April 25, 2022
Work is a source of income and almost the only breadwinner for a person. People spend almost their entire adult lives working. In an instant, losing a job for a person becomes a fatal event in his life, especially for someone who feeds not only himself, but also his entire family. It is extremely difficult for a person who has lost his job where he spent a lot of time to find another job. Because of this, an unemployed person loses not only his job, but also confidence in himself and his own strengths, and begins to feel useless and helpless. He begins to drown himself in this problem, and a number of other problems associated with alcohol and drugs appear. Your whole life, literally, begins to go downhill, there are constant quarrels in the family, conflicts with your spouse, if you have one, and problems with the opposite sex appear. A person begins to gradually withdraw into himself, isolate himself from society and falls into the deepest depression. A person who has lost his job is afraid that he or his family may be left without money to live on, is afraid of not finding a better job than the previous one, and there is also a fear of a new team that may not accept him for some reason. During this period, the support of all relatives and friends is extremely important in order to prevent a person from disappearing and drowning in his own problems. In no case should you despair, because this could happen to any of us and this is not a fatal problem. If the problem has gone too far and a person is not able to independently deal with a suddenly emerging problem, then he needs to seek help from a qualified specialist - a psychologist - as soon as possible.
Do not despair; your life does not end, but only takes a new beginning!
How to respond to the emergence of a job loss crisis?
It is necessary to accept and realize the presence of this problem, and in no case run from it or hide it. How, exactly, should we respond to the emergence of this problem? If you have been fired from your job, then first you should give yourself the opportunity to rest, but not for too long, so as not to get lazy, reboot and think about the whole situation as a whole. You need to decide what area you want to go into next, change your profession or stick to the initially chosen course - everything is in your hands! You must know the value of yourself and your professional qualities; you should not take the first job that comes your way, where you will receive a few pennies compared to what you can actually receive for your services. Also, dismissal will allow you to solve those matters that you have always never gotten around to and did not have enough free time. You are advised to decide whether to continue working for the company and boss or to do something on your own; you may discover something new in yourself. It is not recommended to discuss your plans for work with people who are negatively disposed towards you, who may dissuade you or convince you. If you still decide to get a new job, then go to interviews every day, do not despair at the first refusal, try, try and you will succeed! If you are unable to cope with this problem on your own, then seeking help from a qualified specialist - a psychologist - will be a very correct decision. He, in turn, will find a quick and effective method to get rid of your problem.
Don’t sit still – there is a way out of any situation!
Give it your all!
There is a huge temptation to finally tell your boss everything you think about him. Or do something nasty: hide the necessary data, take away the phone numbers of important clients, paralyzing the work of the once dear company for some time.
Do not do that! Firstly, the professional circle is very narrow, and when your new boss calls your ex, he is unlikely to find at least a couple of kind words addressed to you. Secondly, if you want your boss to truly regret your dismissal, you need to act in exactly the opposite way. Gather your will and on the last day say a warm goodbye to him, saying the kindest words. Maybe he won’t call you back (which, by the way, is possible), but he will certainly give you an excellent reference. It doesn't matter what kind of relationship you had before this minute. As you know, the first and last words are remembered most.
Methods for dealing with a job loss crisis
Every crisis and problem has its own solutions. Do not despair and turn a blind eye to the problem that has arisen in your life. You should accept it, realize its presence and not hide it. Find all possible methods to combat this problem and get rid of it once and for all.
The most effective methods for dealing with a job loss crisis can be seen below:
- An independent method for solving a problem that has arisen. You need to carefully work on yourself, your thoughts and goals in life. The first and main step is to recognize the existence of this problem. It may help to talk to people close to you who can reassure you and give you some advice on how to solve your problem. A very good method is to talk alone with yourself, you need to give answers to fundamental questions: is this problem really so critical? And why does it affect your life so much?
