and putting your picture frames into a box, your mind shuts down while your body goes into autopilot to prevent a security guard from having to escort you out of the building. 
 
It is hard to be in denial when you discover that your computer has been locked before you even had a chance to update your facebook status to 'axed.'  But, it is easy to mentally detach yourself until you can physically attach your lips to a frosty beer/shot/mixed drink/keg...

Self Medication

While you may not want to deal with co-workers who are still employed, let them buy you a damn drink.  They aren't the cause of your current situation and they honestly want to help out any way they can.  They may not be able to get you a new job, (hell, they may not have one soon either) but they can buy you a round to help numb your pain.
 
If you don't feel like you can cry your eyes out to them, even after that 3rd shot of whiskey on an empty stomach, speed dial your favorite 'therapist' and just let it all out.  Whether it is your grandparents, best friend, diary or actual shrink you are entitled to wail and whine to them until you have a headache from all the events of the day truly setting in.

The healthiest medication is a butt kicking workout. You will get an amazing high from knowing that you can chase down your old boss and “make an impromptu presentation using a four pronged approach” (hit them with a chair). Just kidding, but I do reccommend trying new classes as it opens your mind up to new things.

Hangover

Your eyes are puffy, body sore and your head is a jumbled mess.  You know the saying "nothing good happens after 2am?"  Well nothing good happens after you were just handed a pink slip.  
 
This is no time to start your job hunt – hiring managers will smell your desperation along with the alcohol sweating out your pores.  This is a time to wallow in your misery (sans pants and alarm clock) like a hermit.
 
If you try to jump into a new career immediately you may regret it soon after.  It's kind of like getting dumped by a significant other.  You rarely want to marry the first person you meet at a bar the next night.  Take some time to figure out what you just lost and what you want to find so you don't get stuck in a job you hate.
 

Hope

One day you finally wake up with a sense of optimism.  Like a Visa commercial come true, you open your eyes and see that you are free to GO. Do whatever you want as long as your wallet allows.  You can start your own business.  You can go on a vacation (taking advantage of the special rates for the newly jobless).  You can even aprender espanol :)
 
Get on those job site boards and research new career paths you have always been curious about but too hesitant to ditch your 401k for.  Have your friends look over your updated resume and compliment you on what you have accomplished to bolster your confidence before interviews.  Alert references you would like to use them and see if they have anything for you to work on as well.

Lastly, make yourself some business cards for all the networking events you are obligated to accompany your pink slip posse to.  Never know who you are going to meet!

Frustration

All the planning in your Hope phase seemed like fun didn't it?  You went to Barnes and Noble and researched that genius startup idea that popped into your head while visiting a gallery a networking event was held in. You even took that tropical vacay to temporarily escape reality and regroup.
 
But 4 months later your tan has faded along with your hopes of ever working again.  Leads go nowhere, resumes are sent out unanswered, business schemes prove too unrealistic... Despite all the steps you've taken to further yourself you feel stuck in the same place.

Just realize that you are actually miles ahead of where you used to be.  You are now a stronger person - a great asset to any operation because you are hungry to succeed and have new skills you would have never learned if you were still working the same old 9:30am-8pm days. 
 
It is harder out there than it may seem to those not in your place. Try not to let the frustration keep you from acting irrationally. Embrace your role as the unemployed friend trying to get back in the game.  Recognize you are not alone in what you are going through, that it's not the end of the world. Then go cycle back to the Hope phase, fingers crossed, this time for good!