Anxiety is a natural emotional state of human beings, even when it seems irrational or inadequate to the scale of the threat. Sometimes, however, we feel it so strongly that it affects our mood and life, causing constant stress. One can be afraid of anything. Among other things, the fear of losing one’s job is common. How to deal with it?
Every person is different and everyone can be afraid of something different. Different kinds of fears are not surprising – in many cases they are a natural state that occurs in response to stressful situations.
We often feel fear of the coming future. People of all ages may fear the inevitable passing of time and what will happen – illness, death of loved ones, loneliness or bankruptcy. We also feel strongly stressed by the black scenario in which we lose our jobs.
Why are we afraid of losing our jobs?
One way to deal with fear is to name what we are afraid of and imagine the worst-case scenario of events related to it. It can be helpful to ask a few basic questions so that we can clearly identify what exactly is filling us with fear of losing our jobs. Perhaps we are afraid of being fired because as a result of such a situation:
- we will not be able to support our family,
- we won’t be able to find new employment (due to low qualifications, little experience, etc.),
- we will not be able to regularly repay our financial obligations,
- we will expose loved ones to severe stress related to uncertainty about the future.
At the root of the fear of losing a job can be many, often erroneous, beliefs. We need to pinpoint them ourselves so that we can literally face our fear and stop running from it. Only then can we take the next step.
How to deal with fear of job loss?
Dealing with the fear of being fired can be divided into two stages. First, we should take a close look at our work and life situation, and then create a contingency plan.
Analyze your current situation
Fear makes us not think rationally, which distorts our objective perception of reality. Let’s learn to focus on the facts. It can be helpful to write down on a piece of paper everything that affects the stability of our living and working situation.
As long as we work, we get a regular salary, so we can put aside savings and pay off loans. Let’s think about what kind of work experience we have and what are the real chances, the evidence, that we are the ones who will be laid off. It’s also worth looking at your skills and experience. We can look through job ads to know what the job market is like, and think about who among those close to us could help us in a crisis.
Create a contingency plan
After analyzing our situation and resources, we can create a contingency plan in case we really lose our job. Plan B will make us feel calmer and more confident, as we will be aware that we already have a solution.
Let’s focus on our capabilities, not our limitations. Let’s develop our skills, such as language skills, or think about new courses to gain new qualifications. Let’s think about what jobs we could excel at. It’s worth making a list of companies we’d like to apply to. When our feelings of insecurity diminish, let’s try to strengthen our position in our current job – maybe new ideas will come to mind.
main photo: pixabay.com/lukasbieri