- According to statistics, the most effective method is to seek help from a qualified specialist - a psychologist. Thanks to the experience accumulated over many years, a specialist will easily help you find the source of your problem. Will provide individual consultation and necessary therapy. He will collect the necessary tests for him. And after that, he will formulate the right course of treatment for your problem, after which you will forget about the problem forever and return to normal life.
The specialist works at a convenient time (Mon–Fri 10:00–20:00). The cost of qualified assistance is reasonable. Payment is possible in cash and by credit card. Contact us as soon as you need competent psychological help!
If you have discovered a crisis of job loss in yourself or those who are dear to you, hurry to seek the help of a competent psychotherapist, psychological consultant - Andrey Filippov. Consultation is possible both in the office and online. The effect of the consultations is guaranteed (subject to full compliance with all recommendations!).
PROGRAM FOR OUT OF DEPRESSION BY A PSYCHOTHERAPIST WITH 30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
Richard O'Connor, in addition to being a certified specialist in psychiatry, is also the author of many books that have become very popular due to their content and ease of understanding. They talk about many useful things: how to get rid of bad habits, how to become happy and how to get out of depression.
The psychotherapist considers depression not only a mental illness, but also a serious social problem. It should be treated by a specialist, relying on drug therapy and psychotherapy. But professional help is often not enough, since there is always a risk of relapse. An independent way out of depression, the 12 basic principles of which were formulated by O'Connor, will allow you to avoid it. They echo what was said above.
He writes that depression forces a person to think and behave in a certain way, and these become his inalienable habits. They are the ones who dictate an individual’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior. But you can change your thinking, set it on a different course, change your life in a more constructive direction.
So, here are the principles that you need to follow to get out of depression on your own:
1. Don’t avoid expressing feelings, experience them. A person suffering from depression creates a defense mechanism to isolate himself from disturbing emotions, including both unpleasant and pleasant ones. This deprives the individual of important life information - such anesthesia leads to the development of despondency and aggravation of the situation.
Experiencing emotions and expressing them are two different things: we cannot control the first, but we can and should control the second. You can't be sure you need to feel a certain way, because it destroys your personality.
Therefore, you should not be afraid of feelings, because both strong sadness and joy pass very quickly. A person is like a buoy: our emotions are constantly balancing, but eventually stabilize. So you shouldn’t suppress them: crying, laughing, defending your opinion, etc. will improve the condition. You just need to show them where you are understood, and you will certainly find support.
2. Look for the reason. The mood changes for a reason - there is a reason for it and it needs to be identified. If this is difficult to do, it may be advisable to keep a journal and record the events leading up to the episode of depression. Thanks to this, it will be possible to accurately identify the “culprit”. This could be a difficult conversation, a dream, something heard or read, a memory, etc.
Knowing what causes you to feel sad helps you overcome depression. Now the situation can be avoided or changed, and if both fail, then it is better to come to terms with it and not take it too seriously.
3. Practice mindfulness meditation regularly. This will rewire the brain, give you the opportunity to focus on yourself and eliminate obsessive anxiety. Mastering the skills of conscious living, not judging everything in black and white, accepting the world without distortion, not trying to control what is impossible, and enjoying every day is not easy, but it is quite possible.
Repeat the mantra (can be replaced with the phrase) “Lord, give me the serenity to accept what I cannot change, give me the courage to change what I can change, and give me the wisdom to distinguish one from the other” - and everything will work out!
4. Exercise regularly. The brain stores a person's experience, and it changes chemically, electrically, and structurally with every thought, experience, and feeling. Depression damages it by remembering depressive habits. But we are able to create new awareness, “build” other, positive skills, point of view and feelings, thereby improving the brain.
5. Get rid of depressive thinking. Avoid pessimism, blaming yourself for all sins and negative coincidences. Change your way of thinking, bad habits, become confident in your abilities. Keep a diary of dysfunctional thoughts to get rid of them, drive out the inner critic.
