TeamLosing a job can be extremely stressful, and even make you lose your self-esteem and become depressed. You can’t let that happen, so learn how to cope with job loss and feel like you’re in control again.
Don’t think that you’ve lost control over your life or your identity just because you lost a job. Your job wasn’t your purpose, and you can find it again, whether it’s in the same or a different line of work. Maybe you’re feeling like you’ve lost security because you lost your main income, but keep in mind that this is only temporary.
Most likely, you will have enough money until you find a new job, and just because you lost a particular daily routine doesn’t mean that you should just sit on the couch and wallow in self-petty, at least not for long, but let’s start with that.
1. Give yourself some time to greave
It’s okay to feel sad, so face your feelings and give yourself some time to adjust to the new circumstances in your life. The first step to how to cope with job loss is to accept your feelings, not run away from them. Don’t beat yourself up or hold everything in, and feel free to mope around for a while. Accept the reality, but don’t blame yourself for what happened.
This is just a temporary setback, and you can find the silver lining in everything. Think about what you got from this job, surely you have learned some things that will be useful to you in pursuit of new job opportunities. Maybe it helped you become more confident, so don’t lose that confidence now that you need it the most.
2. Let others help you and rediscover your purpose
Right now, all you need is a good listener, so pick up the phone and vent to your best friend. Maybe you can even meet new people and other job seekers that can support, encourage you and help you in your search for a new job opportunity. You can’t learn how to cope with job loss if you want to do it all on your own, so don’t think that you’ll be a burden to others, and reach out for help.
Don’t forget to simply try networking because it might even lead to your new job. Ask your family for support too, and try to rediscover your purpose. Maybe there’s a hobby you’d like to pick up again or try, so do it now. Make time for the things you enjoy doing because some of them might even become your job one day. Maybe you can take some classes and gain new experiences that you can even put in your resume.
3. Think about your career path and possible education, and update your resume
Before you’re ready to start searching for a new job, you might want to think about your career path. Were you happy with your job, and would you like to keep doing something similar or you’re interested in something else? When you’re feeling desperate and afraid for your financial safety, you feel tempted to accept any job you can find, but don’t. Regardless of your situation, you need to give yourself some time to figure out what you want and go after that, not after anything that you can find.
If you’re thinking about changing your career path, you might want to consider acquiring new skills by educating yourself. Maybe you’ll be on a tight budget for a while, but proper education is worth it, and it will help you land the job of your dreams. Even if you still want to work in the same field, maybe there’s a certification that would make it easier for you to get that type of job again. Don’t forget to update your resume, and try to make it really stand out.
4. Create a daily routine
Instead of learning how to cope with job loss, a lot of people just let their routines fall apart and stop thinking about what day it is and what they need to do. Don’t let this happen to you because you need to maintain discipline, and creating a daily routine will help you with that. Make sure to have a schedule even if you don’t have a job, and you can set yourself time for education, job searching, hobbies, and friends and family.
You’re going to spend a lot of your time at work soon but right now, coping with the loss and searching for new opportunities in your job, so make the best out of this free time that you have now. Make sure to engage in activities that make you feel productive and exercise. Be proud of yourself when you cross off something from the list and celebrate your accomplishments no matter how small they are.
5. Plan your job search
While searching for a new job you might get overwhelmed and just rush into something to get over with it. Don’t do that because an important part of learning how to cope with job loss is to plan your job searches instead. Think about where and how you can search for jobs and who can help you. There are professionals who can search for a job for you while you do it too, and it usually costs very little or even nothing. Maybe there are also people from your field of work, so reconnect with them and see if they can help you. Perhaps you even got several job offers while you still had the job, so you might want to check if those positions are still available.
Work on your professional communication skills, learn to write better cover letters, and practice job interviews. You know the saying that you should dress for the job you want? Don’t forget that your resume should also include a picture of you, so dress up in a professional manner and make sure to get a picture taken by a professional.
Learn what you should keep and what you should leave out in your resume, stay confident, don’t worry too much, and you’re soon going to be hired.
Try to stay positive and optimistic because this might turn out to be a good thing, and you might finally land that dream job now that you’re available to take it!
Stay strong!
