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How to Manage Stress Caused by Unemployment or Job Loss?

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It is extremely normal to feel vulnerable, hurt or angry after losing your job. The happy part is that there are things that can be done for controlling the situations and maintain the stress levels. You can take care of yourself for getting out of this stressful situation and reach out to others as well. Rediscovering and rethinking about your career goals can help you in feeling satisfied as well as happy.

Unemployment or Job Loss Can Cause Stress

The job that we do define our personality and it means more than just making a living. They have an impact on our thought process, the way others look at us. Our jobs give us purpose, meaning and structure. This is why; unemployment or losing a job can be one of the most stressful events that you experience in your entire life.

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Unemployment or Job Loss Can Cause Stress
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Loss is naturally expressed through grief and this can also be a reaction when you lose your job. Losing a job can force you to make some rapid changes in your life. You may feel scared, hurt, rejected, angry or panicked. What you need to understand that it is normal to feel this way. You have every right to feel upset or gloomy when things are not turning out the way you want them to be. At such times, it is better to go easy on yourself.

If not most, many people who are successful have undergone massive failures in their entire time span. They have learned to manage well by understanding the situations and handling the failures well. When bad things happen, gear up and begin again. You will have to be stronger than you were and overcome them.

#1: Facing your Feelings in Right way Can Play a Significant Role in Managing Stress Caused by Unemployment or Job Loss

Anxiety, fear and depression can make it harder for you to get a place in the market. So, you should learn to deal with your emotions actively and grieve in a healthy way. Know about your feelings and challenge the negative thoughts that can help you in dealing with the loss. Face your feelings is significant in managing stress caused by unemployment or job loss. Following tips will come handy when you are surviving the topsy turvy curve of unemployment.

  • Speak about your disturbed feelings to your friend or members of the family. He or she does not have to be the one to offer a solution but can act as a good listener. By sharing the thoughts, you can feel better for the time being.
  • Jot down your feelings. Express all your feelings by writing them down somewhere. This may involve all the conversations that you and your boss previously made. This can be therapeutic when your termination happened in an insensitive way.
  • Learn to accept reality. It is important to recognize the loss of a job or being unemployed but it is equally necessary to avoid self-pitying. Rather than bottling up your losses like the handling issues, difficulties that you faced or the things you could have done to handle them, learn to accept the situation. This can help you in getting to the next phase and be a better handler of emotion in the future.
  • Never be hard on yourself. It is easy to blame yourself or criticize yourself for the things that happened that lead to unemployment. It is important to know not to put yourself down. You will have to be confident and look for a new job altogether. Challenging all the stressful events to bring out a positive impact on your life can be helpful at all times. Rather than being hard on yourself, write down the reason for you being jobless.
  • Learn from your experiences. Be sure to rethink about getting another job or maintaining your cool even when you do not have a job. If you hunt for another job, you will surely find a good one. Prioritize your career options and you will land in a better place in the future.

#2: Reaching Out for Help is Crucial in Managing Stress Caused by Unemployment or Job Loss

Always remember to not underestimate the importance of people who are around you when you have faced some issues with your job. Learn to be proactive and let people know that you have lost your job, and are looking to work in the future. Reaching out for help is crucial in managing stress caused by unemployment or job loss.

You can control the situation that you are facing by taking the right action. When you know the right action, opportunities will come up. When support outpours, it may set you in surprise. A simple sense of sympathy and support can boost your mood even in difficult situations.

Reach out to the People Whom You Trust the Most to Reduce the Stress

Share all the feelings that you are going through with the people you trust and love. Ask for all the support that you need from people you love. Do not try to handle the unemployment and stress of job loss by yourself. You may naturally withdraw from embarrassing situations or resist to take help from people who are ready to offer them. In any case, never stay aloof. This will only make you feel worse.

Join a Job Club to Reduce Stress Caused by Unemployment or Job Loss

Even people who are seeking jobs can boost your level of support, encouragement and help you find the job leads. Being around people who are seeking jobs can make you feel energized and motivated. This can also help you in being on track with your job search. Finding a job club in your area can be easy if you check in:

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  • Your local public library
  • Career centers at university and college
  • Professional networking websites
  • The career section or classifieds in the newspaper
  • References and resources section.

