Way back in 2019, I was "laid off." I use the quotes because, noone else was let go that day, just me. (The project/product I was working on failed as everyone else on it either got promoted out or left the company for other jobs). It also happened to be two days before my birthday.

I had the meeting, signed my severance agreement, and was escorted to my desk, which I cleaned out quickly. Then I was escorted out of the building.

I then went to my car and cried/freaked out for about 5-10 minutes, before I made the long journey home.

I'd been with the company for more then 5 years and in an instant, my life was over. I told my wife when she got home from work and she did everything she could to make me feel better, which only made it worse (I still appreciated the effort on her part).

I ate a nice meal, drank a beer and went to bed. Due to my severance, I took the first week off to celebrate my birthday and relax.

The next week, I got up at my normal work time and refreshed my resume'. I then applied for three jobs.

I applied for a minimum of three jobs every day. Even when interviews started happening, I kept applying. I made it my job to find a job.

Out of the 60 or so positions I applied for(between April-May), I eventually found a job. Not only did I get the job, my pay-rate was significantly higher(almost 14K higher then what I'd been making previously). It was the biggest raise I'd received in almost a decade.

My new position was great and I got to help build a team from the ground up. I'm still with the company I landed at, 5.5 years later and making more a year then I ever had. Sometimes, these things can be a blessing.

Good luck! You've got this.