What two layoffs taught me about protecting your mindset during uncertain career seasons.

Career transitions, especially after a layoff, can be one of the most psychologically challenging seasons in a person’s life. When someone is laid off, stuck in a role they hate, or trying to pivot into something new, the practical challenges are obvious: updating a resume, networking, and navigating interviews. But there’s another factor that quietly shapes how people move through these seasons.

Their mental diet.

The information we consume, the voices we listen to, and the thoughts we repeatedly entertain all influence how we interpret our circumstances and what actions we take next. During a career transition, protecting your mindset can be just as important as updating your resume or preparing for interviews. Looking back at my career, I didn’t fully understand how powerful this concept was until I experienced multiple layoffs myself.

What My First Experience With Unemployment Taught Me

I remember the crash of 2008 and how difficult the job market was. I was unemployed for close to a year and a half before I finally found a stable full-time role. During that time, I picked up side jobs like babysitting and worked retail for a few months, but most of my time was spent applying and interviewing.

I also remember feeling judged by my family during that period. It didn’t make sense to them why it was taking me so long to find a job. To them, it seemed like maybe I wasn’t interviewing well, even though interviewing had always been one of my natural strengths. To be fair, they had long-standing careers they entered when they were young and built over time. They had never experienced layoffs or extended unemployment themselves. It’s hard to have empathy for something you’ve never lived through.

After a while, I got tired of defending myself against the assumptions. I felt like I had explained my situation until I was blue in the face. What I needed during that season wasn’t more advice. I needed support, not lectures and judgment wrapped under the veil of “caring” or “concern.”

Experiences like that leave a psychological mark. They create a framework of fear that something like this could happen again. And eventually, it did.

When It Happened Again

Fast forward to 2020. By that point, I had grown very successful in my career, doing well, respected by leadership and my peers, and receiving raises and bonuses. Then COVID happened. The world shut down and layoffs became widespread. I was laid off.

This time, however, my circumstances were different. Financially, I was in a much better place. My car was paid off, my expenses were low, and I lived with two good friends, which kept rent affordable. But severance wasn’t offered.

At the time, I was working as a corporate recruiter. Hiring freezes were happening everywhere, and recruiters were among the first roles being cut as companies paused their hiring plans. I was just one of many. My LinkedIn feed was full of layoff announcements. The “Open to Work” banners lit up my feed like a Christmas tree.

That’s when I decided I would do something different during this career transition. I would fiercely protect my mental diet.

Protecting My Mental Diet

What did that look like? First, I stopped listening to the news. I knew I would still hear about what was happening; someone would mention it, or it would show up on social media. I couldn’t completely avoid it, but I decided I didn’t need to actively go looking for it.

Between the pandemic and the economic uncertainty, I realized something important. I could not control what was happening in the world, but I could control what I chose to mentally absorb, what I focused on, and what I gave my attention to. I decided my attention was not going to be consumed by the latest death count, daily case numbers, or constant predictions about the economy collapsing. I could live in reality without burying my head in the sand, but I didn’t need to immerse myself in that information all day, every day.

So protecting my mental diet became my number one priority during that career transition.

Changing What I Consumed

Instead of doom-scrolling, I started curating my feed. I intentionally followed people who were posting encouraging and productive content. Mel Robbins became one of my daily go-to voices. I also listened to motivational speakers like Willie Jolley and Les Brown.

Willie Jolley’s message especially resonated with me at the time. One of his most well-known sayings is: “A setback is a setup for a comeback.”

I started listening to stories of people who had faced harsh adversity and still found a way through it. Each situation was different, but there was one common thread among the people I listened to. They were extremely intentional about what they fed their minds and where they focused their attention.

Replacing Doom-Scrolling With Real Life

I also started replacing some of the time I would normally spend scrolling with activities that helped me reset mentally. I spent more time outside, walking in parks, taking my roommate’s dog on long walks while she was at work, riding my bike on nearby trails, and journaling. Those moments created space for me to think more clearly about what I wanted my life to look like once things stabilized.

I also created a mental challenge for myself. Every time I saw someone on LinkedIn announcing a layoff, instead of seeing it as proof that the market was doomed, I told myself: “I know they will find something better, and I’ll probably see their update in the near future.” That small shift helped me avoid internalizing the constant wave of discouraging news.

