The 7 Things Mentally Strong People Do When They Lose a Job

Recent statistics on job cuts in the United States highlight the importance of mental well-being after a job loss. The impact of unemployment can be significant, and maintaining mental strength during your job search is crucial.

Here are seven strategies to help you stay mentally strong:

1. Create a new healthy routine. A structured schedule can provide a sense of control and purpose. Setting daily agenda items, such as exercise or job search networking, on your daily calendar will provide you with goals. And being able to mark them as "complete" will give you a sense of accomplishment.
2. Move forward on your job search. Take proactive steps to find new employment opportunities. This will likely mean reaching out to friends and even former colleagues to let them know you need a new job. Searching online is also helpful, along with attending events online and in person to start the outreach process.
3. Acknowledge your feelings, but don't dwell on negativity. While it's natural to feel upset, focusing on negative emotions can be detrimental. What you focus on tends to expand, and ruminating on the bad will likely increase the intensity of these feelings.
4. Seek help when needed. Don't hesitate to reach out to professional therapy services for support. Depending on your personal and professional history, job loss can activate feelings of intense fear, anxiety, and even depression. Coping with these emotions can be scary, so it is important to obtain professional help.
5. Journal your thoughts. Research by Speera and Pennebaker has shown that expressive writing about job loss can aid in reemployment. The researchers found that those "who wrote about the trauma of losing their jobs were more likely to find reemployment in the months following the study" than those who didn't participate in the writing portion of the study. In other words, getting your thoughts out of your head and into a written form can provide valuable insights.
6. Remain confident in your skills. Nansook Park, one of the world's experts on optimism and confidence is quoted in the book The Confidence Code as saying, "Optimism is the sense that everything will work out. Confidence is 'I can make this thing work.'" In my own book, I share how I transitioned to a second career, and did so knowing that rejection would happen. And when it occurred, I didn't take it personally. Instead, I knew it was part of the process. Eventually, I did achieve my new career goal.
7. Apply for a job where you don't think you meet 100 percent of the qualifications. A study (as quoted in The Confidence Code) conducted at Hewlett-Packard found that their female employees only applied for jobs there when they believed they met 100 percent of the qualifications versus male employees who applied when they thought they met 60 percent of the job requirements. Given these findings, remember: It is OK to apply even if you feel you don't meet all of the requirements.

Job loss is scary, and it is important to remember that you are not alone. Reaching out for personal and professional help is a sign of mental strength.