It Is Time.......

Photo Credit - John Michael Morgan

“It is time” – Rafiki, Lion King

This week redundancy is knocking at my door.

Yes… I knew it was coming at some point, I had a Plan B, but thinking I had time I wasn’t in a hurry to take action.

Once I heard the words redundancy I didn’t hear anything else, I was taken by surprise. I had the option to go home and I chose to take it. I was emotional, and I was quite surprised by this reaction. I was emotional about being emotional.
​
I will admit before going back to my desk I took a moment in the bathroom to compose myself, being self-aware, I knew I had to let it out or it would bubble inside of me. Once I felt right, I put my smile back on, went back to my desk and then I went home.

What I want you to know about this experience is that no matter how prepared you think you might be for this, it finds a way to come at you from another angle, one you didn’t expect and weren’t ready for.

There definitely was a process I went through, it was surprise, I was confused, then it was anger and then fear. My financials ran through my mind, my family’s welfare, and my age all these things were running through my mind.

I recognised that my mind was running a little out of control. I reminded myself that this is a normal response for this experience. ​

STOP! …… Thinking this word or saying it helps to create a mind shift, taking some breaths provides a cushion for the mind to rest, this is the opportunity to assess.

I assessed that I was in shock, I was scared, I was surprised and concerned.

By recognising and naming what was happening it took the severity of the impact away and I was able to make some decisions about my actions going forward.

I chose to allow myself to be upset, to greet any emotion, or thought that came up and accept it as a normal part of the process. I spoke with my family and friends who were a great support; it is helpful and important to talk it out.

I liken the experience to a roller coaster ride of highs and lows.

The next day I felt I had come to terms with the situation. I asked myself the question what next, what did I have to do next? That positivity somehow grew into overwhelm and by the next day I was angry.

I reminded myself that these feelings are normal and that it was ok to feel this way.

I also reminded myself was its not personal this is a normal process for my current work situation.

When you are feeling vulnerable, it is easy to get caught up in other people’s views or opinions and to concoct ideas about the situation. When this happens ask yourself – is this true? Take a moment to assess the reality.

Redundancy is normality in our work environment, I reminded myself of this.

By talking to others, I uncovered that other people had experienced redundancy before, I asked them how they handled the process. I drew on their experience. This was of great comfort as I realised more and more, what I was feeling was normal. And most importantly people survived and grew from the experience.

What is also normal is to feel a little isolated as the people around you also come to terms with the situation, they too go through the same process as the ones staying.

“Redundancy is normal. It happens. But it’s hard to stomach. More than one in four Australians (26%) have had the redundancy axe fall on them at some point in their working lives. More than half the population (58%) either know someone who has been through redundancy or have been themselves”. Seek, The honest truth about redundancy

So what next……..

Opportunity has its arms wide open, calling me and as strange as this may sound I find an excitement in this. I don’t know exactly what next, but what I do know is that I am more passionate than ever about the wellbeing of others.

I live by the motto, regret what you have done, not what you didn’t do. So as scary as it may seem, I’m excited by it.

I have felt overwhelmed over the last couple of weeks as word has got around. Overwhelmed because I didn’t realise just how much people were listening as I shared my insights and knowledge on workplace wellbeing.
​
I am looking forward to seeing what the new chapter brings.

Wishing you wellbeing
Leanne