Mass layoffs across sectors are causing widespread financial and emotional stress, but experts say there are practical steps to manage
As economic uncertainty affects industries across the globe, thousands of people in both public and private sectors—from technology and media to manufacturing and government—are grappling with sudden job losses, disrupted incomes, and the emotional toll of unemployment.
While such an experience can be deeply unsettling, financial and mental health experts stress that there are practical steps individuals can take to regain control and stability.
Step 1: Take time to emotionally process
Losing a job can trigger a mix of emotions: sadness, anger, anxiety, or even relief. Financial therapist Lindsay Bryan-Podvin says it's important to allow yourself to sit with those feelings. “A layoff can feel so personal, but it’s not a reflection of your value,” she explains. Processing those emotions is the first step toward recovery and planning ahead.
Step 2: Review your financial situation
No matter where you live, it's crucial to assess your current financial position. Career coach Marlo Lyons suggests reviewing your monthly expenses, cutting non-essential costs temporarily, and calculating how long your savings or severance (if provided) can sustain you. If your country offers unemployment benefits or social support, apply as early as possible to reduce financial stress.
Step 3: Budget with purpose
Budgeting becomes critical during a period of unemployment. Jesse Mecham, founder of the budgeting tool YNAB (You Need A Budget), advises assigning every unit of currency—whether dollar, euro, rupee, or yen—a job. This means knowing exactly what each amount is meant to cover. Bryan-Podvin adds that compassion is key: “Remind yourself that this is a temporary situation, not a permanent downgrade.”
Step 4: Avoid over-relying on credit
While using credit cards or loans may seem like a quick fix, experts caution against depending heavily on them. “If finding a new job takes longer than expected, debt can quickly become overwhelming,” Mecham warns. It’s better to scale down lifestyle expenses than risk long-term financial strain.
Step 5: Tap into community resources
From local food banks and utility aid programmes to government hardship funds, support exists in many countries to help individuals navigate job loss. Bryan-Podvin encourages people to explore community-specific support services—whether through municipal schemes, nonprofits, or global platforms like USA.gov or national employment portals in other countries.
Step 6: Reassess your career path and update your resume
A layoff can be an opportunity to reflect. Lyons suggests updating your resume to be “forward-looking,” focusing on what you can contribute to future roles rather than just listing past accomplishments. Consider taking short online courses or certifications, and rekindle professional connections through LinkedIn or relevant industry events.
Step 7: Structure your days
Unemployment often throws daily routines into disarray. Experts recommend maintaining a regular schedule—mealtimes, exercise, job search hours, and leisure breaks—to preserve mental well-being. “Routine helps restore a sense of control and direction,” Bryan-Podvin says.
Step 8: Lean on your support system
Emotional isolation can compound the stress of unemployment. Reach out to family, friends, or support groups—whether in person or online. Talking through your experience can not only help you process it but may also lead to unexpected job leads or guidance.
A layoff, while deeply challenging, doesn’t diminish your worth or potential. With the right mindset, careful financial planning, and emotional support, it’s possible to turn this temporary setback into an opportunity for growth and renewal—no matter where in the world you are.
Disclaimer: Kindly avoid objectionable, derogatory, unlawful and lewd comments, while responding to reports. Such comments are punishable under cyber laws. Please keep away from personal attacks. The opinions expressed here are the personal opinions of readers and not that of Mathrubhumi.

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Miley Cyrus is opening up about how she overcame stage fright with a cutting-edge therapy technique that she says saved her life.
In an interview with the New York Times last month, Cyrus shared that eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, or EMDR, has been pivotal for her healing and mental health. The therapy was developed by psychologist Francine Shapiro in the 1980s to help people alleviate distress around painful memories. The therapy has been used by clinicians for decades but has become an increasingly popular and sought-after treatment to deal with traumatic or adverse life experiences.
“Love it. Saved my life,” Cyrus said of EDMR. “It’s like watching a movie in your mind. … I came out of it, and I’ve never had stage fright again. Ever. I don’t have stage fright anymore.”
Cyrus isn’t the only celebrity who’s been open about undergoing EMDR. In 2021, Prince Harry shared in his Apple TV+ docuseries on mental health with Oprah Winfrey that he uses EMDR to address the discomfort he feels when he flies into London, which he said reminds him of the loss of his mother.
“It’s almost a wave that can’t be stopped because people are hearing their friends talk about it, they’re seeing the changes in their family members,” Wendy Byrd, a professional counselor and president of the board of directors at the EMDR International Association, previously told USA TODAY. “When I was trained in 2008, I would have to go in and explain what EMDR was and tell my clients why I thought it was such a good therapy. … Now, I would say almost everyone that comes into my door is asking me for EMDR.”
EMDR engages what’s called the adaptive information processing system to bring up past traumatic experiences in a safe space, so your brain can essentially reprocess them. 
“EMDR allows the brain to heal from experiences that were traumatic or adverse or overwhelming by allowing the brain to process that information and to store it in a way where the brain now knows, ‘I’m in a different circumstance, that’s not happening to me anymore,'” Byrd said.
Our brains and bodies have a built-in mechanism for processing information. But sometimes, especially when we experience a trauma, that mechanism becomes overwhelmed.
When new information comes in that feels similar to that adverse experience, the brain stores it in the same place as the original trauma, Byrd said. This can make things in your everyday life that are not threatening feel dangerous. 
“It’s the blue car driving down the road, or it’s the dog barking, or your spouse’s face in that one contorted way, and all of a sudden, you’re upset, you’re triggered and overwhelmed,” she said.
Byrd said in an EMDR session a clinician will ask questions to bring up the components of a memory, including sensory information – such as sight, sound and smell. A clinician will ask how your body felt during the experience, how you felt during the experience – the emotional information that connects to that memory.
Eventually, the clinician will add in eye movements or tapping. This is called bilateral stimulation. Studies show that eye movements facilitate information processing and calm down a person’s physiology.
“It will make something that feels upsetting, less upsetting. It helps the brain make images that are very vivid, less vivid,” Byrd said. “And part of that is because of what we call dual attention, meaning I’m present in the room with the therapist, or over Zoom, nowadays, and I’m thinking about that experience and it’s all the ingredients that the brain needs to engage that adaptive information processing mechanism.”
Part of the reprocessing occurs by the clinician introducing positive things into the recall. A therapist will ask, “What do you want to think now about that experience?”
“It brings in the current information. Maybe the positive is that it’s over, or maybe it’s that you learned from it or that now you now you’re worthy,” she said.
Byrd said EMDR works on various types of trauma, and most people are good candidates for the treatment. EMDR can be effective whether someone is seeking to address a single traumatic event, such as a car crash, or a chronic experience, such as bullying. 
Patients work with their clinicians to identify future outcomes they desire – how they want to think, feel and behave in the world. For Byrd’s part, she said looking to build resilience in clients.
“I want their triggers to be very difficult to find,” she said.
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Byrd encourages anyone with a painful memory to consider EMDR.
“People feel like sometimes what happened to them isn’t big enough. They should just be able to get over it. … And that just breaks my heart because I know that they can feel better and that they do deserve to feel better,” she said. “I just wish that people knew that they could come in, we could figure out some of the things that are happening that are causing them pain, and that it would be not that long of a journey before they could get some relief.”