Becoming Open to New Possibilities

Another thing I did during that season was open my mind to new possibilities. I made a list of potential career tracks and changes that were very different from recruiting. I wanted to take the blinders off and think more creatively about how I could make that season of life work in my favor. This shift helped move me into creator mode mentally rather than feeling like I was completely at the mercy of circumstance. That was empowering.

Did it change my situation overnight? No. But it changed something equally important. It changed how I showed up in the process.

How Your Mental State Changes Your Opportunities

Because I was mentally stronger and more grounded, I became more open to opportunities I might have ignored before. It changed the opportunities I pursued and my attitude toward the process. Because I was better mentally resourced, I was more willing to explore paths that might have previously felt outside the box. Eventually, that shift led me into a role I genuinely wanted. The same belief I had held for others who were laid off, that something better could come, eventually became my own reality as well.

Why Mental Diet Matters More Than Ever

That season taught me something powerful that has since become part of the framework I use in my own life and in my coaching. Mental diet is critical. It’s not a magic bullet. I’m not suggesting that positive thinking alone will magically cause an opportunity to appear. That’s not how life works. But when you operate from a place of empowerment instead of fear, you are much more likely to recognize opportunities, even when they arrive in ways you didn’t originally expect.

Right now, protecting your mental diet may matter more than ever. Every time I open social media or news apps, I see constant messaging about how difficult the job market is. I see the same layoff announcements on LinkedIn. I see the frustration. I see the desperation. It’s everywhere. I’m not dismissing reality or anyone’s current experience. But what I am saying is that during seasons like this, it becomes even more important to be intentional about what you allow to occupy your attention.

Protecting Your Attention During Difficult Seasons

Maybe you’re stuck in a job you hate but can’t see a way out. Maybe you were laid off and worry that you may never find something comparable again. Maybe you’re concerned that you’ve aged out of the market or that you won’t find another opportunity willing to pay what you’re worth. Those fears are real, and they deserve to be acknowledged.

But I challenge you to balance those feelings by becoming more protective of your attention during this time. You can stay aware of the market and keep an eye on trends and updates, but try to keep that exposure intentional and limited. Then give your mind space from it.

Our attention is a form of currency. And when we spend that currency constantly consuming discouraging information, even if it makes us feel seen or validated, it doesn’t move us forward.

A Framework That Helped Me

Here are a few ideas that helped me shift my mental diet.

Search for encouraging content on platforms you already use, such as TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, podcasts, or longer-form videos. Look for people who share similar experiences or demographics and who talk openly about navigating difficult seasons successfully. What you need right now is evidence that things can change. Search for keywords related to the fears or challenges you’re experiencing. Create playlists you can listen to while commuting, cleaning the house, cooking, or even during those moments when anxiety makes it difficult to sleep.

Look for comeback stories. Look for reinvention stories. You might be surprised how many people have rebuilt their lives after layoffs, career pivots, or major setbacks. Recently, I’ve seen many Gen X and Boomer professionals sharing their own comeback stories on YouTube, talking openly about how they navigated layoffs and built new chapters of their careers. It’s honestly refreshing to see.

Another helpful shift is exploring stories of people who reinvented their careers entirely. Sometimes we become so focused on returning to the exact same role we held before that we never pause to ask a deeper question: what do I actually want my next chapter to look like?

Creating an Ecosystem of Encouragement

During difficult seasons, it can be helpful to intentionally create an environment that encourages and strengthens you. That might include books or audiobooks from motivational speakers, podcasts focused on growth or resilience, faith-based content if spirituality is important to you, connecting with people pursuing similar goals, or building relationships with people who are a few steps ahead in the journey. Negativity is everywhere, which means building a more empowering environment requires intentional effort. But the impact is worth it.

The Result

When you empower yourself to believe that better can come, you begin to show up differently. You interview differently. You approach opportunities with more courage. You become more willing to explore paths you might not have considered before. Progress may not happen overnight. But when you stay mentally resourced and open to possibility, you dramatically increase the chances of finding your next chapter. And over time, those small shifts in mindset and action can lead you somewhere better than where you started.

If you’re currently navigating a career transition and trying to figure out what your next chapter should look like, this is exactly the type of work I help clients explore inside Conscious Career Lab. Through my career clarity coaching process, I help professionals better understand their strengths, motivations, and design so they can move forward with greater confidence and direction.