Depression after a job loss

Dealing with Depression After A Job Loss

The recent pandemic came swiftly like a swipe of the hand to either help or debilitate different segments of society. If you happened to be on the wrong side of the swipe, many suffered from it, like depression after a job loss. 

I for one was hit like other training providers, by the shutdown of face-to-face interaction. Speedily, many of us in the field garnered resources to reinvent ourselves into the online space.

On top of that, those of us trained in the arena of mental health set out to put our hand up and help those who needed to get a job, after Covid-19. It was apparent that the path to finding a job, lay first in the need to reduce stress and anxiety.

One by one we attended to issues that people were facing. Once the first step to reduce stress and anxiety was addressed, like a domino effect everything else fell into place.

This goes to show that when a person is in a positive state, everything is possible. We see through the lenses of options and possibilities rather than focusing on negatives that could happen.

These little mindset turnaround tips are shared at an NLP course, as we teach participants how to move from effect to cause. Being at the mercy of others is weak and unproductive. Taking control allows for prompt decision-making which generates results. 

I know a friend who fell into a depression after a job loss. It was sad to see the downward spiral as she regressed fast. Her job was everything to her. It was strongly linked to her identity so this held a meaning for her that she had failed.

When I train at an NLP course I congratulate participants like my friend who have suffered some negative calamity in their life. I have seen this happen over the 18 years that I have trained, all around the Asia Pacific Region.

Over time, people realise it is the Universe’s way of saying it is time to close one door and open an even better one. In understanding this and believing it, their mental health begins to improve and they start living again.

A very common relationship that people have to their job is one that links to their identity. It is a dangerous and erroneous thing to do. One of my first NLP Trainers went through this exact phenomenon when he suffered depression after he lost his job, many years before he found NLP. 

It took him months to realise that he was much more than his job. This deep connection was made only after he elicited his values and understood what was important to him.

He felt he could attain the same priorities doing something else and he did. His wife who loved him very much said that nothing had changed. His loving disposition which was evident in the humongous number of friends he had around him, held him in good stead. This was who he was!

As his mental health improved, he sought out an NLP course to develop himself more and learn tools to self-manage. He was adamant that he would prepare himself to never have to go through that “depression after a job loss” feeling ever again.

He too said that the key to healing and coming out of a negative state of mind was to reduce stress and anxiety first. It was only then the blurry outlook changed to clarity and he could begin to look ahead to the future.

Much like the pandemic situation today, many would like to get a job after Covid-19. The Government of Singapore is helping its citizens by providing funding to re-skill and up-skill towards finding employment in pockets of industry that are thriving.

This is indeed a great opportunity to re-start the engine and drive a different car. However for many who have grown used to their routine it maybe difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel so quickly.

​Perhaps some of these tips could help people deal with depression after a job loss; 

• Start with research
  Ask yourself what you would like to do, scour the newspapers for job vacancies, be strategic and look for industries that are thriving plus types of roles that are in high demand 

 

• Get into action
  Speak to people you know who have exposure in the fields you are interested in, ask as many questions as possible to form a context of where you stand


• Upgrade your skills
  Your current skills may be obsolete. Find the gaps of what you need and sign up for training. An NLP course is highly applicable and valuable to these times when a change in mindset is essential

 

• Get into action
  Whatever you do, move! Make calls, form a daily exercise routine, meet people. It is very hard to be depressed when you are doing some kind of activity. Overall mental health improves too as that will reduce stress and anxiety. 

In summing up, if you know anyone who is suffering depression after a job loss, these are some points that will help you help them get a job after Covid- 19.
​
Beyond that, coax them into attending an NLP course. This will give them many self-management tools to reduce stress and anxiety. It is best to nip the problem in the bud and arrest the decline in their mental health, as reversal of a disease takes much more than implementing preventive measures. 



​