How to Cope With Losing Your Job

The majority of people are likely to suffer some sort of career hiccup or job loss during their working lives, and believe it or not, if handled positively, it can actually be a good thing.

Here are six tips for getting back on track.

1/ Don’t panic – Take some time out – a day, or a week at most – and think about what you have achieved, both professionally and personally, over the past five years. This will help diminish any feelings of inadequacy.

2/ Don't let your employment status define you – Losing your job is awful, but don’t take it too personally. People who interpret losing their job as a sign of personal inadequacy or failure are less likely to ‘get back on the horse’ in their job hunt than those who view it as an unfortunate event that could very well provide a valuable opportunity to re-evaluate what they want to do with their life.

You define who you are, not your job or a company's decision whether or not to employ you. Don’t take redundancy as a personal rejection. It may well be due to economic forces far beyond your control. Potential employers will be more attracted to someone who has proven their ability to stay positive and confident despite a setback or job loss.

3/ Prioritise self-care – When you’ve lost your job it is all too easy plant yourself on the sofa and wallow in self-pity. Many do, but mental and emotional resilience requires physical resilience. So focus on YOU and doing whatever it takes to feel strong and fit.

Studies have found that exercise builds resilience, leaving you more immune to stress. Get outdoors, go for a run, do some gardening, or just do something that lifts your spirits and helps to shift the negative emotions that have the potential to keep you from being proactive in your job hunt.

4/ Keep things in perspective – Your job should not be the most valuable thing in your life. Your health, well-being and your loved ones are what really matters.

Remember that this stage of your life will pass. View this disappointment as a stepping stone. You have gone back a step, but there are so many more steps in front of you and they are all within reach.

5/ Stay future-focused – It's easy to get stuck in the past and what ‘shoulda-woulda-coulda’ happened, but didn't. Doing so only perpetuates destructive emotions that fuel anger, self-pity and a sense of powerlessness.

Focus on the future, and on what you need to do to set yourself up as well as possible on the job front. Use this time to polish your CV. See if there are any courses you could do to build on or update your skills. Look into a change of career if you fancy it.

6/ Treat finding a job as a job – Create a job search plan with goals and manageable daily steps – for example: enrol with employment agencies, thoroughly search jobsites, send out your CV, email companies enquiring about vacancies (attach your CV), ring round friends and contacts and ask if they have heard of any opportunities, set up or update your LinkedIn page and change your profile to ‘actively seeking opportunities’ etc.

Explore all your options when it comes to unemployment and health insurance. Don’t dismiss any resources available to you out of pride or ignorance.

Be prepared to be in it for the long haul during these tough economic times. And remember, this is a reflection of the poor economy, not your skills or abilities.