How to Recover from Involuntary Terminations

Losing your job—regardless of whether you’ve been laid off, downsized, right-sized, or
terminated for cause—is often a traumatic experience. Here are some steps you can take
to help the healing process along:

✔ Acknowledge your worst fears and feelings. Losing a job is almost always a
stressful life event that can fill you with a host of conflicting feelings: anger, anxiety,
betrayal, emptiness, guilt, self-doubt. It usually helps to recognize and vent those
feelings.

✔ Don’t isolate yourself. This is a time when you are going to need the support of
your family, friends, and others. If necessary, seek out the services of a professional
career counselor or psychotherapist who can support you during a potentially trying
time in your life.

✔ Formulate a game plan. Develop a plan of action that will allow you to capitalize
on your situation by identifying opportunities that match up with your skills,
interests, and values.

✔ Familiarize yourself with the skills and tools of job hunting. If you
haven’t already done so, review Checklist 35 in order to identify your weaknesses
and then formulate a plan of action to develop the job search skills you need in
order to be successful.

✔ Try to maintain your perspective. Although your job loss may feel like a failure
to you, it is also an opportunity to learn, grow, and redirect your energies. This
is a time when you need to take care of yourself mentally, physically, and spiritually.
Use your time wisely to get and stay healthy in every possible way.

✔ Cultivate resilience. Resilience is the ability to bounce back from setbacks and
deal effectively with challenges and obstacles. For most people, this means learning
to cultivate a spirit of hope and optimism, connect (or reconnect) with support
systems, and develop new skills and game plans. As has often been noted, what
doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.