Re-start Your Engine 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.
 
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. ​

Further to that, those of us trained in the arena of mental health set out to put our hands up and help those who needed 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 urgent issues at hand. Interestingly, people saw with clarity once they took the first step to reduce stress and anxiety. Like a domino effect everything else fell into place.
 
Everything appeared possible when individuals were in a positive state. Seeing through lenses of options and possibilities rather than focusing on negatives, helped them make better decisions.
 
These little mindset turnaround tips shared at an NLP beginner course, are what make NLP invaluable. Participants are taught how to move from effect to cause. Being at the mercy of others could only result in weak and unproductive outcomes. Taking control allowed for prompt decision making which generated results.
 
I know a friend who fell into 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 meaning that she had failed.
 
When I train I congratulate participants like my friend (who have suffered some negative calamity in their life) as it signifies and marks the time to close one door and open an even better one. In understanding this and believing it, mental health begins to improve and they start living again. Most importantly they have tools to go forward and create their future.
 
A very common relationship that individuals have to their job is one that links to their identity, a dangerous and erroneous thing to do. One of my first NLP Trainers went through this exact phenomenon when he suffered from  depression after a job loss. He was thankful to have found the NLP toolbox years later as he recognised it as a model that would help others, if they ever went through what he did.
 
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 so he would never have to go through that “depression after a job loss” feeling 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 may be 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 reduces 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.
 
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.