6. Get your priorities right. Doing things that are unimportant and uninteresting to you leads to depression. Define values for yourself and strictly follow them, even making an effort. Don’t follow bad habits, don’t let others interfere in your life, strengthen your character.
7. Love yourself. Learn to be proud of yourself - it gives pleasure and a feeling of happiness. Write down your achievements and good deeds in a notebook, whatever they may be - spontaneous or a set task. It is usually quite difficult for a person to feel proud of himself, but such discomfort can be quickly overcome.
Small joys are very important: delicious food, a pleasant smell, a comfortable chair, etc. Just pay mindless attention to them - the main thing here is the sensations.
You need to learn to relax. Yoga, dancing, singing in a choir, swimming, aerobics will help with this.
Eat well, take care of your body and health, do not smoke or drink alcohol.
8. Be direct. To be understood correctly, you need to express your desires to your loved one. The language must be unambiguous: what you say and how you say it must match.
Depressed people, as a rule, think that they are not understood, that they are tongue-tied, prefer not to continue the conversation, become silent, and withdraw into themselves. However, if you cannot express your thought, it is better to pause, concentrate, and even ask your interlocutor to ask questions.
In turn, you should listen carefully to what they tell you and ask again for a better understanding.
Communicate more, smile at people, be friendly. It has been proven that extroverts are happy.
9. Find a hero. You need to identify a role model for yourself. This could be someone whom everyone respects for his kindness, courage, self-sacrifice. Such a person can be among both those living and those who have passed away. Of course, he definitely has some shortcomings, but they deserve admiration for their actions.
Try to be like this person and thereby you will begin to respect yourself.
10. Be generous. Of course, it is impossible to find a way out of depression by simply distributing money, showing participation and sympathy. But an outstretched helping hand to another person in need of funds will help get rid of the disorder. If you don’t have the opportunity to do charity work, then you can become a volunteer.
The habit of generosity will break through self-isolation and make you respect and feel better about yourself.
11. Don’t be afraid of intimacy, open up to your loved one. Intimacy opens you up more to him, he gets to know your doubts, secret fears, shameful secrets. This gives birth to harmony in the couple - there is nothing secret anymore, the masks are removed and you are loved for who you really are.
12. Ask for help in a timely manner. Learn to understand the signs that precede a depressive episode. The “bell” may be discomfort in the stomach, irritability, or a lump in the throat. Each person has a different signal, and if you notice it, then immediately, without delay, contact a specialist. Sometimes just one visit to a therapist can prevent a serious relapse.
Take medications prescribed by your doctor - this is not a sign of weakness, but a guarantee that nothing bad will happen.
Attend support groups and give your loved ones instructions in case you get really sick.
Shame to seek help is a symptom of depression and needs to be addressed.
Of course, as Richard O'Connor argues, it is very difficult to live exactly according to these principles. Yes, and they are not easy to master. These new skills need to be constantly practiced, but this requires your great desire to overcome depression.
It will take patience, time, and a lot of work on yourself, which will be accompanied by discomfort and anxiety. But gradually new habits will become commonplace, and then recovery will come.
Don't isolate yourself
Unfortunately, often during a period of forced inactivity, a person’s relationships with loved ones deteriorate. At first they sympathize with him, but as he withdraws and becomes depressed, this begins to irritate those around him. ● Try not to be excluded from family life: take on some responsibilities that were previously performed by others, share your thoughts, discuss household problems.
● If friends invite you to visit, do not refuse, citing a bad mood. Maybe that's where you'll meet someone who can help you find a job. Despite progress in the field of employment (Internet, recruiting agencies), they prefer to hire us, as before, “by acquaintance.”
● Don't neglect a temporary job offer while continuing to look for a permanent one. If you prove yourself well, it can become permanent.
