Let me start with the obvious — no one likes to be retrenched. Especially when it blindsides you. In 2019, I had just secured the job of my dreams. I loved everything about my job — my friendly colleagues, my admirable bosses, my exciting projects. I had big plans and was looking forward to a bright future.
Then came COVID-19 and with it, a retrenchment letter. Suddenly, my life came to a grinding halt. There were no more team meetings, no coffee chats in the breakroom, and no finish line to race towards. It felt like I was breezing through a marathon, just to fall on my face. Hard. My life felt like it had lost its purpose.
Going through retrenchment can be a distressing experience. I found myself wallowing in self-pity, blaming external factors for how I felt. It took me months to accept my new reality and find the strength to move on.
The reality of life is that it can and will knock us down. Like it or not, we will end up in situations we don’t want to be in. We can either let them control us and derail our lives, or, we can carefully choose how we react, up our game, and try to bounce back.
All things considered, a holistic mind, body, and soul approach helped me get through retrenchment. I chased the chemicals responsible for happiness — Dopamine, Endorphins, Oxytocin, and Serotonin— and planned my days accordingly. Here’s what worked for me.
Working on the mind (a dose of Dopamine)
- Pause and reflect: Did you like your job? If yes, would you want to increase your knowledge in the field so you can perform better in your next role? If not, perhaps it’s time to learn a new skill and change your career. Either way, consider retrenchment as a much-needed break for you to rethink your life, goals, and priorities.
- Take action: Update your CV and start applying for jobs. Reach out to your contacts and head-hunters, informing them of your availability to work. Do whatever it takes!
- Learn: An active mind is a productive mind. Get back to college or take a course that interests you. Upgrade your skills. There is also a wealth of free information online! From the comfort of your home, you can learn anything from a new project management strategy to Spanish.
- Read: Books can be an infinite source of knowledge and inspiration. They can be motivational, broaden your perspectives, or sometimes, simply provide a welcome escape. Your local library has a vast collection of books, eBooks, and audiobooks to explore!
- Get creative: When was the last time you made something with your own hands? Creating something can be therapeutic, calming, and always leaves us feeling accomplished. Whether you do pottery, paint, sew a dress, self-carpenter a table or even help your kid with a school project, making something always feels good.
Working on the body (a dose of Endorphins)
- Exercise: A healthy body sets the foundation for a healthy mind. A healthy mind fosters healthy thoughts. The quality of our thoughts determines the quality of our lives. Stay fit — and I don’t just mean running on a treadmill every day. Find workouts you genuinely enjoy and mix them up. Yoga? Boxing? Weights? Badminton? The resulting “feel-good” chemicals will raise your spirits in no time.
- Catch up with friends: When we are busy with work, our friends often take a back seat. Use your retrenchment period to catch up with your friends. You can probably have a good laugh over life’s unpredictability. Exchange stories about how you stayed sane over lockdown, and reminisce old memories over towers of beer. Friendships are priceless — they will make you realize that there is so much more to life than just work!
- Self-love/pamper: Stop blaming yourself for your retrenchment! Make some time for self-love. Pampering ourselves makes us feel good — we feel cared for! I call it feel-good therapy and I cannot recommend it enough. Try something that makes you feel important and loved — massages, facials, a game of golf, a walk alone in the woods, a night of karaoke, whatever floats your boat.
Working on the soul (a dose of Serotonin and Oxytocin)
- Meditation: If you ever feel like the thoughts in your brain are always in a chaotic mode, meditation is probably for you. It improves concentration and enables us to focus on the present moment. It can keep negative emotions at bay and improve our overall mood. It calms the mind and helps us manage stressful situations better. Meditation helped me put my retrenchment into perspective and plan my next move with a greater sense of clarity.
- Volunteering: Giving back to society helps in more ways than we can imagine. I volunteered at an animal shelter and took dogs out for walks. There was something so peaceful about the experience — there were no important meetings, no big deals closed, no major milestones accomplished, and yet, I felt so satisfied and fulfilled!
If you’re not the biggest fan of animals and can tolerate humans more, you could volunteer at nursing homes or orphanages, for instance. The options are endless. All you need is the desire to make a difference and some time to spare.
Dear reader,
If you were also retrenched during the COVID-19 pandemic
Be grateful and feel blessed that you only lost your job and not your life! Know that we are much stronger than our circumstances. Keep persevering.
The best way to handle retrenchment — or any setback in life for that matter — is to get busy improving yourself and helping others. Be so busy that you have no time for worry or blame. A focused mind, body, and soul overhaul always helps. Plan your day around activities that will give you a much-needed dose of happiness chemicals. You got this!
If you held on to your job during the COVID-19 pandemic
Be grateful and feel blessed that you have a job even when it’s tempting to complain about your boss or bonus. The moment we land a job, we should plan for unforeseeable unemployed periods. In times of financial instability, you will thank yourself for saving that little amount each month.
Live within your means. Make sound investments in a balanced portfolio of assets. Plan for passive income that will support you during job loss and retirement. Nothing is permanent — position, salary, job, promises, commitment, people, relationships, and life!
About the author
Shashi is an experienced architect and a seasoned project manager who has led iconic developments in Singapore to successful completion. She is also an award-winning author of the book, IN THE RING WITH LIFE: taking the punches and winning the game. Prior to embarking on the journey of becoming an author, she was the Senior Vice President of a reputed hospitality group in charge of construction projects across South East Asia and Australasia. She was retrenched in Dec 2020 during the peak of Covid-19.
She decided to use her time meaningfully and write a self-help book that will take a positive message to the world during the pandemic times. As the title suggests, the book is about taking life’s punches, learning our lessons and standing back stronger. In the book, she has touched upon a wide spectrum of life topics — health, happiness, continuous learning, success, goals, parenting, adoption, meaningful life, retrenchment and the struggles associated with them. She has also covered challenges which women face during pregnancy, childbirth, and climbing the corporate ladder in male-dominated settings. She believes that the book will inspire someone somewhere, who has been knocked down hard by life, to stand up again and face life head-on!
You can connect with Shashi on the following social media platforms
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Buy it!
Buy a copy of In the Ring with Life here, and help support local bookstores! This is an affiliate link, and I will earn a commission on any sales.
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