I have just lost my job; I feel overwhelmed and not sure what to do next. How do I handle losing a job? What are my first steps in managing this challenging situation? Here you will find tips on how to manage the news of losing a job and a few ideas of what can be helpful at the initial stages.

Feeling overwhelmed after I lost my job!

It is really common to feel overwhelmed after losing a job, this is often due to the fact that losing a job brings up so many different feelings and concerns. Overwhelmed feelings arise when a person is consumed with racing thoughts, and it can make a person feel like they do not know what to do first.

What is the first thing to do once I have been made redundant or fired from my job position?

First things first, breathe! It might have been a shock even if you perhaps sensed that it was coming. Losing a job is a real loss, and you might be worrying about how you will support yourself and your family. Give yourself some time to breathe and re-centre yourself because losing a job can be a very challenging experience to go through.

After you have breathed and given yourself some time, you can get into action mode. Grab a pen and paper and write down possible avenues of how to get yourself another job.

Are you in a financial position to have a break from working and perhaps would like to use some time to learn a new skill? Can you volunteer? Whatever you think about write it down, this way it gets out of your mind and onto paper. This for sure will help with the sense of overwhelm.

People might judge me if I tell them that I lost my job, they might think I am not worth employing again.

I have heard my clients say this to me previously and I want to reassure you, each chapter in life can start a new one, and you can learn and grow from this experience. I hear that you might feel this way, and it is important to give space to the part of you that feels this way. You can feel low in mood and despondent, but that is ok and it is valid, allow yourself to feel these feelings.

Let's look at it from another angle, this could be a learning opportunity. When you lose a job, you can ask yourself what happened, is there something you could learn from this going forward into your next job?

When you go for your next interview, you can put your best foot forward and focus on your skills, knowledge, and experience. When the topic of your previous job comes up you can demonstrate gratitude for all that you gained and excitement about moving on to the next chapter of your working life.

Go easy on yourself, losing a job can be really tough!

Remember to breathe, centre yourself (by using calming techniques such as guided imagery and mindfulness), write out possible new job opportunities and contacts you can get in touch with to let them know you are available for a new job and rebuild your self-worth by focusing on moving forward.

You can allow yourself to do something nice for yourself each time as a reward for making a call, sending your cv, or writing out a list of recruitment agencies to follow up with.

Ironically, telling as many people as possible that you are looking for a job is really helpful, however, it may bring up feelings of shame, embarrassment, and anxiety as you may be asked questions about what has happened and why you have lost your job.