What do you do if you're struggling to maintain work-life balance after a layoff?

Having now been out of work for 6 months, I feel reflection is a double edged sword. In early weeks it can be powerful to consider options, approaches and start to put more time with family and take the opportunity learn. As time passes however reflection turns into doubt and the longer you are out of work the more other negative emotions and feelings start to grow. If you can focus your positive energy, talk to others openly to get support, you can consider options and even maximise your network to find that important next step.

First thing first: calm down. Don't do anything until you regain your awareness and a clear perspective over emotional bad feelings. See everything happening as an excellent opportunity to rethink and reset your life goal. To restart from the right point and in the right direction. Even if you are struggling with some financial or health issue, take a break. Full rest for several days. You may go elsewhere where nobody can find you. Take the most trusted person with you. Your loyal spouse or best friend. Then, assess carefully what knowledge, skills, and experience you are best at. Sort them from 1 to 10, then cut to 5, to 3, and 2. Between two alternatives, select the most impact choice in the least time if you take that role or job.

The sequence of reaction when one is impacted is shock-why me-acceptance-what next. The sooner you come to the last step, it's easier for you. You may like to tell yourself that is this an opportunity for me or a wake up call. Either of these thoughts will pivot you towards tomorrow instead of grieving about yesterday. Like they say, get up, get ready and show up. Getting ready involves openness, reality, sharpened goal and above all upskilling.

After a layoff, maintaining work-life balance can be tough! Here's what you can do: - Allow yourself to grieve - Set boundaries - Prioritize self-care - Seek support - Take breaks - Focus on what you can control - Practice gratitude - Stay organized - Seek professional help if needed - Remember, it's temporary! Take care of yourself and stay resilient!

One of the first impacts of the job loss is the break in routine. You can take a break of one week, after that, ensure that your calendar is filled with priorities on health, networking, job search, time for family, time for hobbies and journaling. Avoid speaking negative of your last employer, acknowledge that it wasn't you but the business strategy for which you lost out. Stay positive.

Live normally. If you have a previous daily schedule, just change the working time with job search activities, networking, sharpening your skills, and perhaps making some little innovation or invention based-on your skills. Or continue your goals to complete some internal project that can impact more people and your industry. Don't allow the layoff to impact you negatively. If you have no great daily schedule, then it is the time to learn how to create one. Take the best book on practical time or priority management. Some online course about the topic will help a lot. Set aside your time to master this topic not for today but for a long time further. Optimize your daily time to improve yourself for your next opportunity to come.

Structure is critical and helps to keep the mind focused, plus positive. Sometime however it is easier to say than do and I personally have struggled as other life challenges: family illness, financial liabilities and other unforeseen events collided at the wrong time. Throwing structure to the wolves. In the moments I focus on two statements which have helped me through many dark times: 1) What ever the trauma is generally passes 2) Even in the darkest tunnel there is a light at the end if you're willing to keep walking toward it. Using these to push yourself into even the simplest of activities daily helps your mental state. Walking outside is especially good.

Setting a schedule and boundaries is great, however I have found this is easy to say and really hard to do. In the early days after been laid off you are motivated and driven, so setting and running to schedule works. The longer you are out of work the more fear, despair, despondency and depression creep in at first and then hit you like a tsunami. I have found that having a great support structure and most importantly family members who are willing to listen if key. As they can help you establish routine and set boundaries for you to live within. EG. My wife making dinner every night at 6pm, taking my son to the train at 7am every Tuesday morning. These have keep me sane and grounded, to keep pushing forward and the reason why.

You read me! I know the feeling when I was laid off and searched for jobs 24/7 and ended up with health and mental issues! You had 8 hours of your previous working time. After layoff, it is OK to have your 8-hour time filled with job hunting activities. Just take a break and exercise enough to keep you healthy. Another option is to split your 8 hours into 50% for job hunting activities and 50% for professional networking to get job information from your old and new network. If you feel there is a gap in your knowledge or skills, then you can split it three times with 33% for each activity: job hunting, networking, and knowledge or skill enhancement. Be consistent and prepare well for each activity above to get an optimal result.

Do this step only if you have done previous ones, as you are now confident about your new goals and mission. You can select friends, family, and professional networks that match and align with your goals and mission. Don't meet everyone randomly just to get some advice! Not only will you waste your time, but they may also block you from your new goals and mission. Be reborn and do things differently with a positive outlook and vision. Speak more clearly and with rhythm just like a beautiful song. Make yourself worth it getting a new job and make your new role better than the previous one.

I have tried various things to seek support and motivation, connecting with old colleagues, pinging my network, making videos, talking to family. I have found friends tricky as they are wrapped up in their own lives and in many cases don't want to be brought down by the challenges you face, only the closest of friends really get it. All these helps in different ways and play a part in helping to keep you moving forward. Knowing you always have someone and it only has to be 1 person you can fully lean on stops the isolation becoming all consuming and if you can join groups or are part of something regular outside work all the better.

Your best time to explore and consider limitless opportunities comes! Try several roles that you never did before. You may be surprised to find some role that matches all your vision and dream. Make sure you try the best alternatives before deciding on a more permanent roles later.

Any career setback's first response should be reflecting if there are other opportunities beyond the obvious. Instead of just looking for a job, one can learn a new skill, join as a temporary contributor or just give back to the society. Consult a career specialist who can help you with the possibilities beyond what you think. Get out of designation fascination and embrace something that you always wished for.

I have found that after the tsunami hit me, that learning to coup and being flexible enough to redefine your life and work parameter is critical. In the current market even finding freelance work is tricky and all job seeking of all types in a poor economic client is hard and motivationally debilitating . I have started to look at volunteering in different fields to keep motivation up and outline my value to me and hopefully open doors to other potential I have not considered. Keeping the mind busy and productive I feel is the most important thing and being flexible to consider lateral options helps.

At the end of the day our health is our most important commodity and being laid off can lead you down a spiral of eating, drinking, sleeping, sitting and various other things too much. All of which effects self worth, self esteem, self belief and general health. I have struggled with putting on weight and not being happy with the man in the mirror. Simply getting on the fitness bike for 30mins is a win. My advise is to focused on little wins (eating a health breakfast, go for a walk outside twice a week, even going shopping to browse and don't buy) Take some exercise and don't eat or drink things that negatively effect you. The smallest things helps for mental and physical health.