Losing your job will leave you feeling scared, stressed and depressed under normal circumstances but with the pandemic the stress and anxiety is multiplied and the impact could be worsened if you are already living with an existing mental illness. The pandemic has left a lot of people without employment and unable to provide for themselves with companies closing and retrenching people. How do we deal with the loss of a job and avoid severe mental health problems that come with losing a job?
Most of our stress comes from how we feel about losing our job so the best thing to do is deal with the feelings around losing a job, what does losing your job mean to you? What problems come with losing your job? Work around how you feel about the loss. Here below is a few ways to cope of with losing your job.
Get help with coping skills – meditating, deep breathing, and yoga, exercises and talking will help relieve stress.
Avoid overthinking – Dwelling on things you have no control over will keep you stuck in an unhealthy state. If you find yourself thinking about how awful your life is, or you’re making catastrophic predictions, then interrupt yourself. Distract yourself with a chore or activity.
Take care of yourself – Get enough rest, eat healthy and meditate, keeping physically health is beneficial.
Keep physically fit – Exercises are good not for your physical health but mental health.
Keep contact – the strict lockdown rules have made it hard to visit and see loved ones but keeping contact via social media, texts, video calls and other available means may help your mental health.
Keep busy – Have a schedule, this will help you cope better and include time for job hunting and hobbies. Plan your day towards time leisure and things that help improve your mental health.
Work on yourself – Equip yourself with a new skill, enrol on an online program/course, consider a side hustle, while many industries may shut many more will open up so put prepare yourself for future opportunities.
Seek financial assistance – Most banks are offering payment relief and loans for Covid19, assisting those who have lost employment. Follow organizations that assist with food parcels. This should alleviate some of your stress.
Seek mental health care – If you’re feeling depressed or anxious, or you’re having difficulty functioning, contact a mental health professional. Talk therapy or medication may help you feel better. Queerwell is available with lockdown therapy and support, get in touch with us if you need help.