October 31st 2020 sees the end of the current furlough scheme and although further government funding has been made available, many more people will be facing redundancy and job insecurity. What happens next?
Redundancy can be an extremely anxious and stressful situation. It is mentally and emotionally draining and can have a detrimental effect not only on you, but the people that surround you.
You may feel that you are losing your identity, which in turn will have an impact on your self esteem, motivation and you may lose social contact through feeling embarrassed and financial distress.
Work is an important part of life satisfaction and overall well being and losing the social contact with our colleagues can also have a negative effect.
You may experience a very diverse range of emotions :
Denial
Anger
Bargaining
Depression
Exploration
Acceptance
This is perfectly normal - and there are coping strategies, which can be put in place to reduce the impact.
What is your goal for the future? Take control...
Initially you may feel that you had no control over your redundancy and in turn you have no control over your future. This is NOT true. It is a useful to take time out and to think. If you could do anything what would it be? How would your future look? What would it feel like to you? What are your goals? This can be the perfect opportunity to do something new and have a different career direction, something where you would feel fulfilled.
Create an action plan week on week as soon as you can, so that you are not STUCK in a grieving process. This will give you focus and motivation in a more manageable way.
Seek professional advice and support
When looking for a new direction, it can feel extremely overwhelming. Emotional and practical support is an essential part of succeeding in completing your goals.
To help move yourself forward and maximise your true potential, a Personal Development Life Coach can help you attain your short term and long term goals, improve your self esteem, confidence and motivation. A professional, like me, will challenge your way of thinking and perspective and this will stop you from seeing things only one way. Stop looking back and focus on what you want to gain. Take a first step and keep moving forward.
Look after your mental wellbeing
Understandably redundancy can take its toll on your mental health and wellbeing and it is extremely important that you recognise this. Self care and general fitness can help you manage these symptoms.
Eating and drinking well and being conscious of the nutrition that your body requires, will help you feel more energised and healthy in this stressful period.
Exercise, especially outdoors will improve your mood. This should be everyday even if it's simply a 20 minute walk. Try something new, maybe yoga or mindfulness, to release the stress - you can find free courses online. This will help you with the challenges that you are facing.
Sleep is essential for you to focus on what the day ahead requires. Make sure that you have a cut off time on your phone/laptop in order for your brain to start relaxing. Going to sleep at a specific time and waking up at a specific time helps you be in a routine. DON’T stay in bed too late in the morning, no matter how tempting, make sure that you have your action plan for the week.
Try to carry on with any hobbies or meeting friends for a coffee or catch up so that you still feel that you have some routine and you don’t feel isolated. Be careful not to exhaust yourself in this period, go at a pace that helps you keep the momentum going.
Having a person that you can be accountable to and to give you the support you need will help push you when you may feel that motivation wavering.
“Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe , remember, you can achieve” -Mary Kay Ash
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