The Tree That Bends: Navigating the Aftermath of Layoffs

"The wind does not break the tree that bends." Let's talk about what it truly means to be laid off. 

The word "laid off" is too soft for the feeling; it sounds clean, corporate.

But in real life? It's a sudden silence as if someone pressed mute on your purpose, as if the sound itself had been cut.

One day, you're moving, contributing, building. The next? You're out, no drumroll, no warning - just a void.

And when you've poured your energy into a place, not just your hours, but your heart, being let go feels personal, even when the spreadsheet says it's "nothing to do with you."

This is for those who've heard, "It's just business," but still felt the ache in their chest anyway.

After the Fall: Finding the Seed

But this isn't the end, not of your worth, not of your rhythm.

Because in African soil, when a tree falls, we don't just mourn the noise; we look for the seed. We ask: What now wants to grow?

Here's what I know: You are not the role you held. Not the desk you left behind. You are the hands, the mind, the presence. And no layoff can take that from you. When the drum you once played is taken from you, you don't lose your rhythm. You carry it - in your chest, in your knowing, in your breath.

And in the quiet after the sound, there's space to listen to remember what still beats within you, and to notice what now needs tending.

When the Dust Settles: Practical Steps That Help

If you're here now in the aftermath, listen: You don't have to "bounce back." You get to be still. To bend, as the proverb says. And in that bending, you grow a deeper root.

When you're ready, here are a few things that might help:

• Reach out to the people who truly see you, not just the ones who saw your title.

• Permit yourself to grieve it's a loss, not a glitch.

• Remember what you were before the job: curious, capable, creative. You still are.

• Update your resume if necessary, but also update your self-perception.

• If you're carrying more than a bowl can hold, don't carry it alone.

  • If you have access to therapy or an EAP, use it.

  • If possible, speak with a coach or mentor. Sometimes, they help you see what you've stopped seeing in yourself.

• Spend time with people who remind you of who you were before the job title.

• Reconnect with your rhythm, even if it starts with a walk, a playlist, or a prayer.

• Read something that reminds you that there's more than one way to be brilliant. ("Range" by David Epstein is a good place to start.)

• And remember: people who learn differently often lead differently. One study found that non-linear thinkers, the doers, the makers, the "I learn by trying" types, are among the most innovative contributors in uncertain times.

Weaving Anew: Reclaiming Your Rhythm After Loss

And if you're still carrying the ache of what ended too soon, let these words from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie hold you for a moment:

"It is an act of resistance and refusal: grief telling you it is over and your heart saying it is not… grief trying to shrink your love to the past and your heart saying it is present."

You're not starting from scratch; you're starting from wisdom.

You get to ask new questions: Not, "How do I get back?" But: Where am I being called next? What rhythm still lives in me?

This is not unravelling. This is reweaving. And yes, it will take time. And yes, there may be shame. But it does not belong to you. Return it; it was never yours to hold.

To the Ones Who Are Watching From the Sidelines

To those who are watching someone go through it: Be soft. Be present. Don't offer quick fixes; offer space, and ears, and food, and dignity.

To those who are in it right now: Your name is still yours. Your power is still yours. And your next is still possible.

Because even in loss, the land remembers, and what bends today may bloom tomorrow.

Share Your Story

If you've ever been laid off and found your rhythm again, what helped you get back on track? What anchored you?

Drop it below. Someone out there is searching for a reason to believe again. Let your story be that reason.