Stay Connected With Your Friends to Manage the Stress Caused by Unemployment or Job Loss

A majority of job opening is not advertised, they are being filled by unconfirmed sources. This is why; networking can be the best way to find the right job. Regrettably, most job seekers hesitate when they have to be a part of networking as they are often afraid of being observed as self-serving, annoying and sometimes pushy. Networking is not all about using others for your benefit or promoting yourself in an aggressive manner. It is all about building strong relationships. As you are looking for new jobs, get support, advice and feedback which can be gained from networking.

#3: Involving Your Family Will Help in Managing Stress Caused by Unemployment or Job Loss

Unemployment can affect the stability of the entire family, so keep the communication lines open from your side. Let your family know about the hassles that you are facing and involve them in making major decisions. Keeping your unemployment a secret can only put you in huge trouble which may make it difficult for you to survive. Working in groups can help in difficult times and help you to thrive.

  • Keep your family in the circle. Speak to them about your plan of job hunting and let them know about the things that you are planning to do. Update them with all the necessary developments and tell them about how much you need their support in this.
  • Value their concerns. Your family members worry about you, your stability and future. Offer them a chance to speak about their concerns and bring suggestions that may help with your unemployment and job loss.
  • Make time for your family. Let off the steam and make some time for your family. This may help you in getting rid of the stress and enjoy the time in each other’s company.

#4: Taking Care of Your Health is Vital in Managing Stress Caused by Unemployment or Job Loss

Unemployment and job loss stress can affect your health in an unusual way. It is important to take care of yourself at such times. This means looking for your physical and emotional need as well as manages the stress in a better way. Taking care of your health is vital in managing stress caused by unemployment or job loss.

Few Pointers for Managing Unemployment or Job Loss Stress:

  • Preserve the balance in your daily life. Never let you issues about job bother you a lot. Allot some time to rest, relax and have fun. Choose the activities that revitalize you. Your job hunting will be effective when you are stable emotionally, mentally and physically.
  • Exercise regularly. Exercise can be stress buster and when you are unemployed, sweating your stress out can be the best way. A regular 30 minute exercise can be a mood booster and choose to follow it on most days.
  • Sleep well and get enough of it. Your mood and productivity hugely depends on the sleep. Make sure to get enough sleep for at least 7 hours every night to keep your stress levels to the minimum.
  • Use various relaxation techniques. Deep breathing, yoga and meditation can act as an antidote in relieving the stress. They boost mood and fill the body with positive feelings.

Show Positive Attitude During Job Search to Reduce Stress Caused by Unemployment or Job Loss

When a job search takes longer time than you imagine, it can affect your attitude and outlook towards life. If you are in such a state, the following tips will be of great help and may compel you to stay focused.

  • Maintain your routine on a regular basis. When you do not have a job where you can report on a daily basis, it can bring down your level of motivation. Treat your days regularly and begin with some schedule. Plan the entire day so that you seem more productive and efficient even when you are jobless.
  • Prepare a search plan. Break larger goals into smaller steps to save yourself from overwhelming situations. Prioritize your plans and think about the goals that you are willing to achieve.
  • List all the positive things. Prepare a list of all the things that you think are positive about yourself. This may include accomplishments, skills, successes and personality traits. Include all the situations and projects where you have excelled.
  • Choose to volunteer. You can often feel useless and your self-esteem will be reduced when you are unemployed. Helping others can boost your mood and you can also feel better.
  • Volunteering will give rise to new career opportunities, networking opportunities and social support.
  • Pay attention to things that are under your control. Rather than putting your energy in things that are difficult to achieve and handle, focus on something that are easier. You can write a better cover letter and a resume including all the skills that you possess. You can also look for setting up meetings with the help of your networking group.
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Team PainAssist
Team PainAssist
Written, Edited or Reviewed By: Team PainAssist, Pain Assist Inc. This article does not provide medical advice. See disclaimer
Last Modified On:April 19, 2019

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