Losing your job: consider the bigger picture
Losing a job and being unemployed impact your mood, affect how you look for work and your chances of success. It is important to understand the emotional and psychological factors that could be hindering your efforts.
But this moment gives you an opportunity to consider the bigger picture. Do you see yourself having a long-term career in your current industry? To improve your prospects, you could learn a new skill that will likely be in demand going forward. You may have to go back to college or get training.
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When we battle with unsolvable problems, we start to question our abilities. This creates feelings of helplessness that undermine our ability to succeed.
While it is natural to feel demoralized and pessimistic, you have to address your negative feelings so they don't interfere in your efforts to find work. To overcome your negative emotions, you have to regain a sense of control.
When you've lost your job and want to find a new one, start with the skills that you know you have. For instance, a restaurant host will have people skills, communication skills, the ability to multi-task, and problem solve.
Recording all your skill sets will remind you what you have to offer an employer. It will help you identify potential roles to which you might be suited.
Look at your skillset, and make a list of jobs that have similar skill sets.
- If you need help generating ideas, search for specific terms on job listing sites. (e.g., communication skills)
- Write down what kinds of roles/positions have those requirements.
Use multiple lists and websites and apply to as many jobs as you can for which you're qualified. Treat each one as if it were the only job.
Now you have a clear plan. It should create a greater sense of control and reduce feelings of helplessness.
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We let our knowledge and experiences of the past project into our future, by making concrete predictions that this or that cannot happen due to what happened in the past.
But life is constantly changing, flowing like a river, and does not follow past patterns.
Many people get identified with their work to such an extent that retirement feels like a big question mark on what will happen to them once they are ‘released’ from what they did their whole life.
One has to see if working beyond the retirement age is an option, as many do keep working well into their 70s, comforted by the psychological security, social acceptance and financial independence that work provides.
If you're overly stressed out and just unhappy with your work situation then you need to face your fear of failure head on and just walk away.
Sometimes a bad situation is just a bad situation and no amount of resiliency or strength is going to change the fact that you have to remove yourself from that situation. There is no shame in quitting.