It’s been a stressful month. Since my last update a lot has happened in the last 2 weeks and I mean LOTS!

Like most businesses these days, the company I worked for also felt the ripple effect from the COVID-19 situation. A week ago, I started my day business as usual when I received a message from my manager saying she’s been laid-off. I was shocked as much as she was. Then a few minutes later, my other co-worker was also let go. ****, it sounded like they were cleaning the house. You can imagine the panic I went through within those few minutes. I remembered that day how my hands were shaking, I couldn’t breathe and I was freaking the F out waiting for my turn. I probably reached out to every person I knew or anyone who was willing to listen over my panic while I waited and waited for my call. I never received a call that day.

My mind wandered all night, trying to figure out what’s next for me. On one hand, I could take the “no call” as a good sign OR potentially receive the bad news from my temp agency the next day who I am working with as a contractor for this company. In any case, I never got any sleep that night. The next day, I finally did hear from my main boss who explained the entire situation. Luckily, I was spared from this layoff for now. However, it was clear that there may or may not be another one coming (hopefully not).

Since the layoffs, I’ve come to be at peace in my mind that a layoff is out of my control and stressing over it is a waste of time. Obviously, I don’t want to be laid off but, stressing over situations I can’t control is mentally exhausting. So, I calmed the F down by staying positive and doing day to day things that I enjoy such as going outside to take a walk or run everyday (with my mask on of course). That weekend, I spent a day at the beach in San Clemente. I spent time walking through the pier and the downtown area since most things are now open to the public. There’s definitely something about being near the water that makes me feel calm.

Today, work announced that all of our employees will be returning to work in the office starting next month. I’m still unsure about going in the office but, it’s clear to me that our economy will open no matter what. Anyway, I’ve decided to take major mental recuperation and preparation for Phase 3 over Memorial Day weekend by staying offline. Whether I like it or not, we’re entering Phase 3 sooner than I expected.