It was a normal day for Surabhi Gopal, a former travel expert at a leading travel solutions firm. She, along with 20 colleagues, lost their job on the same day. She recalls, “I was informed that I was being terminated with immediate effect. I couldn’t go back home because of the shock. Unprepared for the situation, I was perplexed.” Surabhi says she is lucky to have supportive parents and shares how she coped, “I took a deep breath and gave myself time to heal. I later focused on my next step and assured myself that I was doing okay. I kept trying, attended interviews with a positive attitude. Most importantly, I never doubted my abilities just because I was terminated.”
Psychologist Sharanya Jithin believes that job loss is a true test of how a human being can deal with a catastrophe. She opines, “This opens a Pandora’s box of emotions that one cannot fathom. It is important for us to brace this uncertainty in a therapeutic way. The keys to cope with unemployment is acceptance, rationalising emotionally, pausing to self-soothe, understanding your circle of influence and moving away from negativity, applying emotional first aid to deal with rejection, picking up a hobby, re-engineering your cognitive process, taking baby steps and getting back to it one step at a time. Introspection and positive assurance are essential. You can also seek professional help to channelise distress.”
Vijay (name changed on request) recently lost his dream job from a leading IT firm. He shares, “I experienced this pain in my chest for the first time when I was asked to leave the organisation. I led a flamboyant life and when I lost my job I began to worry about my loans and other commitments. I realised how important it is to curb our expenses. I succumbed to acute depression and indulged in alcohol. I was introduced to a life coach and he helped me out of this phase. I uploaded my CV in all the job search portals and have been accessible 24x7.”
Transformational coach Suman Dwarakanath suggests looking at the situation from a different perspective. “There are many ways to look at the job loss for oneself. Firstly, never ever get de-motivated and depressed as your job loss is only a repercussion of recession and not a reflection of your performance. Secondly, during this lull period take charge of yourself, enrol in a new course and upgrade your skills. Take up a new challenge to be ahead of the pack and prepare to face adversities if such a situation repeats. Spend quality time with family, exercise and play a sport, listen to music or dedicate your time to a social cause. Look into the phone book and revive all your acquaintances. Remember that it’s just a bend in the tunnel and not the end of the road. Erase the full stop and start with dotted lines,” she recommends.
