Just got retrenched, what does being retrenched say about you?

Beyond your control. Job security is a myth.

Always have a backup plan. Have multiple source of income. Income diversification.

I got retrenchment letter twice, so a bit of advice...

1) don't take it personally. I know just hearing this doesn't really help, and so do some stuff to vent out the emotions quickly. For myself, I took a slower pace, did more exercise, and listened to break up songs. The faster you get the negative feelings out, the faster you proceed to the "moving forward, what do I do next" phase, which is when you recover.

2) one other activity you can do is cleaning and decluttering... It also has the same soothing effect. Regardless of whether you believe the Marie Kondo way, the essence of her approach is - deciding what is meaningful to you, and helpful in the next phase of your life - it's really this part of mentally sorting through your thoughts and how to move on that helps.

Did you get a retrenchment package? Did the company offer career counselling and help to find next job? You should ask for these.

On a side note, when company restructure, some people will have to go, so that the company can manage the costs. Sometimes the thought process is not really who is "useless" or "not performing", but who needs the job and stability more (usually family commitments), and who carry less burden, and with the career guidance package, can more easily find a job outside.

So really don't take it personally.... It could be that you are in the better position... Than someone who may lose his / her mind on how to feed 2 kids, whether they may lose the house....