DEAL WITH JOB LOSS WITHOUT DAMAGING SELF-ESTEEM

 

DEAL WITH JOB LOSS WITHOUT DAMAGING SELF-ESTEEM

 

A career is an occupation undertaken by an individual for a significant time in his/her life. It fulfills a variety of functions within a person’s life, says D. Blustein who is a professor of psychology. Assigned work or tasks helps a person to satisfy the needs to earn an income, achieve a goal, and connect with other people. Simply saying, a career allows a person to feel as the author of their own life’s story. Blustein says that jobs are generally integrated into our lives and identities that it seems common to feel after a job loss as we have lost a sense of self. Subsequently, it takes a toll on the person’s mental health. A majority of Americans have faced unemployment during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. In case you also have lost your job during this pandemic, then here are some steps that you can take in order to regain your lost sense of self.

1-     Take your time to grieve – Losing a job or being laid off should be seen as a normal loss, just like other losses in life. Therefore, you should give yourself time for the grieving process. Ebony Joyce, the Next Level Career services’ founder, says that people need to begin this healing process after a job loss. By doing so, we will not be in angry-mode or frustrated during new interviews.

2-     Reach out to your loved ones- A majority of the people undergo isolation after a job loss. Even if you are dealing with multiple emotions, it is not healthy to isolate yourself. Blustein believes that social support becomes extremely crucial during your struggling period. Loneliness and isolation are considered compounding factors that are required to be handled and dealt with. Hence, reaching out to people, especially your loved ones, is really critical.

3-     Form a routine- When you are working, your days, even your weekend, is pre-planned. This is because jobs usually provide our weeks and days with a routine sense of structure. Thus, when a person loses a job, she/he also loses the schedule. Dr. Chope, who has founded a career-counseling program at the San Francisco state university, says that when his wife and he himself retired, they felt like every day is Saturday and every night is Friday. He adds that people need to create a new routine after they lose a job. It helps them to individuate the days and allows them to have a feeling of success. Dr. Chope suggests that after a job loss, people lose the orderliness in their lives but it is not entirely associated with their companies or organizations. They can establish or create their own routine. They can start this by incorporating regular exercises in their daily routine along with some activities that help a person to get a sense of productivity. Setting yourself up, as in your hobbies, for small wins helps you to regain your control over life.

4-     Don’t be harsh to yourself- After you lose your job, you become a negative person. At this time, you should surround yourself with the people who give you a good and positive feeling about yourself. In some cases, a job loss forces some people to move back to their families which is actually bad for their mental health or blames them. In such cases, people should try to relocate or remove themselves from that environment. According to Dr. Chope, you should not be harsh on yourself and should surround yourself with people who help you grab the opportunities with the skills that you already possess. This helps you to move into something new and different.

It is really challenging during this ongoing pandemic. However, there is some way out to tackle the problems. For example, a person who is pursuing a career in the arts stream can try reaching out to new fields to check if they are helpful. Although it is incredibly difficult, there are many people who are looking for the skill sets that you are having, and therefore, they can help you reach your goals with conducive ideas.

Tips

·       Be it your friends, family members, relatives, or friends or friends, you can always reach out for help to your network. They can help you in finding new jobs, alternative living arrangements, and some psychological support.

·       Make some time to connect with supportive people either via video chat or phone.

·       Try to create your own space and build new ideas, in case you cannot leave your home.

Try getting a low-cost therapy or visiting a mental health professional- Earlier, mental health was not even considered an issue. However, there has been growing researches and awareness in this field. Now, it is not uncommon to have a sense of alienation and depression. After losing a job, many people have to struggle to provide for their families without their income, while some even fear losing their homes. Some have installments to pay, while some have loans. Overall, these issues create a compounding effect. It has been mentioned in a study that people who have experienced housing-related, job-related, or financial hardships showed increased signs and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and substance abuse.

Mental health professionals help such people develop a coping mechanism to see through and navigate uncertain times. Blustein says that when a person loses her/his job, she/he also loses the health insurance that consequently reduces or ceases their access to the health services. If you can, you should try seeking out therapy options to cope sooner instead of the latter. Blustein also advises that people should contact their family doctor and ask them if they can help in getting a low-cost therapy for mental health.

Try meditation- Meditation and mindfulness help to reduce anxiety and depression symptoms. People can try some meditation apps and exercises. Apps that offer both psycho-education content and meditation are extremely helpful.

Seek out the support groups- The first thing you can do here is to join a support group, no matter if it is offline or virtual. There are several groups on social media, such as Reddit and Facebook, that connects you to a community. People support and share their views, tips, and even job opportunities on these platforms.

Try something new, especially which is not related to job-searching- Blustein says that it is important for people to fill their weekends or other days with activities that are not humiliating and frustrating, such as looking for a new job. People should take a break from this. One such activity is volunteering as it gives a sense of accomplishment and purpose. It also helps job-seekers to network in the job-community.

Consider the financial well-being of yourself- People should apply for unemployment insurance if they have been laid off. They can also cut their expenses until they get a new job.

Consider taking a comprehensive view- Most people blame themselves for their unemployment. But, there are certain factors on which the employee has no control or influence. The pandemic has hit several business sectors, such as air travel, restaurant industries, and live events, which consequently resulted in layoffs for the workers.

Layoffs can occur at any time due to factors affecting a certain industry-sector, regardless of the company’s economic conditions. Blustein researched and concluded that white workers have relatively lower unemployment rates than black workers, no matter what their education level or skills are. The reason for this can be discrimination. He suggests that if people can analyze and understand the ways via which they have been marginalized, then they can restrict themselves from blaming themselves for the job loss. Instead, they can use their energy to focus on developing new problem-solving skills.

Do not link your worth to your job or work- It is noticed that some people feel shameful after a job loss. However, they should remember that their worth is not determined by their company or job title. Joyce says that job loss should not be seen as a personal attack. People cannot let their self-confidence and abilities too much tied to their work.