How to Cope With Job Loss

Losing a job is quite an emotional experience – looking for your next opportunity leans more toward the cerebral. Until you can come to terms with the first, it is difficult to tackle the latter.

I recall my last job loss more than 10 years ago as if it were yesterday. I have always had the reputation of being the logical, analytical one doesn’t get sidetracked by the emotional aspects of life. There is some truth in that, but all changed when my employer showed me the door. I was 100% emotional!

I couldn’t look for work when it was a struggle to just get up. My husband, friends, and relatives kept trying to cheer me up and encouraged me to look for other jobs. I wanted my old job back – and I wanted the pain to go away and the grief process to end.

At a loss as to how to handle all the emotions, I decided one morning to take a walk. Doing something physical got me out of my head and away from my heart and gave me some relief.

So, I took a walk the next day… and the next… and the next.

Everyday I added a little more distance until suddenly I realized I was walking more than four miles a day. My life began to change. Not only was I putting distance between myself and the raw emotions related to job loss, but I began to feel the stress melting away, my mind started to clear, I had more energy, and felt more positive about life in general (I even lost weight!). The endorphins were making me “high” and I felt ready to get out there and “sell myself” and start a new career.

Sometimes when we get caught up between the heart and the head, it’s time to engage the body. In the movie Forrest Gump, Forrest dealt with the heart break of loosing Jenny by running. He just started to run one day and when he reached the Pacific Ocean, he turned around and ran back to the Atlantic. He ran until he forgot why he was running, and then he hung up his running shoes and reengaged in life.

If you are struggling with job loss, consider doing something physical to comfort your heart and clear your mind. Things will eventually work in your favor, but in the meantime, you need to get up and move. When it seems that the rug has been pulled out from under your feet and you can’t think straight to find a solution, you might want to follow “Jenny’s” advice…

RUN, FORREST, RUN!

Norine Dagliano, of ekm Inspirations, is an independent and nationally certified professional resume writer (NCRW) and job search coach specializing in working with successful professionals who have limited job search experience. For more than two decades, Norine has crafted powerful, achievement-focused resumes and provided logical and straight-forward job seeking tips and advice that has helped literally thousands of professionals in overcoming the anxiety of looking for working… and finding their ideal job. Learn more at www.ekminspirations.com.

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