I Lost My Job A Week Before Thanksgiving
By: Ree Jackson
Tags: Thanksgiving, Work, Mental Health, Jobs, Life

Thanksgiving 2015 is one holiday I will never forget.

A week before the holiday, I lost my job.

It did not come as a suprise. I was the target of a bully. The bully was my boss, and for eight months the boss had made my life a living hell. The firing almost felt like a relief.

Still, it was a sucker punch that sent me reeling.

I worried about was my family, and how this would impact them. I worried about myself and how I would find a job again.

It was the saddest period of my life.

The Blackest Friday

It was a hard holiday season. I ate my feelings and all the carbs on Thanksgiving. I justified it by thinking that eventually I wouldn’t be able to afford food so I better eat for survival. During dinner, I listened to family members talk about the deals they were going to get on Black Friday.

I couldn’t enjoy any of it. I couldn’t afford any of it. I couldn’t stand any of it.

I went home and cried myself to sleep.

I woke up on Black Friday. I dealt with the reality that I was jobless, with no prospects in sight. All set against the backdrop of holly jolly holidays. I felt sad and alone.

In November and December, hiring for jobs slows down. Employers often focus on wrapping up tasks for the year instead of hiring new employees. I started to panic, knowing that it would likely be months before I could land a job. I started to really sink in to my despair and depression.

I stayed in bed all day, claiming to be sick from the Thanksgiving meal. I felt like I couldn’t move, that if I stayed in bed, I wouldn’t have to deal with anything. I drifted in and out of a restless sleep the rest of the day.

Saturday finally came. I laid in bed, staring at the ceiling. I couldn’t go through another day like Black Friday. I needed a plan. I got out of bed, grabbed my journal and started to write.

Taking back control on that Saturday after Thanksgiving was the best thing I could do for myself. My plan was simple: I concentrated on small things I could do as I began to search for work.

These are all the things I did to begin my health process from job loss. Taking positive action was the key to surviving the holidays.

The Plan

Be there for family. I knew that the only thing worse than job loss at the holidays was ruining the holidays completely with my sadness. For the sake of my family, I decided to buck up and make the most of things. I concentrated on cleaning, decorating, and do all I could to by a Who in Whoville against the Grinchi-ness of being without a job. Turns out, giving into the holiday spirit helped me as much as it helped them. Find friends. Obvious, right? But it is your nearest and dearest who will get you through these moments. I really leaned on my friends. These are the times that define friendship. Volunteer. I had extra time on my hands, so I found a non-profit that needed help with writing, cleaning, and all kinds of odd jobs. It allowed me to stay busy, contribute, and network all at the same time. It gave me a purpose. Make. Bake. Rake. Take. I was low on cash but I wanted to show people I cared for them. So, I made homemade gifts like bookmarks and knitted scarves. I baked treats, using up ingredient in my pantry. I raked and did odd household jobs to help out. I volunteered to take friends, family, kids on errands, or just hung out with them. I gave all the time I had. Refresh. I looked at all the stuff I had, and realized I already had more than I needed. I donated stuff to charity. I cleaned, and re-arraned my furniture. I went through my closet and tried on everything before either selling it or keeping it. My kitchen was re-organized. Refreshing made me look at the things I took for granted. Go the distance. I set mini goals for my health and fitness. I went for walks, and explored new places. I started to practice holding plank position and worked my way up to two minutes straight. I played in the snow. Next to the love of family and friends, my health became my most valuable possession. Books. And more books. I read each day. All the books I had stacked around the house were finally getting attention. I even renewed my library card. Filling my head with beautiful words and ideas was a joy. Wrote my way out. The song “Wrote My Way Out” from the Hamilton Mixtape album is a favorite of mine. The song is all about having nothing except words, and using those words to write the way out of difficult circumstances. When I could feel myself becoming depressed, I started writing. The writing helped me through the darkest times. Fix it. Repair instead of despair after job loss became my mantra. Repair the stuff in at home that stopped working months ago. Repair relationships. I reach out and told people I was thinking of them. I said I was sorry for past mistakes. Fixing became a new form of freedom. Routine. One of the hardest things when you are suddenly jobless is establishing a routine. I had to re-establish purpose in my life. I forced myself to wake up, exercise, make my bed and shower every day, no excuses. I took baby steps at first, and it eventually became easier. Routine created a new rhythm for my life.

Happy New Year

When I got to December 31st, I took a deep breath and made a plan for the new year. My plan was built on the positive things I did during the last twelve months.

With that mindset, I landed a new job by February. It wasn’t as much money as I had been making as before, but I was grateful for the opportunity. Since I had been living with less, the transition to a new role was easy.

For anyone facing job loss, just know that every day you get out of bed and meet the world, it’s a win. Look forward to 2020 knowing that action and adventure awaits, and you will be ready to take that first step.

I hope these steps help someone who is facing this difficult reality. These tough moments in life do pass. You will emerge from it stronger and wiser.

Just don’t give up.