Sandy Hutchens includes this true story written by a friend Solly. Notice how it starts off with catastrophic thinking and ends up looking at the bright side and the bright potential that this turn of events may have on him and the course of his life.

“I haven’t been wanting to talk to anyone about this. I am quite scared actually. – my boss told me that it is highly probable that our branch will have to shut down at the end of the year. This will leave us both out of a job.

There are so many changes happening in my industry in North America right now, that no companies are prepared to commit to doing any further work here, until things have settled. We’re self-funding, so no research means no work and no money.

My feelings have been all over the map this past week and somehow I’ve felt too scattered to tell anyone but my psychiatrist. I think what I’m scared of, is people going “I am so sorry! What are you going to do now?” – the truth is that I really have no idea what I am going to do and I’m worried that will only add to my anxiety.

Tonight I have become completely depressed. I have been crying and feeling hopeless I have been depressed before and have even had a brief suicidal thought. I really am getting better and I believe I will be okay. But I guess I just have a thicket of feelings to get through about this. I estimate that I have 6 months to find something else based on our financial status, and there are very few options in my field unless I move (which I can’t do because of children). I really don’t want to do what I trained to do (dental assistant) as the pay is so poor. But the fact is that I have to work as I have no other source of income.

I am trying to look on the bright side. I really haven’t been enjoying the job that I am doing. I have been wanting to get out of it anyway to tell the truth. The way it has happened, gives me a kind of “honourable discharge”. I have a good relationship with my boss and I can get a good reference from him. I’m a hard and independent worker and I think I am a desirable employee. I am relieved that I heard the news at this time as opposed to a couple of months ago, when I would have really fallen apart. Hey, it may turn out to be the best thing that could have happened, and I have had some positive feelings about it mixed in with the bad. If I find a really great job, I’ll look back on this hard time and see some marvelous coetaneousness in it.”