We won't mince words: layoffs are one of the worst things someone can experience over the course of their career. Though we can rarely change the outcome in the moment of being let go, we can influence how we remember that moment over time.
WE BELIEVE:
There has been a lot of research over the last decade or so that’s given us new insights into how our memories work: what we recall, why, and when. One of the most interesting insights we’ve seen came from Northwestern University which found, in essence: when we remember something, we don’t remember the actual event itself. We remember the last time we remembered that event.
What does that mean, exactly? The way we remember certain details of an event will become distorted over time - for good, or for bad. This shows up every time we remember something:
In the context of layoffs, we can point our long term memories in the right direction by adding something distinct (read: “out of the norm”) to the first 48 hours after you’re given the news. We share some ideas in the Something to Try section below.
SOMETHING WE LOVE:
- Naval Ravikant
YOU SHOULD TRY THIS:
If you’ve been let go, do something out of the norm in the first day or so after you’ve gotten the news. Here’s a few ideas to get your mind moving:
To be clear, doing something out of the norm won't remove the initial shock and hurt of being let go. But over time, you'll our hope is that you'll recall these positive moments of those 48 hours more vividly and more often than the hard parts.
Listen In
If you, or anyone you know, has ever been impacted by a layoff, we recommend listening to this week's podcast.
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