Getting laid off from work often causes feelings of frustration, uncertainty, and fear. If you’re facing a layoff at your job, you might feel like you’re in a cloud of worry and haze. Some employees believe that layoffs won’t affect them. You might not even see signs that layoffs are coming. In an up-and-down economy, any company can engage in layoffs as a way to cut operating costs when it is struggling to stay profitable.

Getting laid off often wears on your self-esteem and sense of worth. After the shock wears off, you might start to feel other emotions, such as anger, panic, or even rage. It’s important to take some time to heal, emotionally and mentally, before moving on to pursue other opportunities.

Focus on breathing

When your heart rate picks up and your blood feels like it’s boiling, you need to take a step back from the situation to cool off. Reacting when you’re in panic mode or paralyzed by fear could result in actions you didn’t mean to take or words that you wouldn’t normally say to your supervisor or other leaders at work. It’s important to stay on good terms with your former team members and managers so that you can use them for references in the future.

Saying something you’ll regret won’t help your case or stop the layoff process, so it’s better to allow yourself to calm down. Use meditation techniques or deep breathing to slow your heart rate. Find a quiet space in the office where you can decompress and gather your thoughts.

Don’t take it personally

It’s hard not to view a layoff as a personal attack, but it’s usually not a reflection on you or your performance. This is especially the case when your company is performing mass layoffs to reduce operating costs. The most common reason for layoffs is that the company isn’t performing at peak levels, so the next step is reducing personnel and costs to trim the budget. Being laid off is generally beyond your control, so do your best not to take it personally. Focus on how you react to the setback instead of why it happened to you.

Talk to your HR rep

Before you sign any paperwork or accept an offer for severance, talk to your HR rep to get more details. Here are some of the questions you might ask:

• What will happen with my health and dental insurance and other benefits?
• Will I receive a severance package? Is there any flexibility or opportunity to negotiate?
• Will the company offer any help for placing me in a new role?

Save your files

If you have any personal files or non-confidential items that might help you in the future, gather them from your work computer before you leave the office. Some employers lock employees out of their computers after announcing news of layoffs, but if possible, try to get what you can before that happens. Don’t take anything that belongs to the company, including emails or other private information.

As you’re gathering your personal files, talk to your co-workers and supervisor to get their contact information. Ask if they would be willing to serve as references in your job search. If you only have company contact information, like business email addresses and phone numbers, request a personal email address and cellphone number for future use.

Take time to review paperwork

Instead of signing the first document you receive, ask if you can have a day to review the information on it. It’s important to read through the information carefully when you can process what it says, so being pushed into signing something when you’re already feeling stressed and worried can cause you to agree to unfair terms.

Some companies provide notices that require a signature to acknowledge you received and read the information, while others will include non-competition clauses or restrictions against taking legal action in the future. If you sign a severance form, you may lose any opportunity to negotiate the terms.

Move forward with a positive mindset

Playing the victim or feeling sorry for yourself won’t get your job back. Worse, these kinds of thoughts can make it much harder to move forward and find a new opportunity. You can also push people away when you have this attitude, especially those who are trying to support and help you in your search. If you find yourself falling into negative or depressed habits of thinking, seek professional help to overcome these feelings.

Some people have trouble feeling good about themselves and their abilities after being laid off. Take a few moments to put together a list of your accomplishments and skills to remind yourself of your value. Whether you worked for the company for a few months or several decades, you certainly contributed during your employment. While the details are still fresh in your mind, help yourself remember what you brought, and bring, to the table.

Know how to respond

Your friends and family members will likely ask how you are doing and inquire about your job search. If you’d rather not go into details, have an answer ready for when these well-meaning questions come up. You could say something like, “I’m looking into a few opportunities right now,” or “I appreciate your concern.”

Look at the big picture

Changing jobs is always daunting, whether you’ve been laid off or you’re just looking for something different. You could find that the layoff actually helps get you closer to your career goals since it gives you a chance to examine your passions, priorities, and long-term aspirations. Many success stories come from people who have hit rock bottom. While your layoff might not be quite that bad, it can certainly push you to find new opportunities.

What’s next?

After you’ve taken some time to collect your thoughts, wrapped up any loose ends at your previous job, and headed home, you can start thinking about the future. Don’t do anything drastic, such as posting an angry rant on social media or calling out the CEO of your former company.

Instead, check out your online presence and how it might be perceived by a potential employer. If you haven’t updated your LinkedIn profile in a while, now is a great time to do so. You don’t have to broadcast your layoff to the world; instead, focus on adding skills and strengths that can help you find a new job. Start looking at your network for people who work for companies or in industries that appeal to you. You can put feelers out without sharing the details of your current professional situation.

As you search for jobs, set aside time to rebuild your self-esteem and focus on your achievements. If you’re struggling to come up with accomplishments in your professional life, ask family and friends to share what they see as your greatest skills and strengths. Keep adding to your list and read it often, especially if you’re striving to gain traction on the job hunt. Rejection letters can make it harder to come back from the negative feelings of being laid off, so balance them with positive ideas.

Remember that you’re not alone. According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, one out of five workers in the U.S. was laid off between 2009 and 2014. Over 20 percent of those people struggled to find work in the months and years after their layoffs. The economy plays a big role in employment, and if you live in an area with higher rates of unemployment, you’re probably competing with a larger pool for every open position.

It’s hard not to feel discouraged, but there are ways to bounce back. Look for interim opportunities instead of only applying for the perfect jobs. Even a less-than-perfect job can offer insight and learning experiences. Keep your head high and think about how you’ll respond to questions about your last job in interviews. You don’t have to say that you were laid off. Instead, craft a response that answers the question honestly but doesn’t make you relive the pain and frustration.

Everyone experiences setbacks in their careers. Layoffs, terminations, and office closures are just a few examples of setbacks that are often hard to bounce back from, but you can do it. Don’t allow a negative experience to stop your career growth or make you feel like you’re not valuable. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and find the new opportunity that is waiting for you.