Losing a job is traumatizing and dealing with unexpected job loss is even harder. Losing your job brings emotional stress and many job seekers find it hard dealing with the job loss as well as searching for new jobs and job leads.
Due to the unexpected job loss and financial stress, their mental health becomes jeopardized, the pandemic made it worse as the stress of social distancing came into effect many people took pay cuts, and some faced unemployment with most people seeing a decline in their income they had to live on a budget.
During the pandemic, any employer faced difficult situations for example circumstances forced them to hire less and hence leaving a large pool of unemployed people.
The unemployed will have to have the right coping techniques now that they have lost their health insurance and will have to resort to their emergency savings in their next phase of life, even with unemployment benefits in place losing a job will mean that their daily routine will be disrupted and that can cause a mental health challenge.
A person who has just lost a job is usually advised to spend more time with loved ones and friends and talk more about our feelings as you try to figure out the next course of action this will act as a social outlet for you to remind yourself of your identity and deal with the situation and ensure you get back up no matter the situation.
The stressful events of losing a job might feel overwhelming but seeking professional help and creating s professional network of your peers and even you former employer is good as it is not advisable to burn bridges.
Job loss and unemployment stress
Can cause physical health problems such as headaches, hypertension and heart attacks.
It is not advisable to resort to drinking and excessive eating if you want to avoid these conditions.
Getting enough sleep will keep your mind clear of all the stress that you may be experiencing due to unemployment.
You need a positive attitude if you are willing to look for another job with the help of your network it will help boost your confidence, approach every situation with an open mindset regardless of how bad that situation might seem.
If you feel like doing nothing it means now is the time for action exercise will make you feel better about yourself though it is hard now to go out there exercise no matter where or what type of exercise it is.
-Confidence is required when looking for a new job.
-Positive attitude is needed to handle different situations with courage and optimism.
-Exercise is an effective way to keep the mind and body active and healthy.
-Allowing yourself to spend quality time with loved ones and friends will disallow feelings of loneliness and depression from taking over.
-Eating healthy and avoiding drinking excessively will help your body from deteriorating further.
-Crying is a way to release negative emotions so start crying if you need to.
-Seeking professional help for psychological support is important as it helps reduce stress.
Facing your feelings after a job loss
Everyone mourns in their own way, but there are positive and negative ways to cope with a job loss. It’s all too easy to fall into habits like drinking excessively or binge eating unhealthy food for comfort. But these will just give you a momentary reprieve and will ultimately make you feel even worse. Acknowledging your feelings and refuting your harmful ideas, on the other hand, can assist you to deal with the loss and move forward.
Allow yourself time to adjust. It may take some time to accept your unemployment and grieve the loss of your career. Be gentle with yourself and don’t try to contain your emotions. If you allow yourself to feel whatever you’re feeling, even the most terrible, unpleasant ones, it will go away.
Describe your emotions. Express everything you’re thinking about, including things you wish you’d said to your former employer (or hadn’t), regarding being laid off or unemployed. This is especially therapeutic if your dismissal was handled in a manner that was inconsiderate.
Accept reality as it is. It’s vital to recognize how difficult job loss and unemployment can be, but wallowing isn’t beneficial. Rather than dwelling on your job loss—the unfairness, how poorly it was handled, the ways you could have prevented it, or how much better life would be if it hadn’t happened—try to accept it. The sooner you do so, the sooner you can move on with your life’s next stage.
Keep beating yourself up. When you’re jobless, it’s easy to start chastising or blaming yourself. However, it is vital to avoid putting oneself down. You’ll need your self-assurance to persevere as you look for a new employment opportunity. Challenge every negative notion that enters your head. If you begin to think, “I’m a loser,” write down evidence in support of the contrary: “I lost my job because I was incompetent, not because I was a bad employee.”
Consider your job loss as a brief hiccup in your life. Most successful individuals have gone through numerous career setbacks, but they have managed to turn things around by picking themselves up, taking away lessons learned, and attempting again. You can do the same.
Look for any silver lining. The feelings generated by losing a job are easier to accept if you can find the lesson in your loss. That can be very difficult at such a low point in your life, but ask yourself if there’s anything you can learn from this experience. Maybe your unemployment has given you a chance to reflect on what you want out of life and rethink your career priorities. Perhaps it’s made you stronger. If you look, you may be able to find something of value.
