Marketplace All-in-One How do I cope with layoff anxiety?
Feb 26, 2026
Janice Torres, a practical financial educator, gives clear money steps for layoffs. Melody Wilding, an executive coach with a therapy background, shares career tactics and transition prep. Ellen Hendriksen, a clinical psychologist, explains layoff anxiety and cognitive tools to manage it. They discuss spotting workplace signals, building financial and career optionality, and strategies to steady your mind and safety net.
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Turn Catastrophes Into Math To Shrink Fear
- When you catastrophize a layoff outcome, list every step required for the catastrophe and assign each a percent likelihood to multiply out the true risk.
- Ellen says this math usually reduces imagined devastation to an extremely small probability.
Build Certainty Anchors And Carry Uncertainty
- Use two levers: change what you can and accept what you cannot; build certainty anchors like routine resume updates or daily personal routines.
- Ellen suggests carrying uncertainty like a ball while still doing necessary tasks.
Ask Managers About Strategy To Reduce Surprise
- Collect information from managers about leadership decisions and align your work with core company priorities to reduce surprise.
- Melody recommends tactful one-on-ones, asking about restructuring and positioning projects as tied to business goals.