How to Survive a Job Loss 101

It’s currently 9:48 a.m. on a Friday as I’m writing this. This is my third attempt at writing this piece because I have so much to say, yet the words refuse to cooperate. Maybe because so much has happened, and maybe because someone out there needs to hear this.

They say to write about what you know. Well, my good friend... I know job loss. I know how quickly a career can disappear. All it takes is one meeting invite or an email for your entire world to flip upside down.

And one tells you what happens after that. How hard it is to wake up on a Monday morning with nowhere to be. How your confidence leaves the group chat immediately, and every purchase starts with, “Do I really need this?” because your financial stability is gone. Getting laid off or fired messes with everything, but what takes the biggest hit is your identity.

That has pretty much been my H1 of 2026.

At the beginning of the year, I was working two marketing jobs. If you’re a young creative in Nigeria, you already know why. One income stream? In this economy? God forbid.

I got laid off from my first job in February. Ironically, it happened right in the middle of planning my wedding. My employer called me into a meeting to explain that the company needed to balance its finances. Unfortunately, communications was one of the places they decided to cut.

I left that meeting trying to figure out how I was going to keep planning a wedding when every kobo mattered even more.

Thankfully, I still had my second job. Or so I thought. A month after my wedding, I got another call. You already know where this is going.

Financial constraints.

Position affected.

Thank you for your contributions.

Just like that, I was unemployed.

After spending over six years building my career in marketing communications, learning, growing, collecting wins, and climbing one step at a time, it felt like I had been dropped right back to zero. Now that I’ve lived through the ghetto of unemployment, I feel qualified to teach this class.

So, if you’ve recently been laid off, fired, or even resigned without knowing what’s next, welcome. Class is in session. Here are tricks to survive this phase:

Chop first o. I’m serious. Your first assignment after losing your job is not crying; schedule that for later. Go and eat something you really love. After my second layoff, I stood up, entered a keke, and went looking for roasted corn because I absolutely love fresh, soft roasted corn. I bought it, found water to drink, and sat down enjoying my corn before I gave sadness permission to take over. I’m not even joking.

Everything feels slightly less catastrophic after food.

Talk to God and don’t edit yourself. Cry, complain, scream, pour out the frustration, the fear, the confusion, and the disappointment.

One thing this season has reminded me of is that my life isn’t actually mine to control. My next opportunity isn’t something I can manufacture with anxiety. I have to surrender it to the One who already knows what’s next.

One verse I kept returning to was Hebrews 4:15–16:

“For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses... Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

He isn’t intimidated by your tears. He already knows how this story ends.

Stay close to the people who love you. Every single day, I thank God for my people. My husband constantly spoke life into me when my confidence disappeared. Some days, I was surviving entirely on his belief in me until I could believe in myself again. I am still riding on his faith. My best friends are my angels on earth. In every universe, I shall find and love them over again.

Go where you’re loved. Borrow hope from the people who have enough to share until yours returns.

Tell your network you’re available. I’ve learnt something during this season - referrals move much faster than applications. People recommend people they trust. So do good work while you have the opportunity. Build genuine relationships. Then, when life happens, as it sometimes does, people will happily mention your name when opportunities come up.

I know that telling people you’re unemployed can feel embarrassing. It almost feels like making an announcement nobody asked for. But get out of your head. Let people know. Update your CV, refresh your portfolio, and reach out to people.

Then leave the results with God. Remember one thing, though: people can recommend you, but only God opens doors. Don’t put your trust in any human to hand you a job. Your healing go longggggggggg if you do.

Don’t waste the waiting. Treat unemployment like a season, not your identity. Plan your week, apply for jobs, learn something new, but also...rest.

You don’t need to spend twelve hours every day applying for jobs just to prove you’re trying. A few intentional steps every day will take you much further than one burnout-filled Tuesday.

You might not know what comes next or which door God is opening. But remember it’s okay not to know. Because while you are waiting for the next career door to open, be walking through the one that’s always been open. The door opened when the veil was torn in two. The door was held open by the nails in His hands. The door that leads to the throne of grace – God.

And somehow, that will give you the peace you need this season.

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As always, thank you for being here and for being you. ❤