Interesting
● No one is immune from dramatic turns of fate. Even geniuses. The example of one of the players of the Real Madrid football club is widely known. A freak car accident confined him to a wheelchair for a whole year. In the end, he managed to get back on his feet, but had to say goodbye to his brilliant football career. “What to do? After all, I don’t know how to do anything besides football!” – the former football player was tormented. Friends advised him to try himself in... the singing genre. And they were right. This is how the brilliant Julio Iglesias appeared to the world.
● The story of another famous person is no less significant. Before becoming famous in the literary field, he was... an accountant. Everything changed when the unknown Mr. Porter was accused of embezzlement and went to prison. Out of melancholy and hopelessness, he began to write stories. He emerged from prison as a popular short story writer known under the pseudonym O'Henry.
How to help a depressed person
But without winter there is no spring, and every test is given to a person so that he becomes stronger and wiser, so that he feels the taste of life and appreciates it. But in moments of depression, it is extremely important that loved ones do not give up, that they react, sympathize, provide help and support.
“I first try to work with depressed and anxious-depressive patients through psychotherapy. I try to find reserves in the person himself, in the family, in changing the circle of friends and redirecting thoughts, to give him something new. Ignite an inner fire in the patient that will help him live and move on. Because neither you, nor me, nor anyone can live without this fire,” shares Roman Vladimirovich.
If a person close to you does not want to see a specialist, but you still see symptoms of depression, try to help him using simple methods. Spend more time in the fresh air, go horseback riding or to the dolphinarium, go on a trip, drink wine, go to the movies. Try to get him to eat more sweets - this promotes the production of endorphins. But if all this does not help, you should definitely contact a psychotherapist.
By the way
Stress caused by dismissal is more pronounced in men. Women are more resilient to the blows of fate and react flexibly to stressful situations. People of retirement age, as well as those who cross the “dangerous” age limits, experience the loss of work very painfully: the so-called age of first adulthood (33-35/35-37 years) and mature age – 46-48/52-54.
The level of stress experienced also depends on the psychological type to which a person belongs. Temperamental, sociable people, although they take the news of dismissal hard, overcome the stressful situation relatively quickly. As a rule, two weeks are enough for them to be free from stress. Another thing is that people are phlegmatic and withdrawn. Their stress develops progressively and lasts for a long period.
Bad advice
7 Sure Ways to Lose Your Job
1. Have no plans.
2. Fail to maintain and update your skills and abilities.
3. Do not provide any results.
4. Believing that you are indispensable.
5. Surround yourself with sycophants.
6. Forgetting to give credit to others.
7. Do not “advertise” your work achievements.
Risk group
Losing a job often undermines a person's self-esteem. He develops a feeling of resentment and a feeling of loss of control over life: “Why was I fired?”, “Am I really the worst employee?”, “I don’t decide anything in this life.” If such thoughts come to you, you need to tell yourself: “Stop! Life is not only work. In such a difficult situation, it is much more constructive to ask another question - why did fate give you such a test, what lessons can be learned from this?
Practice shows that most often people who have two opposing psychological attitudes lose their jobs. First of all, these are those who, unnoticed by themselves, began to live by inertia, for whom work has not brought either moral or material satisfaction for a long time. But the poor guy doesn’t have the courage to put the application on the table himself. And every morning he goes to work, as if to hard labor. So fate throws him an unexpected solution to the problem - in the form of staff reductions or rotations leading to dismissal.
Oddly enough, people with a different attitude are also at risk of losing their jobs - workaholics who identify their life with work, putting it in first place in the scale of life values. Fate often punishes for such one-sidedness. In addition, an overly zealous employee often irritates his superiors: what if he turns out to be more professional than his management?
Causes of depression
According to statistics, in 90% of cases, the main cause of depressive illness is:
- Affective disorder
- Presence of psychological trauma
- Prevalence of persistent chronic stress.
If the catalyst for depression is psychological trauma, it is considered reactive. They are characterized by such events as the loss of a loved one, the destruction of relationships, the emergence of conflict situations with the work team, an unstable financial situation, reaching retirement age, moving to another city or country.
