I’ve covered layoffs since starting at Poynter in 2013, and it never gets easier. Last week, with huge layoffs at The Washington Post, was no exception. 

My colleague Fernanda Camarena gathered some practical and comforting tips for people who’ve been laid off that I hope you never have to use. 

“It hurts,” she wrote. “All of it. For many of us who have dedicated ourselves to this career, journalism isn’t just a job. It’s a calling built on service, sacrifice and a belief in the public good. Losing this job, and watching others lose theirs, is extremely disheartening. And of course, losing a job doesn’t just disrupt income, but also shakes up our routine, our connections and our general sense of usefulness and belonging.”

It’s also already been a pretty grueling start to the new year, and my colleague Kerwin Speight spoke with a licensed therapist and former TV reporter about how to manage stress both at work and because of the work itself. 

“She tells her clients not to ask themselves ‘what if?’ but ‘even if?’” Speight wrote. Acknowledge what you’re feeling, then figure out what’s in your control. 

Both pieces offer some ideas to get grounded that I hope you find useful. 

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While you’re here, I have a lot to share this week:

• Speaking of Fernanda and Kerwin, they’re leading a really powerful newsroom program to transform how journalists cover crime. You can learn more here.

• I wrote this week about three very simple media literacy tips to help you figure out if what you’re seeing is real.

• Maria Ramirez Uribe wrote this week for Poynter and PolitiFact about what the law says about recording immigration agents in public. 

• And from my colleague Jon Greenberg, “Put this on your immigration radar: ICE now has more than a billion dollars for state and local police everywhere.”

• From Nieman Lab, here’s what a safety advisor thinks journalists should know.

• In The New York Times (with a gift link), hear from Georgia Fort, one of the journalists arrested in Minneapolis. 

• From Semafor, read how The Minnesota Star Tribune is navigating a local crisis. 

• In Poynter at the end of last month, “I built my career at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Now it’s ending.”

• And from Public Source, read about the local news ecosystem in Pittsburgh, where “more than 40 news sources remain.”

• In some happy news, happy ninth birthday to Chicago Public Square! I spoke with founder Charlie Meyerson when he first got started.  

• Survey alert! RJI is gathering data about sources growing silent and hostile. You can take it here. Related: Check out Poynter’s work around this topic. 

• Check out the Institute for Independent Journalists’ Freelance Journalism Conference. 

• Apply for a 19th News Fellowship. 

• Meet the first fellows for The New York Times collaboration with Deep South Today.

• And if you’re a new or new-ish editor, consider this five-week virtual course to help you build new skills. 

Phew! OK, that’s it for me. Let’s end on a small, bright note. One of my fellow volleyball moms has started raising chickens on her rural property. I asked if I could buy some eggs from her, and she told me she had so many that she just wanted to give them away. I got a dozen on Monday night, and they’re the prettiest eggs I’ve ever seen. (Also the most delicious!) If you have a bright spot to share with me, reply to this email. I’d love to hear it!

Kristen