Now and then, Gods roll their dice and the things we take for granted, something we consider a part of our lives, change in a moment without any fault of ours. Situations change in a moment and the dynamism that we have caught ourselves in! The world is in a situation of turmoil with recession at the doorstep after the pandemic of the corona is over. Many people in this phase might lose their jobs and may face economic burdens, which will give rise to a lot of economic anxiety, especially amongst the youth and the people hitting middle age.
The new graduates are also in more academic anxiety, with economic uncertainty lurking behind in the shadows. Being fired or staying unemployed after completing education is one of the most emotionally oppressive things one might feel. This may even be accompanied by loss of self-esteem, negative perception towards society, insomnia, and even generalized anxiety Disorder.
Balancing Life Aspects
People experience a lot of negative emotions in such situations as guilt, shame, sadness, frustration, and anxiety, and often don’t know what to do, things further take a bad turn when the situation doesn’t seem to improve and people start equating their jobs with their whole lives, it is important in such situations to understand that, one’s job was a part of their life and not their entire life.
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Each individual is a sum total of various aspects and these aspects play a building role in one’s but none of these aspects makes a life and though right now it feels like there isn’t a way out, there always is if we just keep our hopes high and plan something instead of only falling into a pool of despair. And when nothing else seems to work we still have to work with and come up with a plan in a situation like this and take care of our mental health.
Accept the situation, grieve but don’t overthink: Losing a job is a major change in one’s life and not just a turn of a page. People and well-wishers often while comforting say things like, “It is okay it was just a job”, which may sometimes lead people to end in a denial mode and in such situations, denials only lead to procrastination, so it is important to develop an acceptance of the situation.
Managing Anger and Moving Forward After Job Loss
It’s natural to feel angry about losing a job. One might feel it is unfair, that they have been singled out and that it’s not their fault. In such situations one should allow themselves to grieve and face the emotions that are building up within them, but they shouldn’t simply let themselves go with the flow, don’t fall into the vicious circle of Automatic Negative Thoughts, logically counter-question, make a decision and jump into action. Don’t dwell too much in the thought.
Building Resilience in Crisis
Take action, start applying and get active searching, as Price said, “You have a job already. Your job is searching for a job, and you need to start planning on how to get a job.” Taking positive actions and following a plan reduces anxiety and gives one the feel that they still have some control over the situation. In this situation, it is also important to use time wisely and invest in building some skills that might help ahead in future.
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One can also take time out and volunteer with NGOs or diversify their activities and interests so that they can find alternate career paths or discover passions that fulfill them. In the present digital age, MOOCs are available a click away, which means that world-class education is available at convenience; one should invest in themselves and build their knowledge capital so that the feeling of “purposelessness” is not felt loss is not internalized.
In times of crisis, one should focus on building resilience. According to research, resilience is a quality developed through experiences when crisis strikes and helps one adapt, prosper, and survive in the face of unforeseen circumstances. People with positivity and resilience are less likely to fall prey to unhealthy negative emotions, depression and even PTSD in certain cases.
Optimism and Connection with Self
Building resilience is a gradual process and APA makes certain recommendations like developing positive relationships with loved ones and seek encouragement and motivation, talk about how you “feel”, and listening to understand and not just hear, remember that before this situation you have dealt with other situations and no problem is unsolvable, make SMART goals so that you can everyday assess your growth and develop a positive outlook, situations (especially the bad ones) might look scary and impossible to solve right now but if we always look at the wider picture, build a positive self-image, indulge in self-love and foster the attitude of gratitude, avoid isolation and try to keep yourself intellectually stimulated.
Stay optimistic and develop an active connection with the “Self”, understand that the journey through seems farther away from “The Ideal Self”, getting into action will take you closer to it. Understand the personal self and its needs; reframe things in a positive way. Researchers have shown people who can look for the positive side and keep an optimistic mindset tend to face anxiety less than others.
Understand that disengaging sometimes becomes a key element. Without realizing it, individuals may start to get influenced by what others think, places, advertisements, old memories, and even unfulfilled desires, leading to dissatisfaction, depressive tendencies, and spurts of anxiety. In such situations, it is important to understand that disengagement and taking a “break” will keep the sanity alive and give a much-required breather.
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Empowerment in Decision-Making
Understand that there are certain things that can be changed and others that can’t! Working in the direction of trying to change things, you can’t only take one close to the burnout stage, and total exhaustion, instead however small they may feel work towards the things that you can change, and however small those steps may feel like, they are steps towards your, “Ideal Self”. Even if what has occurred was unfair and cannot be altered, the decisions you make now will determine your future.
If required, take help from a professional counselor and don’t dwell too much on the history.
