When a company falls on hard times and they have to start laying people off, there are always going to be people that will suffer. If that ends up being you and you lose your job, you could be in for a rough time. Losing your job is a difficult time financially but that’s only part of the story. Being unemployed can take its toll on you psychologically and if you don’t learn to manage the situation properly, you can easily end up stuck in a cycle, struggling to find the motivation to get back to work. There are people out there that know how to deal with job loss like experts and bounce back in no time, here’s how they do it.
Get Your Finances In Order Quickly
Even though this article is about the psychological effects of job loss, it’s important to mention your finances because money worries are one of the biggest causes of mental stress. The longer you’re in a financial hole, the more stressed you’ll become and that can distract you from finding work again and getting back on your feet. Hopefully, you’ll have a severance package that can help you keep your head above water for a while but if you’ve got bills that you’re struggling to cover, consider taking out a loan from somewhere like Snappypaydayloans.com to buy yourself a bit of time, then you can start thinking about a long term plan. You need to revise your budget and cut back on any unnecessary expenses for now, until you start earning again. That way you can make any savings that you’ve got last long enough for you to find another job. Getting your finances in order so you aren’t constantly worrying about money is the first step to reducing the psychological impact of losing your job.
Think Ahead
When you lose your job because a company needs to make cutbacks, your boss has decided that you were less valuable than some of the other employees. It’s easy for you to think about what you could have done differently or what it is about you that makes you worse than the other employees. If you start going down that road, you’ll feel terrible about yourself and it’ll be a real knock to your self esteem which is going to sap motivation and make it so much harder to find work again. Instead of thinking about why you lost your job, focus on the attributes that landed you the job in the first place and start thinking about how they’ll help you to get your next job. Fixating on the bad situation that you’re currently in won’t get you anywhere, but focusing on the future and how you’re going to get that next job will.
Don’t Consider Yourself Unemployed
That might sound a bit odd because you are unemployed but what I really mean by this is that you shouldn’t let it define you. What you do for work is only a part of who you are but if you define yourself by your job status, it can lead to feelings of inadequacy. People are often embarrassed about telling others that they aren’t working at the moment because they think that their worth as a person is based on their job. It’s important that you understand that’s not true and just because you lost your job, that doesn’t mean you don’t have value in society anymore.
Take Care Of Yourself
When you’re at home all day and you’re going through the often disheartening process of applying for new jobs, it can be easy to let things slip. If you’re already under a lot of stress you’re at risk of developing symptoms of depression and that’s far more likely if you aren’t taking proper care of yourself. Always make sure that you’re eating properly and not just snacking on junk food all the time. It’s also a good idea to do regular exercise while you’ve got the time. It’ll help you to reduce a lot of that stress and keep you fit and healthy which always helps with motivation. Just because you’re not at work, that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to start drinking more regularly either.
Treat The Job Hunt Like Work
A lack of routine is one of the things that can easily lead to people feeling low. When you lose your job, that routine suddenly goes out of the window. It’s easy to start slacking off while you’re at home which makes it a lot harder to find a new job. You need to think of your job hunt like you would any other job. Set yourself strict hours every day, get up shower and get to work. It’s a good idea to dress like you would normally for work as well because it helps you to get into the right mindset. If you’re treating it like a job you’ll get so many more applications done in a day.
Use Your Network
The key to not letting unemployment get on top of you is to find a new job as quickly as possible. Honing your interview skills and getting the applications spot on is obviously important but you should also be thinking about anybody that could help you find opportunities. You should have a network of people in the industry that you met through previous jobs and you shouldn’t be too proud to ask for a bit of help. Send some emails and make a few phone calls to see what’s out there. If you can have somebody refer you for a job and vouch for you, you’re far more likely to land another job.
People always talk about the financial struggle that comes with losing your job but perhaps more damaging is the psychological impact. If you let it get on top of you, you can easily fall into a spiral and struggle to get another job, but if you make sure you watch those psychological effects, you’ll be fine.
