This past week, President Trump and Elon Musk began firing employees across the federal government, targeting workers that had been on the job less than two years. Announcements came quickly: some employees at the CDC had less than two hours to collect their belongings and exit the building. Firings impacted over 3,000 workers at the U.S. Forest Service, over 1,000 at the Department of Veterans Affairs, and 405 staffers at Homeland Security (according to reports from Reuters). These firings are in addition to the deferred resignation program. So far, about 75,000 people had accepted that offer as of last week, according to White House reports. Elsewhere, tech companies like Meta, Google and Workday are continuing job cuts. Meta layoffs this week impacted 5% of its staff. For those who are facing layoffs, in the government or elsewhere, a mental game begins. Whether with a selected severance package or an unwanted kick out the door, the change created from separation can feel destabilizing and chaotic. Anger, frustration, confusion: the list of emotions are as varied as the people who were once employed within the organization. Layoffs can create significant psychological distress, financial uncertainty, and even questions about your value/contribution as an individual. If you or someone you know has been laid off, what’s the best way to find stability and strength in the midst of the chaos?

Beyond a Layoff: Understanding the Mental Game

According to Psychology Today, unwanted change (like the loss of a job) can be a traumatic event that leaves people feeling a sense of isolation. And unworthiness. After all, for the former employees at Meta: were you really an “underperformer”? How does that label feel? An ex-Meta staffer says on Blind (an anonymous app for workers in the tech space) , “[I] consistently exceeded expectations multiple years, had a baby in 2024, got laid off." Another anonymous former Meta staffer told Business Insider, “The hardest part is Meta publicly stating they’re cutting low performers, so it feels like we have the scarlet letter on our backs. People need to know we’re not underperformers.”

Bad decisions can happen to good performers at any time. The key to the mental game, in the midst of a layoff, is to look beyond the labels. Understanding that what you do and who you are (your worth as an individual) are two separate things. Choices of others, especially choices that were made without your input, can not define you. Unless, of course, you let them. Who decides your value, your contribution, your worth? You do. That’s true, but only 100% of the time. Even when times are tough.

The Journey to Strength and Stability After a Layoff

Anger, chaos and confusion are natural reactions to a layoff. Existential questions emerge: “What did I do to deserve this?” “Why is this happening to me?” “Why me, why this, why now?” (Trust me, I’ve been there - on both sides of the decision).

Andrew Lennox, a 10-year Marine veteran, was part of a new supervisor training program at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He said he received an email “out of the blue” Thursday evening informing him that he was being terminated, according to the Associated Press.

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