Unemployment Blues: Why Me?Written by Virginia Bola, PsyD
Perhaps you saw it coming. The fall in company stock prices. The news articles about company troubles. Maybe it was just rumors on production floor, or a creeping suspicion that orders had slowed down and there was no longer backlog of work which had been a security blanket. Maybe it was way management started to avoid you and private meetings were held without any communications afterwards.Finally, it happened. The company, regretfully they assured you, no longer needed your services. The last paycheck was handed over, checklist of Cobra benefits and unemployment insurance details were reviewed, time to gather your personal items allowed. You walked out in an unreal haze, barely noticing that remaining staff concentrated on their work as if to avoid possible contamination of being associated with someone they now saw as a loser. A few of your closer friends shook your hand, with averted eyes, and promised to stay in touch although you both knew that it would never happen.
| | Unemployment Blues: Emotional Damage ControlWritten by Virginia Bola, PsyD
Looking for work is a roller-coaster ride: high with elation when you think you’ve found a great position, low with discouragement when you realize that someone else was offered a job you wanted.Most of time, you fall somewhere in between, your mood cycling from cautious optimism to keen disappointment. You try to conceal inner turmoil, turning a brave face to world, trying to convince everyone that you are “just fine.” For sake of your health and your sanity, try these approaches: 1. Identify someone who is willing to be a sounding board for you: your significant other, a fellow job seeker, a career counselor, a good friend. Explain that you need someone to help you express feelings inside and gain a better understanding of what is happening to you emotionally. Then talk to them, for a few minutes. You don’t want to become a burden and your listener is not a paid therapist. Ten minutes of honest revelation and analysis a few times per week can help you avoid ulcers, family fights growing out of your frustration, self-isolation, and will free up energy it takes to hold everything in. That is energy you need to conserve for job search.
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