This is part of the Layoff Diaries - a personal series about navigating life after a layoff, building a business, and figuring it all out in real time. If you haven't read the previous post, check out 7 Smart Money Moves to Make Before You Lose Your Job.
When you lose your job, the first instinct is to focus entirely on the financial side - the severance, the bills, the job search. And yes, that matters. But your health - physical, mental, and spiritual - is what's going to carry you through this. If you let it fall apart, everything else gets harder.
These are the five health priorities I wish I had focused on sooner. Some of them took me a long time to get to. If sharing them helps you get there faster, that's enough.
1. Move Your Body - Start Where You Are
Whether you already have a gym routine or haven't exercised in years, now is the time to start moving. Not because you have to look a certain way, but because movement clears your mind, reduces inflammation, and gives you something to work toward when everything else feels uncertain.
If you have a gym membership, use it. If it has different tiers, downgrade to the lowest one and keep going. If you don't have a membership at all, walk. Just walk.
The average person doing their daily routine takes about 4,000 steps a day. Set 10,000 as your goal. If that feels like too much, make 4,000 your first milestone, then work up to 7,000, then 10,000. Track it with whatever app you have - MyFitnessPal works and it's free. You just need your phone on you.
I started walking more seriously and I was surprised by how much it helped. Not just physically, but mentally. There's something about being outside, moving, getting fresh air and vitamin D that shifts your headspace in a way that's hard to explain until you experience it. Walk while the weather is still nice. Get outside. You need it more than you think.
2. Delete the Delivery Apps and Start Cooking
I said this in the money tips article and I'll say it again here because it applies to your health just as much as your finances: delete the food delivery apps.
I know. I justified it too. I told myself a BOGO deal was basically the same price as cooking at home. And sometimes the math kind of works out. But most of the time you're ordering something your body doesn't need, and you're not thinking about what you're actually putting into it.
When you cook, you become more conscious of your ingredients. You control what goes in. And honestly, it can be fun. I tried making dumplings recently. It was a hot mess. Way too spicy. Absolutely delicious. I'm going back in to try again.
Save recipes on TikTok. Find the easiest things to start with. Give yourself permission to experiment and fail and try again. Cooking is a skill, and this is a good time to build it. What you put in your body directly affects how your mind functions, and you need your mind sharp right now.
3. Calm Your Nervous System
A layoff puts your nervous system under real stress. Financial pressure, uncertainty, identity questions - it all accumulates in your body whether you acknowledge it or not. You need tools to bring yourself back down.
Somatic breathing was the thing that worked for me. I found it on TikTok - guided sessions, sometimes just 60 seconds - and the shift I felt was immediate. Calmer. More centred. I started going deeper into it and it became a regular practice.
If somatic breathing isn't your thing, YouTube has free yoga, Pilates, and stretching content for every level. You don't need a gym membership. You don't need equipment. You just need to find something that works with your body and helps you decompress. Even if you have a disability or physical limitations, there are options - search YouTube and find what fits.
The goal is to find something that stretches you, centres you, and gives your nervous system a chance to reset.
4. Soothe Your Spirit
This one goes deeper than exercise or breathing. It's about what you're feeding your inner world - your subconscious, your spirit, your sense of self.
That might look like journaling. Meditation. Prayer. Frequency music. Time in nature. Reading. Whatever practice helps you feel grounded and connected to something bigger than the situation you're in.
I love to write, but even I have days where I can't journal. Don't force it. Do it when you can, and don't be hard on yourself when you can't. Guided meditation is a great starting point if sitting in silence feels too hard. There are free options everywhere.
And gratitude, even when it's hard to find. Especially when it's hard to find. In the middle of a layoff, it can feel impossible to see what you have to be grateful for. But there is always something. Start small. Start with being alive. What you focus on, you attract more of. That's not just a nice idea - it's something I've experienced firsthand.
Get into nature when you can. Sit by water. Walk through a park. Let the outside world remind you that there's more going on than the thing you're worried about right now.
5. Romanticize Your Life - Start Designing What You Actually Want
This one isn't a traditional health tip, but it might be the most important one on this list.
You know that exercise where someone asks: if money were no object, how would you live? I've answered that question many times over the years. My answer has always involved water, warmth, travel, fresh food, and doing meaningful work on my own terms. And here's the wild thing - I'm kind of living that now. Not perfectly. Not without stress. But the shape of it is there.
A layoff, as painful as it is, can be the thing that forces you to finally ask: what do I actually want? Not what pays well. Not what looks impressive. What do I want my life to feel like?
Start small. The walk outside is part of it. Cooking a healthy meal is part of it. Cutting back on sugar - I switched from a medium coffee to a small, and I haven't had a bag of chips in months, which if you know me, is a miracle - that's part of it too. Romanticizing your life doesn't mean waiting until everything is perfect. It means finding the version of joy that's available to you right now and leaning into it.
And as you think about how you want to live, think about what skills you have that could support that life. What have you done with AI tools that could translate into something new? What transitional skills do you have that you haven't put on your resume yet? What side hustle has been sitting in the back of your mind? Write it down. Explore it. This might be exactly the opening you needed.
Pour Into Yourself
Whether you're currently laid off, worried it might happen, or just working on becoming a better version of yourself, take care of your body from the inside out. Speak kindly to yourself. Give yourself grace. This is a chapter, not the whole story.
We got this life here to explore and try new things. Don't be ashamed of where you are. It's just part of the journey.
If you're ready to start telling your story, sharing your expertise, or building your brand through content, we'd love to support you. Come visit us at Perspective Studio Productions in Whitby or Brampton. Let's create something together.