Ways to cope with the loss of a job
-Be patient. It takes time to get over losing your job. Don’t pressure yourself into feeling better too quickly. Allow yourself to feel your emotions and let them run their course, even if the grieving process takes longer than you expected.
-Spend time with supportive people. If the people around you are negative or make you feel worse, find some new friends. Put one day at a time. Don’t worry about tomorrow’s problems until they actually occur.
There’s no need to be concerned. Carry on with your daily routine, taking care of regular responsibilities and finances, etc. Unless it is absolutely essential.
If you can, take a vacation from looking for employment if it’s feasible economically, emotionally, or physically to do so. This will provide you with an opportunity to relax and regroup.
Consider it a minor halt in your life. Most successful people have experienced many career failures, but they’ve managed to bounce back by picking themselves up, learning from the experience, and trying again. You can do that too.
-Keep busy by volunteering if financially possible look for other ways to be active doing things you enjoy
-Talk with supportive people about how you feel remember not everyone understands how it feels to lose a job try talking with a close friend family member or someone else who will listen without judging or criticizing you
-Try not too compare yourself to those who still have their jobs that’s only going to make you feel worse about losing yours focus on what you’re going through at
Starting a job search for a new job
As one starts a new job learning a new skill to enable you to excel in your new career or a new job, as we get new skills new opportunities to come our way. Getting another job sooner than later will help you to not feel any stress over the loss of your previous job.
When applying for jobs online, always ensure that you do extensive research on the company before applying for it this way you will be able to stand out amongst all the applicants and employers might consider giving you an interview because of your effort put into researching them.
This can also be done through employee referrals where employees working for a certain company refer their friends or family members who are looking for employment opportunities this is usually something referred as ERE (employee referral programs).
Job seekers should take up internships if they cannot find gainful employment, taking up an internship is good because you get placed in work that interests you then get work experience.
Internships are designed to get people started on the right foot in their careers by giving them opportunities to find out whether they want to pursue a certain career or not, therefore if an intern loses his job he should be able to cope as it is only temporary and also for those who wish to stay longer in their internship they can use this as a platform for future employment.
Losing a job usually makes you feel like you have failed and that might make one feel depressed; therefore, you need to build up your esteem and confidence and start looking for another better-paid position even though it might seem like hard work at first but with perseverance and patience you will see results according to statistics, there has been increasing in employment opportunities and the majority of companies have begun hiring.
Job seekers should not take rejection personally as you will hear the reason why an employer might reject your application for a job this way you know what to work on and how to better apply in the future use these statements as motivation.
When applying for jobs make sure you do your research, write your cover letter highlighting your specific skills and how they can be beneficial to the company as well as include all accomplishments no matter how small it might seem like, make sure you present yourself as organized, punctual and well-spoken this is because employers will judge an employee based on their first impression according to studies conducted by experts at the University of Western Australia, 75% of information that we receive is non-verbal therefore making a great first impression will be in your favor.
It is important to always put yourself in the shoes of an employer when applying for a job, you need to make sure that everything aligns with what they are looking for in an employee.
Make sure you write a unique cover letter this way there won’t be any confusion on who gets the particular job because every applicant has different experiences and skills.
When you’re laid off, keep in touch with your former employers. You never know when these contacts might come in handy again, so keeping them is a good idea that benefits your ego.
Maintaining good friendships with your coworkers, regardless of how minor or major the problem is, will help you keep things polite at work in the end. You’ll all be working together to achieve a goal.
Before hiring someone this way, many businesses search for social media sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. It’s critical that you maintain a clean public image and avoid posting anything drug-related, alcoholic, or violent since these subjects might harm your reputation if an employer views them.
It’s critical for individuals who lose their jobs due to underperformance to realize that taking on another commitment might assist them to manage because it enhances their self-esteem and confidence. It is also advantageous to take up online courses as well as certifications since they allow people to enhance certain abilities where they lack expertise.
Taking tips from those who have gone through the same situation can better help you cope with the situation however it is important to note that everyone’s experience is different so what worked for one person might not work for you. It is also crucial to note that we do not require a job; rather, we need money, and when one is out of work, they should
