Title: On my birthday, the 23rd, while on vacation with my wife, we were about to head out for a special lunch when I received a message asking me to join an all-hands meeting that had been rescheduled. I thought it might be good news from our CEO as they were headed to a convention the next week and thought maybe thy wanted to get it out before they were busy with that. However, two hours later, I found myself jobless as my YC company laid off about 2&#x2F;3 of its employees via an unexpected Zoom call. I was in the car with my wife, probably 15 minutes passed before I felt like I could drive us home.<p>I&#x27;m still in shock, feeling like everything is normal one moment and then suddenly remembering that I&#x27;m unemployed.<p>This is the first time I&#x27;ve been laid off in my 26-year work history. Living in rural Indiana, job opportunities are scarce with even the closest gas station being 15 minutes away by car. I&#x27;m 20 years into a 4-year degree with only 62 credits to show for it, which doesn&#x27;t make me an outstanding candidate when there are gobs and gobs with degrees (and usually more varied experience).<p>I&#x27;m seeking advice on how to cope with this situation. How can I stay positive and avoid falling into a funk? How can I justify the high cost of COBRA health insurance with limited funds, so my high school teacher wife isn&#x27;t burdened by my potential medical debt while being our sole provider? How do I fall asleep at night?<p>If you&#x27;re experiencing this too, I&#x27;d love to know how you&#x27;re handling it. Anyone know of a slack or discord acting as a support group for those recently laid off? Seeing others succeed would bring me welcomed hope I think.<p>I estimate I have about eight weeks before I&#x27;ll need to take a job at the Taco Bell or McDonald&#x27;s 16 miles away to make ends meet, ironically Taco Bell erroneously popped up in my LinkedIn job search results for about a month straight earlier this year, it&#x27;s like they knew I&#x27;d need to be a &quot;crew member&quot; in the near future . I&#x27;m willing to do it, but I&#x27;m afraid I&#x27;ll be stuck there for years.<p>I&#x27;ve already lost three pounds since the layoff, as stress has killed my appetite and left me feeling sick when I do eat. Anyone else?<p>Any advice or shared experiences are appreciated. I believe camaraderie can provide comfort during tough times like these.
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