What To Do After a Layoff: A Spiritual Perspective

I remember the first morning.

Waking up and realizing I didn't have to be anywhere... and that scared the hell out of me.

Sheer panic shot through my body. What was I going to do? What was I supposed to do now? Then all the thoughts came flooding in—what could happen, how I'd never be on top of my game again, how everything I'd worked for was gone.

I had only been awake five minutes and I felt like I'd been run over by a snowball at the top of a mountain, tumbling down with no bottom in sight.

Let's be honest—that became my new routine for at least two years.

Now that I've been on the other side of that dreadful morning for a number of years, I can look back and say it was one of the greatest things that ever happened to me. I couldn't have planned where I am today if I had stayed where I was. What I do daily is pure bliss and feels like exactly what I came to this planet to do.

And you can have that too. But you don't have to put yourself through hell for the next two years like I did. If you can hear what I'm about to share with you, you can skip a lot of the suffering I went through.

Here's What I Didn't Know Then That I Know Now

When you get laid off, your mind immediately goes into survival mode. You start thinking: "What did I do wrong? How do I fix this? What's my next move?"

But here's the truth that took me years to understand: Your Higher Self orchestrated this specific event FOR you.

Not because you failed. Not because something went wrong. But because you know—and your Higher Self knows—that if you were able to write your life out to be exactly what you choose, it would be so much more than it has been.

As a former corporate cog in the wheel, I had to come face to face with what I actually believed about the intelligence that flows through our bodies and supports us 24/7. And the answer was far more powerful than I ever imagined.

Every fiber of our being is managed by the very part of you that decided to have a human body and existence: your Higher Self.

What's happening right now isn't a crisis. It's an opportunity.

An opportunity to get curious about what's actually possible for you. To stop living from exterior expectations and obligations. To learn how to really LIVE—and your Higher Self is guiding this entire journey.

Why Your Body Seized Up (And What That Means)

Here's what I discovered: It's actually my human assumptions and expectations that slow down the flow of energy.

Think of your human body as one big muscle for a moment. When you think really hard, when you hold your breath, when you worry or stiffen up consistently, you are closing off the very intelligence that's trying to help orchestrate your next steps.

Your Higher Self is trying to send you guidance right now. But your body is clenched shut with panic.

This is why the next steps I'm about to share might seem counterintuitive—but they'll set your body up to receive the guidance you desperately need.

What to Do Right Now: Two Specific Actions

#1: Get a Massage

Yes, seriously. Take your head out of the game and let the Spirit—the intelligence that makes you YOU—have a bit more room to send you some ideas.

When your body is tight with fear, there's no space for inspiration. A massage isn't just self-care. It's opening the channel for your Higher Self to communicate with you.

#2: Meditate

I know, I know—that word sounds so cliché. But here's why it matters now more than ever:

That massage you got? It relaxed you. Now you can actually enjoy simply being quiet and present with your body.

You need a quiet space inside your body to receive the great next idea your Higher Self is giving you—the one that will set you on the path of revealing your true self and having a fulfilling life.

What Happens Next

If you can get quiet enough and relaxed enough, you will get an idea of what to do next. Then another. Then another.

Here's the key: Don't push the ideas away when they come.

Your logical mind will try to dismiss them. "That's not practical." "That won't work." "That's not what I should do."

But that's your old programming talking. That's the exterior expectations trying to keep you safe in the life that wasn't working anyway.

Instead, begin asking more questions from a relaxed state:

• "What if I followed this idea?"

• "What would that look like?"

• "What's the very next small step?"

  
  

When you do this, you'll get so hooked on your own personal guidance system that you'll know exactly how to thrive no matter what's going on in the world.

Set yourself up for success with those relaxing practices. Then watch for an idea to come to you. Ask more questions. Stay curious.

And you will watch a brand new life unfold. You will enjoy seeing what's actually possible for you.

The Truth About This Moment

You're not between jobs. You're between identities.

The person who defined themselves by that corporate role? That identity can't contain who you're becoming.

Your Higher Self knows this. That's why the layoff happened. Not as punishment—as liberation.

The panic you feel? That's your nervous system adjusting to a new frequency. It's uncomfortable, but it's not dangerous.

What I do now—helping professionals navigate this exact transition—is work I could never have imagined when I was waking up in panic every morning. But my Higher Self knew. It was orchestrating this path long before I could see it.

Your Higher Self knows too. Trust the process. Get quiet. Get curious. And watch what unfolds.

Tamra LaRese is a spiritual career coach based in Spokane, helping professionals navigate job loss, burnout, and career transitions through Higher-Self guidance. If you're ready to understand what's really happening beneath the chaos, book a session here.