subject: Job Loss - The Impact Of Job Loss On Men! [print this page] Job loss is extremely stressfulJob loss is extremely stressful. It is even more so for men who have put their whole lives into their work; conditioned from the moment they are born to be the "provider and breadwinner".
A man's employment provides more than just income; it provides self-value, a sense of purpose and stability (though, maybe a sense of false stability) in the world.
When job loss strikes, everything that a man thought he could rely on crumbles beneath him, including his self-esteem, because there is no outer gauge any more by which he can measure his worth.
If you are male and the main breadwinner, it will have even more of an impact upon you because everyone depends on you and you may feel you are letting them down in some way.
Some of the things that you may be concerned with or experience as a result of job loss may include the following:
1. how you will feed our family
2. what will happen to your home if you cannot pay the mortgage
3. negative thoughts such as, feeling useless, mistreated by our employers, unwanted and devalued
4.feeling ashamed
5.You may fall into depression wondering "why us"
6.withdrawal into yourself while you lick your wounds in silence
7.tremendous amounts of anger might come up
8.you may start blaming your immediate family or criticising them for unrelated things because you do not realise you are grieving and that your anger hides sadness
9.panic and fear about the future
10.inability to sleep because you are worrying
11.illness - you may start getting colds or flu or any manner of symptoms
Internal values are what really make a difference in whether we cope well or not, at times of stress. Job loss does not need to mean loss of self.
If you reframe your view of success then you can find stability within yourself, even when it is not evident in the outer world.
Instead of judging your worth according to what outer role you play, judge it by how much you live up to your own internal values.
All roles have to end sometime, but what will really count is how caring you have been or whether each day you have strived to become more loving or more patient; that is the true measure of success.
Turn to your faith and deepen it by putting it to practical use. Make a decision to focus on the positives in the situation. Everything happens for a good reason.
Ask yourself, does what you are choosing to believe now help you feel better or worse? Adopt a different mindset.
Do you want to carry on believing you are useless and that nobody wants you, or do you want to remember how loved you are by your family and friends and many other people you might not even think of?
Look for and find evidence of the love others have for you and how much they value you.
No matter what has happened, you are still a worthwhile person. Ask yourself "what's good about this situation"?
Job loss cannot take that away from you unless you allow it to.