The occurrence of a depressive state when a person achieves success in the business he has begun deserves special attention. Professional psychologists explain this phenomenon by the fact that there is a temporary loss of goals and meaning for further life activities. Neurotic depression occurs due to a constant state of stress. It is often almost impossible to find a specific reason that can contribute to its development. As a rule, during the research process, the patient begins to describe his life as a continuous series of failures and losses, which most often has an unrealistic assessment of what is happening.
Females are more susceptible to depression than males. Regarding age, the number of cases in people of mature age is higher than in the younger generation. However, there are other factors that cause diseases: these are extreme indicators on the scale of excessive financial wealth and poverty, low self-esteem, dissatisfaction with oneself, childhood trauma, lack of social contacts in society, “black sheep” syndrome.
Considering the total number of mood disorders, 1% is endogenous depression as a rare disease. It leads to periodic depression with the spread of manic psychosis. Appears as a result of pathologies that arise in the metabolic process of amines of the biogenic group, slowing down or accelerating metabolic processes, usually developing with aging.
The next group of reasons is anatomical, implying diseases at the somatic level or pathological processes localized in the brain. According to studies, in half of cases depression occurs during rehabilitation after a heart attack or stroke, 60% are due to chronic diseases of the cardiovascular system, 15% suffer from TBI (traumatic brain injury).
The likelihood of depressive conditions increases if hormonal levels change (pregnancy or menopause). The body undergoes serious physiological changes that are reflected on the emotional and physical level. Often a person begins to get tired faster, the period of active performance decreases, memory and attention deteriorate. Such changes are accompanied by age shifts: some grow up, some grow old, teenagers move into the stage of adolescence.
The most common somatic ailments include ischemia, diabetes of any group, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, central nervous system, liver, and kidneys. Citizens suffering from any type of addiction are also susceptible to depression.
Vicious circle
Having lost his job, a person has a huge amount of free time at his disposal. Perhaps at first it’s even pleasing: you’ll finally be able to relax! But, as a rule, it is impossible to truly relax. And the unemployed person begins to experience the emptiness that has suddenly formed in his life. According to the observations of psychologists, such a situation is a breeding ground for the emergence of neurosis.
A kind of vicious circle arises: due to the fact that there is no job, you feel depressed, and this, in turn, makes it impossible to find a job. If this condition lasts long enough, it can lead not only to depression, but also to severe physical illness. Psychiatrists often observe this effect of “psychophysical wear and tear” not only among those who have lost their jobs, but also among those who have retired: an intensively working person suddenly begins to rapidly age, and all sorts of sores begin to stick to him.
To avoid this, experts advise that you should start looking for a new job on the same day you were informed of your dismissal. The more time passes after losing a job, the more difficult it will be to find one. Treat dismissal as a test of strength, as an exam, passing which you will come to success.
Diagnosis and treatment of depression
Diagnosis of depression is carried out only after collecting a high-quality and as complete anamnesis as possible, passing tests and talking with the patient. To be diagnosed with depression, a patient must have at least two of the triad and three of the associated symptoms. Among the second group, the most common are unreasonable feelings of guilt, increased anxiety, low self-esteem, suicidal mood, and decreased appetite. If a doctor suspects the development of depression, he will redirect the patient to other specialists, depending on what symptoms he is experiencing.
Outpatient treatment often includes types of depression such as recurrent, atypical, postpartum or dysthymia. If the disorder reaches a critical point, then inpatient treatment can be arranged. Depending on the individual case, various methods can be used, ranging from psychotherapy to the latest generation of pharmacological drugs. In the latter case, it is important to note that modern drugs cause a minimal number of side symptoms, which has a positive effect on the effectiveness of treatment.
Among the most popular drugs are antidepressants. If inhibition is observed, then drugs with a stimulating function are used, and in case of anxiety, drugs with a sedative effect are used.
The response to antidepressants also manifests itself differently, depending on the individual body's response.
