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Dealing With The Loss Of A Job

By Bigg Success Staff
01-24-08

Life Changes

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One of the most stressful events anyone can endure is the loss of a job. It can create a crisis of confidence, since we often link our self-worth to our performance at work.

It’s natural to feel a roller-coaster of emotions immediately after a dismissal. So how do you deal with it?

Understand what you’re going through
You’re grieving. Sounds strange, doesn’t it? But that’s what it is. You are grieving the “death” of your job.

In her book, On Death and Dying, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross identified the five stages of grief: 

  • denial
  • anger
  • bargaining
  • depression
  • acceptance

Can you relate to any of these states? Of course you can. It’s only natural.

Allow yourself to be human
Give yourself permission to ride this emotional roller-coaster. You may go through the stages sequentially, but it’s more likely that you’ll jump around.

Let yourself go through it. Grieving is a process. You won’t be over this loss overnight. Don’t set unrealistic expectations for yourself.

Talk to people who care about you. Seek professional help if it will help. Allow yourself to be human, if only this once.

Plan to move on
Here’s some good news – you can replace your job! It may not be easy. It may not come quickly. But you can do it!

Plan to move on. Picture yourself in your new job. Maybe you envision a career change. Or a business of your own. Develop a plan to get what you want.

Perhaps you’ll need some more education. You may need to get some experience first. Your plan can factor in all of these things.

You may still be grieving, but you’ll likely reach the acceptance stage faster if you focus on your future, instead of the past. Then do something about it. Try to do something every day that moves you toward your new life.

Losing a job is tough to accept. You have to go through the grieving process. Don’t rush it, but push yourself every day to get on with your life.
Many people have found their passion when they were forced to do so. Maybe you’ll be the next one!

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(Image by Stephen Glauser, CC 2.0)