Now that you've PAUSED and REFLECTED on your recent job loss and what you might want to do next, it's time to focus more intentionally on your own SELF-CARE. You've been through a major life change and a very stressful one at that. It's quite common to follow the same stages of grief that are experienced during the loss of a loved one (denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance). Each individual experiences these in his/her own way and the amount of time spent in each stage can vary based on your actual experience. In some cases, you might even cycle back and forth between the stages for a period of time. There is no one "right way" to process the loss of a job, so allow yourself to feel through whatever thoughts and emotions come up for you personally.
While you continue to process everything and figure out your next steps, it's very important to TAKE TIME FOR SELF-CARE, to take care of you, both emotionally and physically. When I lost my job of 20+ years, one of the first pieces of advice that I received from my outplacement advisor was to "BREATHE, RELAX, AND (TRY TO) ENJOY THIS TRANSITION." Truth be told, I heard what she said, but I wasn't very good at it (I'm more of a "take action" type person); however, the longer I was out of work, the more I realized that this type of SELF-CARE is critical to our current well-being and future success. And if you don't take time for it in the early weeks and months of being out of work, you'll later realize that it is a necessary step in the journey toward achieving wholeness again.
If you already have a good self-care routine, stick to it--it will benefit you now more than ever.
If you are new to the idea of "taking time to care for you," you might need some ideas to get started.
Below you will find a list of suggestions based on how you are feeling, to best fit what you are needing to support yourself during this stressful time.
If you have any other ideas that have worked for you, please share them in the COMMENTS. Thank you!
