Careful what you wish for...

I've spent a few posts dedicated to talking about my stressful job and how I wasn't sure how I'd handle coming back. I took a full month off and just went back last week. It was stressful, but I was just getting a handle on it. Boy I wished I could have more time, though.

Then today...surprise...laid off! OMG. I've never been laid off before! I have no idea what to do next. Eek.

But in the trend of the good decisions I've been making this month, I came home and went for a 2 mile fast walk that got me sweating. Didn't even occur to me to eat my way through it :)

Let's hope I can keep that up, as I go through the process of reinventing myself through the job search process...

Being laid off is awful! But the more things you can do for yourself ASAP the better.

Get set up so you can file for unemployment, if you qualify. It may take a bit for DES to process your application. Ditto to COBRA or other health-insurance stuff.

Also, update your profile on LinkedIn and any job-hunting sites. If there was a layoff, there are probably other people with your background/experience hitting the job market at the same time, and you want to get yourself out there as soon as you can.

Great advice, thanks. I do qualify for unemployment because the job was "eliminated" so first thing tomorrow I am going to figure all of that out. I think I am most scared of the health insurance piece. Being 5 weeks out from surgery feels a little soon to have a gap in insurance but COBRA is SO DAMN EXPENSIVE! But I already found out that signing up for the Insurance Exchange will have a month wait. Yikes.

As for the job hunting, luckily (or not) I was a lay-off of 1--small educational non profit...so no crazy competition, and a good time to be looking for jobs in education. But I'm still scared and kind of speechless. 

Maybe they were just jealous at how great you are going to look in a few weeks and didn't want the competition around :)

Sorry to hear about your layoff, Juniper! 

I had a similar experience... I received notice right before Christmas a few years ago that they were eliminating my position. I had made a boatload of changes to my department to increase efficiency and reduce staff that I 'efficiencied' myself right out of a job!  I was shocked but not at all sad about it. It was stressful going from gainfully employed and living/breathing my job to unemployed and without direction.  It felt good at first, to be free of the work stress. Very quickly, however, I started stressing over money instead.  The great state of Arizona only gave me about 20% of my former wage, and that started hurting HARD.

My word of advice... apply for Unemployment, even if you think you won't need it.  For a layoff, it's pretty much your right!  The paperwork is awful, but worth it.  Make sure to have it taxed so it won't hurt you for your tax return as well.

Good attitude about the layoff! And WAY TO GO for choosing to exercise instead of go back to old habits.  Think of it as a blessing in disguise - you'll now get to go job shopping!

I have been laid off in the past, as well. In retrospect, it has been a gift. At the time I freaked for awhile, then got back on the horse. I believe my career actually benefited from my opportunities to regroup. It also helped build a healthier perspective on loyalty to any company and gratitude for the work opportunities I have had. I hope you find something you really enjoy with less stress. 

Goid for you for staying with your plan!

I am really sure this is going to be a learning and growing moment for me and definitely an opportunity to reevaluate how much stress I allow in, and where my new healthy habits will fit into whatever new path I choose. No doubt it will be a blessing in the long run :) ...but in the short run, I've got a mortgage that needs paying so...yikes! 

OMG! Haha, exact same thing--I "efficiencied" myself out of my position, too! It was a new job created for me specifically last year, and they said I did all of the infrastructure work to make the department successful, so I'm no longer needed. Gee, thanks, right!?

I hope you ended up finding something even better :) I'm starting to daydream of a mid-life career shift into something completely and totally new. Hmm, wonder if I will be brave enough? 

You ARE brave enough!

For me, I went 6 months searching for a job, then the DH got a good opportunity and we picked up and moved out of state! I was unemployed here in Texas for another 6 months until my old employer had a telecommuting job open up, doing the position I used to supervise. So, for me... not really a big success in finding a better job, but I did finish an Associate's Degree that I had been kinda part-time doing for 10 years, and the job is WAAAAY too easy for me.  The work environment is definitely better - I get to experience all the efficiency changes in my job that I instituted a few years back! And no stress, easy peasy stuff.  Plus I don't have to get dressed or see people. 

Great job handling this shocking news! You are putting yourself and your health first. can you imagine how you would have handled this before your WLS journey? great advice from friends here. i'm praying for an even better, more fabulous job as an outcome for you.

Ps sometimes mortgage companies will work w you in this type of situation if you are having financial difficulty if you reach out to them in advance.  

best of luck.