Career Changes or Loss of Employment

Some career changes are choices that you make. Accepting a new job, accepting a promotion, or changing companies are usually in our control. Generations ago, people would get a job and stay at the same company for 30 or more years. These days, people will not only change their employers but often their career area altogether. It’s not uncommon for people to have 2, 3, or more careers in their lifetime – some completely unrelated to their current career. These are exciting career changes that can feel risky – forcing you to take a leap of faith.

However, there are the career changes that are not within your control – those made as a result of being a victim of downsizing, restructuring, or layoffs due to economic circumstances. Perhaps you’ve suffered an injury or illness that exempts you from continuing on in your current career. Perhaps your spouse or partner has accepted a new job that means re-locating and a career change for you as well. Or maybe you’ve found you simply cannot find work in your current industry and have to make a change in order to pay the bills.

Losing your job can feel overwhelming and bring with it a lot of uncertainty and anxiety, especially if you feel like the choice has been forced upon you, and grieving this loss is a very common process to experience.

Symptoms & signs of grief from the loss of employment

Job loss can leave you experiencing anxiety, depression, and/or grief.

Anxiety

• Inability to stop worrying about your employment
• Feelings of never-ending stress
• Being easily startled and/or quick to panic
• Feeling socially isolated or alienated from others in your life
• Problems in your social relationships due to the feelings of being vulnerable
• Fatigue, difficulty sleeping
• Inability to catch your breath
• Headaches
• Trembling, muscle tension, muscle aches
• Diarrhea
• Sweating
• Heart palpitations

Depression

• Indecisiveness and inability to concentrate
• Feeling guilty
• Feeling worthless
• Thoughts of committing suicide or of death
• Lack of interest in everyday activities
• Lack of joy in things or activities that used to bring pleasure
• Feeling irritated
• Insomnia or excessive sleeping
• Headaches
• Back pain, chest pain, muscle aches, and joint pain
• Digestive problems
• Exhaustion and fatigue
• Change in appetite or weight
• Self-destructive behaviour

 Grief

• Extreme sadness
• Inability to function
• Obsession with the job loss
• Feelings of anger or guilt
• Numbness
• Irritability
• Withdrawing from others
• Lack of appetite
• Digestive problems
• Sleeplessness or sleeping too much
• Feeling achy
• Headaches