Been Made Redundant? Life coach Sam Hook suggests how you can manage your mindset
Having retrained from a career in PR five years ago, Sam has used lockdown to set up her new life coaching business, Unique Thinking – and has some advice for anyone else forced to change direction.
By Sam Hook
Unfortunately through this pandemic, we are seeing an increase in the number of jobs being made redundant and will continue to do so over the next few months.
Redundancy is one of the most stressful things to encounter in life, and brings with it a rollercoaster of emotions – especially with Christmas looming and presents to buy.
There are lots of advisory services out there to help with you the practical side of things. But when it comes to your mind, here are my 10 tips to help you cope when you’ve been made redundant:
Don’t catastrophise
Notice thoughts that exaggerate the worst-case scenario, ie: ‘It’s a nightmare’, ‘I’m going to lose my house’, ‘I can never keep a job’, etc. Instead, ask yourself: ‘Is this really true?’ and aim to take a more balanced approach.
Create a Confidence File
Compile a box or file of all of your professional and personal achievements and refer to it daily.
Make your next step a ‘want to…’ not a ‘have to…’
Before you rush in and start applying for any job going, think about your next move carefully. What do you enjoy doing and what are you good at? What’s really important to you and your values, and did your last job align with those? What did you like and hate about your previous job? Could this be the right time to go self-employed or take early retirement?
Create daily structure
Get into a routine that ensures you get up and start your day like a working week. Incorporate breaks and down-time where you are not doing work and – importantly – where you’re not worrying. Ensure you have physical boundaries, too. Perhaps only work on redundancy-related activities in a specific place in the house, where you can shut the door on them when you’re done.
Work on daily goals
Set yourself daily goals for applying for jobs. Or, if you’ve decided to go self-employed, schedule daily activities that will move you towards getting some clients.
Create interactions during the day
Isolation and loneliness during the day – when it feels like everyone else is working – can have a negative impact on your mindset. Make time to connect with others, like having a virtual cuppa with a friend or going out together for a walk.
Network
Use social media channels to promote the fact that you’re looking for a job and get in touch with past contacts who may be aware of vacancies. If you’re thinking of going self-employed, contact relevant support businesses such as NBSL, who may also help with advice and funding towards your new venture.
Exercise and maintain a healthy diet
Physical exercise and energy management is a core element of resilience for your mindset, so build exercise into your daily routine and be aware of what you’re eating and drinking – you need to nourish to flourish!
Dream about your future
Visualise the kind of job, business or lifestyle you would like using all of your senses; write your dream down and take small steps every day to make it happen.
Focus on what you DO want…
…rather than what you don’t.
For free, daily self-coaching tips, check out Sam’s Instagram and Facebook pages.
Or for more coaching support, you can contact Sam at uniquethinking.co.uk
Sam is also running a series of coaching workshops in the new year, with the first being New Year, New You on 30th January
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