My Physical Response to Job Loss

Loosing a job is quite an emotional experience - looking for your next opportunity leans more toward the cerebral. Until you can come to terms with the first, it is difficult to tackle the later.

I recall my last job loss more than 10 years ago as if it were yesterday. I have always had the reputation of being the logical, analytical one doesn't get sidetracked by the emotional aspects of life. There is some truth in that, but all changed when my employer showed me the door. I was 100% emotional!

I couldn't look for work when it was a struggle to just get up. My husband, friends and relatives kept trying to cheer me up and encouraged me to look for other jobs. I wanted my old job back - and I wanted the pain to go away and the grief process to end.

At a loss as to how to handle all the emotions, I decided one morning to take a walk. Doing something physical got me out of my head and away from my heart and gave me some relief. So, I took a walk the next day...and the next...and the next. Everyday I added a little more distance until suddenly I realized I was walking more than four miles a day. And my life began to change. Not only was I putting distance between myself and the raw emotions related to job loss, but I began to feel the stress melting away, my mind started to clear, I had more energy, and felt more positive about life in general (I even lost weight!). The endorphins were making me "high" and I felt ready to get out there and "sell myself" and start a new career.

Sometimes when we get caught up between the heart and the head, it's time to engage the body. In the movie Forrest Gump, Forrest dealt with the heart break of loosing Jenny by running. He just started to run one day and when he reached the Pacific Ocean, he turned around and ran back to the Atlantic. He ran until he forgot why he was running, and then he hung up his running shoes and reengaged in life.

If you are struggling with job loss, consider doing something physical to comfort your heart and clear your mind. Things will eventually work in your favor, but in the meantime, you need to get up and move. When it seems that the rug has been pulled out from under your feet and you can't think straight to find a solution, you might want to follow "Jenny's" advice...

RUN, FORREST, RUN!!

Comments

[Elizabeth Johnston]

Great blog! I think people underestimate the emotional aspect of job hunting.

[Rosa Elizabeth Vargas]

Great post! Suddenly losing a job can throw you into a depressed state -often cause you to lose part of your habitual identity.

Amazingly, working out does help! I say amazingly, because I am not a very active person, but when I get going with a walk, yoga, or pilates it really helps me reduce stress, ignite creativity, and clear my mind so I bring things into perspective. Great advice.

[Will at Virtualjobcoach]

Good, relevant post. Experts suggest that job-loss is up in the range of 'death' as far as emotional response. I do agree that physical activity will help produce chemicals that keep the mind 'happier'(serotonin?), but would also suggest that people in this situation look-up the 'steps of grieving' and go through them. Too often we suppress these emotions - and that makes the situation much worse. Grieve, try to get over it, if that doesn't work physical exercise will also help, but would also recommend seeing a professional (depending on the depth of your mood).

Will at virtualjobcoach

[Mary Wishart]

Ok, so in amongst all this job loss chaos here is a simple little booklet which will help folks with that "in between jobs" situation worth checking out - visit
http://recessionselfhelp.com