Unfortunately through the pandemic, we are seeing an increase in the number of jobs being made redundant and will continue to do so over the next few months.
Redundancy is one of the most stressful things to encounter in life and it brings with it a rollercoaster of emotions, especially with Christmas is looming and presents to buy.
There are lots of advisory services out there to help with you the practical side of things but when it comes to your mind, here are my ten tips to help you cope when you’ve been made redundant:
1. Don’t catastrophise – notice thoughts that exaggerate the worst-case scenario ie “It’s a nightmare”, “I’m going to lose my house”, “I can never keep a job”. Ask yourself ‘”is this really true?” and aim to take a more balanced approach.
2. Create a Confidence file – compile a file or box of all of your professional and personal achievements and refer to it daily.
3. Make your next step a ‘want to’ not a ‘have to’: before you rush in and start applying for jobs, think about your next move carefully. What do you enjoy doing and what are you good at? What is really important to you (your values) and did your last job align with those? What did you like/hate about your last job? Could this be the right time to go self-employed or take early retirement?
4. Create a daily structure: create a routine that ensures you get up and start your day like a working week. Build in breaks and down time where you are not doing anything or worrying. Ensure you have physical boundaries too. Perhaps only work on redundancy or job search related activities in a specific place in the house where you can shut it off when you are done.
5. Work on daily goals: set yourself daily goals for applying for jobs. Or if you have decided to go self-employed, schedule daily activities that will move you towards getting some clients.
6. Create interactions during the day: isolation and loneliness during the day, when it feels like everyone else is working, can have a negative impact on your mindset. Make time to connect with others through the day like having a virtual cuppa with a friend or a walk.
7. Network: use social media channels to promote that you are looking for a job and get in touch with past contacts who may be aware of job vacancies. If you are thinking of going self-employed contact relevant support businesses such as NBSL who also may help with advice and funding towards your business.
8. Exercise and diet: physical exercise and energy management is a core element of resilience for your mindset so build exercise into your day and be aware of what you are eating and drinking- you need to nourish to flourish!
9. Dream about the future you would like: visualise the kind of job, business or lifestyle you would like using all your senses, write your dream down and take small steps to make it happen.
10. Focus on what you DO want rather than what you don’t.
For free daily self-coaching tips check out her Instagram/Facebook uniquethinkingcoaching or for more coaching support you can contact Sam at www.uniquethinking.co.uk
Sam is running a series of coaching workshops in the new year with the first being New Year, New You on 30 January: https://bit.ly/3qi7jo8