Coping With Job Loss

In many ways, especially if you have been working for many years, dealing with the loss of a job can be very similar to dealing with the death of someone close. The same "Grief Cycle" can be experienced by many people and if you recognise that then you can deal with it better.

So you may go from denial through a sense of anger to acceptance of the change that has happened. It can take you a while to get through the cycle and you may not experience it in exactly the same order or way as someone else. However, you must allow yourself the time to grieve. If you are the main breadwinner in the family, there can be a lot of pressure on you to "just move on" but you must allow yourself the time to deal with the loss.

Once you have had some time to deal with the loss of the job, there is a lot that you need to address. There are a number of things that you need to look at doing for you and your family.

Find out if you are eligble for any unemployment benefits then you need to set things in motion to make the necessary claims.

You need to sit down with your partner and review your financial situation for the coming months. Even if there is someone else in your household with a full-time job, your household income is going to drop as a result of your job loss. Take a look at your household budget or indeed introduce a budget to help you to manage your bills and outgoings whilst you are without a job.

It could mean that you have to take a look at your grocery shopping or eat out less often. You are not going to know where you can make cuts until you sit down and take a good look at the details of your outgoings.

Start to look for another job. Once you know how long any savings and any other income that is coming in can keep you going, you need to look at finding a new job. You may need to make some difficult or challenging decisions. For instance will you stay in the current field or change profession? You need to take a close look at the job market to help you decide which direction to take.

If the market for your specific skills has dried up in your area, then you need to think about whether you can or will relocate or travel further than your previous commute. You can use the internet to look for jobs in different areas and see if there are any opportunities.

As I know all too well losing your job can seem like the end of the world. You will experiene a wide range of emotions as you start to come to terms with the loss. However, you need to move through the grieving process and focus on taking positive action to move you forward!

There are essetnially two different types of worry. The first is the sort of worry that is in fact good for us and means that we take care of the things we need to. The second kind of worry is actually a waste of time and can lead to mental exhaustion. The latter type is the kind of worry about those things that we have no control over.

Take a moment to think about what it is that you are worrying about right now. If you are going to learn how not to worry then the first thing you need to do is to learn how to differentiate between the two types of worry.

If the thing or things you are worrying about are things that you can really do something about, then make sure you take steps to do just that. If you are sat there doing nothing about it then you are simply going to keep worrying. If you know that you have done everything you can and there is nothing more that you can do then you have to put it out of your mind.

If you have a lot of things on your mind, and they are things which it legitimate to worry about, then try setting aside some time each day to address them. If you have recently lost your job and are at home all day perhaps wait until your partner gets home and once you have eaten sit down and discuss some productive solutions together.

It is true that learning how not to worry isn't necessarily easy. We can all get caught up in worrying without even realising we are doing it! I am sure you have found yourself doing something and suddenly you have found your thoughts wandering. The next thing you know you are looking things up on the internet about your worry. Unless this diversion is going to solve a problem, the truth is it's a waste of time.

It is going to take practice to stop this from happening. If you find yourself worrying sat at your computer grab a post-it and stick it on the computer. You don't have to write "stop worrying" on it you could simply draw a picture of a smiley face to remind you to take control of your thoughts again.

As I said earlier, learning how not to worry will take practice. Initially you might not think that these strategies are working. However as you continue to practice you will find that by taking your mind off your worries it will become easier.