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500 participants join a 4.5-kilometer race during a fitness-for-all activity to celebrate International Olympic Day in Beijing, China, June 21, 2025. (Xinhua)
Hundreds joined a spirited run between Beijing’s iconic Olympic venues on Saturday, kicking off nationwide celebrations for International Olympic Day.
BEIJING, June 21 (Xinhua) — As an integral part of Beijing Marathon’s classic route, the central avenue between China’s capital city’s iconic dual Olympic venues “Bird’s Nest” and “Water Cube” has long been an attraction for runners.
On Saturday morning, 500 participants started an event here on the avenue, which was one of the fitness-for-all activities held nationwide to celebrate the upcoming International Olympic Day, which falls on June 23.
The 4.5-kilometer race took place mainly around the National Stadium, known as the Bird’s Nest, where both the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics were staged. The finish line was near the Beijing Olympic Museum, located south of the stadium.
Wang Shuchuan, a former triathlete, came to the starting area early in the morning to prepare for his vlog. “I kept exercising and participating in marathon events after my athletic career had ended. I hope to lead more people to join in sporting events through my videos and enlarge our running community,” he said.

Runner poses for pictures in the central avenue between Beijing’s dual Olympic venues. (Xinhua/Dai Mingxuan)
The race also attracted the likes of Italy’s Paola Marras, who took part in an event at Beijing’s Olympic Park. “I work in Beijing. During the 2022 Winter Olympics, I watched competitions on TV. The sports atmosphere in Beijing is good, and I like the [tennis] China Open in particular,” she said.
During the activity, Chinese Olympic champions Ma Long and Zhang Yufei sent their best wishes to sports lovers in an interview.

China’s swimmer Zhang Yufei (front left) and table tennis player Ma Long (front right) interact with sports lovers. (Xinhua/Dai Mingxuan)
“Physical exercise is relevant to health. I can feel the public’s enthusiasm for sports. The outstanding performance of Chinese athletes on the international stage is inspiring more people to get involved. Exercise is a lifelong hobby. I hope people can find the sports they love and practice in a healthy and scientific way,” said Ma, 36, China’s most decorated Olympian with six gold medals.
Swimmer Zhang reflected on her Olympic journey, saying, “At the 2016 Rio Games, I might not have fully understood the significance of the Olympics. Then, after winning gold at Tokyo [2020], I felt the power of our teamwork. Last year at the Paris Olympics, I realized that even though I had made the utmost effort, it was still hard to get corresponding rewards. That is sport.”

Zhang Yufei (L) takes a group photo with staff members. (Xinhua/Dai Mingxuan)
“However, what remains unchanged is that the Olympic spirit leads me to pursue my next goal,” Zhang added.
Established in 1948, the Olympic Day is a global celebration of sport and takes place on June 23 each year to commemorate the day the International Olympic Committee was founded in 1894 – the birth of the modern Olympic Games.
With the theme of “Let’s Move,” the celebrating activities of Olympic Day were held in 12 cities in China on Saturday, also including Shenzhen, Nanjing, Ningbo, Zhangjiakou and Chengde. A variety of activities such as hiking, running, cycling, football, basketball and table tennis had a wide participation all over the country.
Li Jing, Deputy Director of the General Administration of Sport of China, said, “At the Paris Olympics, the Chinese delegation achieved its best results in the history of participating in the Olympics abroad, which interpreted the Olympic motto of ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together’ and demonstrated the confidence, optimism, passion, and friendliness of Chinese youth.”
“Those remarkable moments of Chinese athletes at the Olympics motivated more people to embrace sports activities. Looking ahead, we hope the Chinese sports spirit will continue to shine at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics,” Li noted.

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Health plans pledge to simplify pre-treatment reviews  Axios
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Health Ministry website provides info on services during war  The Times of Israel
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