Job Transitions Are Taxing

E. Carol Webster, Ph.D. 
Copyright ©  2008

Reduced corporate profits and shrinking public funding are causing both private and public sectors to cut jobs. People who never thought they’d have to worry about work are now wringing their hands and holding their breath as they wait to hear if they’re being shown the door. Many will have to move quickly to find new employment since jobs are not as plentiful as before and more time is needed to search. The loss of a job is stressful under any circumstances, but particularly when you feel you’ve devoted years of your life to an employer and now are out on the street. As with all bummers in life, take a deep breath, get yourself together, and take steps to move beyond this challenging time in your life.  

Instead of dwelling on the loss and looking for the exact same job to move into, take this opportunity to examine whether you’ve been doing the type of work that is most gratifying to you. Many people have fallen into a comfortable niche that pays the bills but may not be very rewarding emotionally or best suited to their personality. Since you are in flux anyway now, this is a good time to consider making a change. Most job search websites have career interest inventories that you can take to see the type of work you’d enjoy, and career centers and workforce offices have supportive forums and counselors who can help if you need more professional help. Certainly, you can always hire your own professional career counselor to obtain more intensive, extended help if you have the means. You may be pleased to find yourself heading in a new direction – one with greater promise of self-fulfillment at work and in your life than you’ve experienced thus far. 

While you are looking for work, don’t be afraid to make serious lifestyle changes. And everyone in the family and in your immediate social circle needs to get on the bandwagon too. A good part of the stress you feel is coming from financial worries, so anything you can do to rein in expenses will go far to calm your nerves. What many people find is that they can live with much less than they’ve grown accustomed to and this empowers them to consider a career change more seriously if they have been afraid to pursue a new line of work because they won’t make as much money. This is a good time to give it a try to see if your state of mind and overall feelings of happiness are greater. The dollar amount of life satisfaction? Priceless.   

By all means take some time to flop and reflect upon your state of transition, but then it’s time to get moving. Treat the process of looking for a new job like a full-time job – get up each day and spend your time focused on looking for work. This may be contacting search firms, preparing your paperwork, as well as directly networking with those who may be in a position to help you access opportunities. When you’re feeling stressed, it’s easy for fatigue to set in and for you to withdraw and feel you can do no more than sleep. Resist this no matter how weary you feel. Taking some action is going to help you feel better and your feelings of confidence and positive self-esteem will return as you feel you are moving closer to your next opportunity. If you just can’t seem to muster the energy, take advantage of any remaining EAP services available to you or ask them for a referral. You’re probably more depressed than you realize.

 All job transitions involve some stress, but those that are involuntary are particularly taxing. Though it sounds trite, try to keep your thoughts hopeful and forward-looking, rather than bitter and bogged down in the past. There’s not much you can do about the past now, so conserve your energy and put your best efforts to getting into a more gratifying position in the future.

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