Getting laid off is no fun for anyone. But what do you do afterward? How do you move on with your life and pick up where you left off after recovering from your sudden job loss. If you get fired, or want to get fired, you have all kinds of steps to take afterward. You have both practical things to take care of, such as your benefits, and mental things to do to stay strong and keep believing in yourself.
To help you get through your layoff well, in this blog I will discuss what the consequences of layoff are and what you can do to stay mentally strong.
Dismissed and now: consequences of dismissal
Being laid off has many effects in your life. It can cause you to have to deal with financial blows, and mental blows are also often a result of being laid off.
Health effects
German research shows that people who are laid off, especially women, suffer greatly from this. Life satisfaction becomes significantly lower among women who are laid off than among men.
They say this is due to the fact that there are fewer options to do something and because it can create tension in the family.
In addition, it also appears that women are more likely to suffer from feelings of depression, but not anxiety. Especially if their financial situation deteriorates greatly and their partner does not support them mentally, they may suffer more from this.
Yet this does not mean that men are not affected by redundancy. Men also experience a lot of psychological stress after losing their jobs. In the process, men may, in turn, develop anxiety, hostility and anger.
U.S. research shows that redundancy in older men can cause it to significantly lower health. However, if you do find a new job, those effects are quickly gone again.
If you remain unemployed for a long time as an elder, your health does not get worse again. You take a step back, so to speak, but that's where your health stays.
Effect on self-confidence
Dismissal has varying effects on people's self-confidence. For example, women can suffer from lowered self-esteem more quickly than men due to layoff. Dismissal also does not always have to lead directly to a lowering of self-confidence, but if you become unemployed for a long time, it can have a negative effect on your self-confidence.
Optimism does matter in finding a job. Staying optimistic also increases the likelihood of success.
As seen in these studies, it is important not to get caught up, but to look for financial stability and to stay mentally strong so you can find a new job faster.
Post-discharge benefits
In the Netherlands, there are several ways to gain financial stability after being laid off. Most people are entitled to WW benefits, and after that you can get social assistance.
If you have a purchase home, it usually has to be sold, or for sale, before you are entitled to assistance. A house for sale does not affect eligibility for unemployment benefits.
So the financial stability is there, but you need adaptability to deal with it. For example, you might have to do things by bike more often or go to another supermarket where everything is just a little bit cheaper.
Grief counseling after discharge
Losing a job is actually a very traumatic experience. In addition to all the practical matters that need to be taken care of, you also have an emotional blow from the job loss.
This allows you, for example, to go through a grief counseling process similar to that of grieving the loss of something dear to you.
Grief involves all kinds of emotions, such as sadness and also anger. It is quite normal if you have all kinds of emotions at first about losing your job.
Tips for staying strong after being laid off and getting a job faster
There are multiple ways to reduce feelings of depression and recover faster after job loss. In the process, the tips can also lead to finding a new job faster.
Tip 1: Write about your feelings
Research shows that people who wrote daily about their feelings related to job loss found new jobs faster than those who wrote only about non-traumatic events and those who wrote nothing.
Writing down your feelings can help you cope with the job loss more quickly which also helps you get into your own power faster. Writing influenced the opinions or beliefs people had about their old job and beliefs about finding a new job.
So purchase a journal.
Tip 2: Write down positive things from the day
Optimism is important to finding a new job. Writing down at least 3 positive things that happened every day makes it easier to stay optimistic about your situation.
Tip 3: Keep a daily schedule
Filling time is very easy when you have work. If you are out of work, the first week is still pleasant, because it feels like a vacation. But if you have a long-term lack of rhythm, it can cause less positive feelings and a deterioration in your mental health.
Therefore, try to create a schedule for yourself that gives you something to do on "weekdays." In the morning, for example, you scour your network and companies for work, and in the afternoon you engage in self-study to maintain your knowledge of your field. Of course, if you want to pick up a hobby in the afternoon, such as writing or painting, that's fine too. As long as you don't have too many empty days.
A schedule ensures better health, less stress and also increases the chances of finding new work.
In doing so, it can help you if you suddenly have a problem with your identity. If your work determined much of how you identified yourself, you can use this diagram to formulate a new identity. After all, you are more than your work.
Tip 4: Use mindfulness for self-confidence
Self-confidence not only helps keep your quality of life high, it also helps you apply for jobs more than if you have lower self-confidence. Being fired or threatened to be fired can bring up all sorts of unpleasant thoughts about your qualities and character. By using mindfulness, you are more quickly aware of those thoughts and can also stop them more quickly. This not only helps your self-confidence, but also your self-assurance.
In the process, you can also stop thinking back on your work and "what if..." thoughts faster. Those ultimately lead nowhere and are only frustrating.
Tip 5: Get a haircut
To give yourself a boost, a new haircut can help a lot. By taking a moment to get a haircut or to fill me-time in a different way, you'll grant yourself some peace of mind and take care of your self-confidence.
Tip #6: Move
Exercising makes you produce all kinds of substances that make you feel happy. It can also cause your physical health to deteriorate. By exercising at least 30 minutes a day, you take care of your body.
Dancing, walking, swimming or just going to the gym can already help tremendously.
Tip 7: Avoid being a victim
The situation is unpleasant, which can make it very appealing to take on the victim role and stay pathetically in bed all day. This will not help you in the end. Therefore, set the alarm clock and use tip 3.
In addition, you can also reinforce your social contacts now which also helps to get tips on how to move forward. In the process, help can come from an unexpected source.
I want to quit my job, but don't dare
Then, of course, you have people who have long since finished the work they are doing. Still, uncertainty about finances and finding a new job can make you fear resigning. For example, you need to find out whether you are entitled to unemployment benefits when you resign. In fact, in many cases, you won't be entitled to it.
Ways to Stay Strong After Resignation also helps you reduce anxiety about resigning. A journal of positive things that happened, mindfulness for your self-confidence and applying for a new job in advance are steps you can take to be able to quit earlier.
Want to learn more about mental techniques for improving your mindset and your life? Then come to a seminar or attend a workshop. In addition, check out the training courses offered by the Hypnosis Institute Netherlands.
Sources:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-0297.2008.02246.x/full
https://academic.oup.com/psychsocgerontology/article/55/3/S131/607082/Health-Effects-of-Involuntary-Job-Loss-Among-Older
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/psychological-medicine/article/div-classtitlemental-health-effects-of-job-loss-in-womendiv/7552307FC73EE71E894688CD230408AB
http://amj.aom.org/content/37/3/722.short
https://books.google.nl/books?hl=nl&lr=&id=WuiROhPnAtkC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=coping+with+job+loss&ots=Y29eommeEq&sig=3UQroblKLo7UCDA3DCjAnBZctrM#v=onepage&q=coping%20with%20job%20loss&f=false (pages 3, 4 and 5)
http://amj.aom.org/content/43/1/90.short
https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2014/02/11/7-steps-to-surviving-job-loss/
