Kathy Bowersox

Re-Igniting Your Life After Job Loss – Part II

Coping with Job Loss

"Hope is what remains when all your worst fears have been realized." - Unknown

In Part I of “Coping with Job Loss” I discussed common reactions to losing a job and how this loss may affect you.  Now that your worst fears about losing your job have been realized and you know you’re not going crazy, here are some tips to give you hope and help you feel better and move forward.

Kathy Smith says, "Your choices today determine your tomorrow and you make your life through the power of choice."  There are several effective methods you can choose to help yourself feel better and work through your reactions.  

First, get support!  Talking to others who care about you can help to diffuse your anger and fear and can help you develop a positive attitude about your future.  Try to maintain as regular a schedule as possible.  Eat right and get plenty of exercise and rest.  Find ways to relax that will help you to energize yourself.  You may want to find a hobby or get back into an old one that you enjoy.  Make sure to find time to play, have some fun and laugh; laughter truly is the best medicine!

Remember, too, that some days will just be difficult for you; so give yourself permission to feel rotten.  On your rough days you may want to share your feelings with others or keep a journal and write down how you're feeling.  Finally, do something to help others; this will help you to feel useful and productive, will help you to put your difficulties into perspective, and make you feel good about yourself.

Some people feel a sense of relief and look at their job loss as an opportunity.  These people may or may not go through the typical stages of job loss, but rather, may begin with an adjustment and acceptance period and move on with their lives, never looking back.  Remember that your job is not who you are; it is what you do.  It does not define you; you define it.  Now is a time for you to decide what you want to do next.

"My philosophy of life is that if we make up our mind what we are going to make of our lives, then work hard toward that goal, we never lose - somehow we win out." - Ronald Reagan

Start by making up your mind now what you are going to make of your life.  Begin by asking yourself the following questions.  Where is my passion?  What do I want to do next in my life?  Then choose to make that your goal.

©Copyright 2008 by Kathleen A. Bowersox, M.Ed., LPC, LPBC, Quantum Leap Success Coaching, www.QuantumLeapSuccessCoach.com - Additional information:  kasox@comcast.net.  Reprint permission granted in part or whole when the following credit appears in full:  Copyright 2008 by Kathleen A. Bowersox, M.Ed., LPC, LPBC.  All rights reserved.

Re-Igniting Your Life After Job Loss - Part I

Coping with Job Loss

You've lost your job!  Your world has been shaken to its core.  You may be feeling a sense of overwhelm and paralysis and be at a loss as to what to do next.  You may have derived a large part of your identity from your job and your work helped you to fill, structure and manage your time.  You knew who you were and what you would be doing, where, and when for at least 40 hours a week.  Now you wonder, how do I tell my family and friends?  What does this say about me?  Who am I?  How will I fill my time?  Will I be able to find another job?  And you think, I was doing a good job, why me?  Your job loss may have had nothing to do with you or your performance, but you may still face these questions.

Losing a job is the third most stressful event of life, behind death of a loved one and divorce.  You may feel the same reactions that you would feel with any other emotional trauma, including shock, bargaining, denial, anger, depression, acceptance and adjustment.  These emotions vary in intensity, length, and order, and you may cycle through them more than once.  This is a grieving process and is normal when facing this type of loss.

You may also experience several different types of symptoms that make you feel like you're going crazy.  I assure you; you're not!  You're just reacting to the stress of a major life change.  The symptoms of the stress you are feeling can affect you in many ways, cognitively, physically, emotionally, and behaviorally.  They can include:  confusion, uncertainty, lack of attention or concentration, feeling drained or exhausted, body aches, digestive problems, headaches, trouble sleeping or sleeping too much, teeth grinding, rapid heart rate, tightness in your chest, feelings of powerlessness and worthlessness, depression, anxiety, guilt, grief, panic, irritability, intense anger, loss of emotional control, overeating, smoking, drinking, overmedicating, fidgeting, withdrawal, inability to rest, loss or increase of appetite, forgetfulness and indecisiveness, and changes in social activity.  These are just a few of the normal reactions to this type of stress.

These reactions, along with an overall feeling of loss of control can be debilitating.  Understand that working through this stressful event will take time.  You may feel badly for a brief time or even a bit longer, but developing your coping strategies and skills will help you function more effectively during this time.

©Copyright 2007 by Kathleen A. Bowersox, M.Ed., LPC, LPBC, Quantum Leap Success Coaching - Additional information: kasox@comcast.net.  Reprint permission granted in part or whole when the following credit appears in full:  Copyright 2007 by Kathleen A. Bowersox, M.Ed., LPC, LPBC.  All rights reserved.

We are Proud to Welcome Kathleen Bowersox to the Houston Business Show

QUANTUM LEAP SUCCESS COACHING

Kathleen A. Bowersox, M.Ed., LPC, LPBC Executive, Career, & Licensed Professional Business Coach is a Psychotherapist and an Executive, Career, and Licensed Professional Business Coach, and owner of Quantum Leap Success Coaching.  She is passionate about and known for helping others create success in all aspects of their businesses, careers, and lives.  She coaches entrepreneurs and people from all organizational levels through their career and company growth, advancement, and transitions by tapping into their “occu-passion,” and providing them with the tools, action steps, and accountability that allow them to create sustainable behavioral change and improve performance to launch their quantum leap to success!

Kathy specializes in helping people determine career direction, job search execution, and assists executives and business owners to develop an executive strategy, by employing a long-term, values-based blueprint to lead them to greater success through goal and mission development, and action plans addressing all areas of corporate and business success, including leadership, business strategy, marketing, sales, human resources, customer service, systemization, and maximizing profits that allow them to achieve success and build a life of their own so they can enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Kathy holds a M.Ed. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Houston (UH), and a B.S. in Psychology from Sam Houston State University.  She received coach training through MentorCoach, the Coach Training Alliance, and the Professional Business Coaches Alliance (PBCA).  She is a member of the International Coach Federation, the Association of Career Professionals International, and a Founding Member of the PBCA.  She serves on several Advisory Boards, served as a Coach and Advisor to Success in the City and its Chrysalis Award winners, and collaborates on special projects with the Bauer College of Business at UH.  She is currently collaborating with MetLife and Bauer on an initiative dedicated to providing women in business the tools they need for whole life success.  Kathy is also the Business & Executive Coaching Expert Advisor for CNN 650AM Radio in Houston.

Throughout her careers, Kathy has volunteered with the Houston Junior Chamber of Commerce, and a women’s shelter.   She is the past Vice President of Houston Area Doberman Rescue, served on their Board of Directors, and fosters rescued Dobermans.

Kathy is passionate about making a difference and helping people launch their quantum leap to success so they can build the careers, businesses, and lives they’ve always dreamed of having.

Launching your quantum leap to success!