Redundancy Support: Coping With Job Loss and Your Mental Health

Losing your job — or fearing you're about to — can shake your sense of self-worth, your finances and your mental health. Feelings of anxiety and low mood are common, and for some people a sense of hopelessness can even lead to thoughts of suicide.



Please hear this first: how you feel now is temporary, and support is available. Below are six practical steps that many people find helpful, plus organisations ready to listen today.

Six steps to help you cope after job loss

• 1. Accept how you're feeling. It's OK to feel angry, shocked or fearful. Try writing down your strongest emotions and asking yourself where each one comes from — looking at them on paper helps you see them more objectively, and often more calmly.
• 2. Identify what you can deal with. You may not be able to change the redundancy itself, but you can review your outgoings, make a plan with your partner or family, and start exploring your next role. Planning with someone you trust beats worrying alone — and don't job-search all day, every day; it wears you down.
• 3. Keep moving, get fresh air, hold a routine. Go to bed and get up at your usual times, shower, get dressed, and plan your day. Build in a walk, run or cycle outdoors — even gardening has well-documented therapeutic benefits.
• 4. Remember: this is not a reflection of you. Redundancy happens to capable people every day. You've handled uncertainty before, and you will again. Be prepared for the search to take time, and keep going.
• 5. Look after your health. Sleep well, eat well, stay hydrated (alcohol won't help), avoid sitting for more than 30 minutes at a time, and take regular exercise. Mindfulness apps such as Calm and Headspace can ease anxiety, and helping others — volunteering, or being there for someone else who's struggling — is proven to lift our own worries.
• 6. Don't do this alone. If hopelessness has drained your motivation for any of the above, that's a sign to ask for help — from family, a friend, or the services below. If those thoughts are visiting you, that's a sign to reach out for support today — these feelings can and do change with help.
  

Where can I get support after losing my job in the UK?

• Samaritans — call free on 116 123 (UK and Ireland), any time, day or night. International suicide helplines are also listed on their website.
• Shout — a free, confidential text service connecting you with a trained volunteer if you're in crisis. Text SHOUT to 85258.
• Hub of Hope — enter your postcode to find mental health support near you, from GPs to psychotherapists.
• Doc Ready — helps you prepare exactly what to say to a doctor about your mental health, so nothing important gets missed.
• The Listening Place — face-to-face support if you feel life is no longer worth living.
• Your GP or A&E — ask for an emergency appointment, or visit your local A&E department without delay if you're in crisis.