How do I cope with layoff anxiety?
This Is Uncomfortable
Marketplace
4.6 • 3.6K Ratings
🗓️ 26 February 2026
⏱️ 35 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
With more layoffs in the news, a lot of workers are feeling spooked. It can be hard not to spiral into what ifs: What if the next paycheck is my last? What if I can’t find another job?
We look at how to cope with that uncertainty and what you can do to help protect yourself. Reema talks with psychologist Ellen Hendriksen, career coach Melody Wilding, and financial educator Jannese Torres, who share practical ways to stay grounded and prepared – from reframing your anxiety to strengthening your safety net.
Have you ever struggled with layoff anxiety? We want to hear about it, so give us a call at 347-RING-TIU or send us an email at uncomfortable@marketplace.org
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | It was very early on a Monday and got a 8 a.m. meeting invite from my manager. |
| 0:10.3 | Honestly, I didn't think much of it until I dialed in and there was a person who I didn't know on the other end. |
| 0:18.3 | And she just very briefly said, hi, Melody, I'm so-and-so. This call is to let you know |
| 0:24.6 | your employment has been terminated immediately. I felt just all of the blood drain out of my face |
| 0:31.5 | in that moment. It was the last thing I was expecting. Getting laid off is brutal. |
| 0:39.7 | It's the floor dropping out from under you. |
| 0:44.2 | In that instant, Melody Wilding's brain snapped into survival mode. |
| 0:45.7 | Oh my God, what does this mean? |
| 0:47.0 | How am I going to pay my rent? |
| 0:48.1 | And what about my health care? |
| 0:50.4 | It was so visceral. |
| 0:56.4 | And at the time felt so traumatic that I still think about it. To this day, I can still remember exactly where I was, the feeling of the sun coming through my window, and how |
| 1:02.0 | what was happening felt so dissonant to this news I just got. We're going to hear more from |
| 1:09.0 | Melody Wilding later in the episode, but I wanted to start here because even if you haven't been laid off, maybe you've imagined this kind of scenario. |
| 1:16.9 | The blindsiding, the sudden freefall. |
| 1:19.3 | I think it's a fear a lot of people are carrying right now. |
| 1:22.0 | Because it's hard to avoid the headlines. |
| 1:23.5 | Companies across tech, retail, and media from Amazon and Nike to Pinterest and UPS have already announced job cuts this year. |
| 1:31.2 | Just in January, more than 108,000 layoffs were announced. |
| 1:35.2 | And when companies explain those cuts, you tend to hear the same words on repeat. |
| 1:39.2 | AI, inflation, quote-unquote, restructuring. |
| 1:42.5 | Hearing all of that, it's easy for our brains to spiral into what-ifs. |
... |
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