There are a lot of reasons why you might find yourself between jobs, which is one of the more polite ways to say “unemployed”. This could be your own choice. You might be in the financial position to take a break from work and have a mini-retirement or gap year.
Or it could be that you were either fired or otherwise forced out of your job and you’re struggling to find another job, while also trying to make ends meet. This is a much more difficult place to be in, because as well as the financial challenges, it can come with emotional challenges and feelings of low self worth.
So, what can you do about it?
The Emotional Fallout of Unemployment
It’s best to tackle the emotional fallout of unemployment first, because this can actually be more painful than anything else. When someone can’t find work in their chosen field, they might feel as though they’re failing somehow. Modern society puts a lot of value on how much people can earn and work.
This means that, if you’re not currently working and able to earn money, your self-esteem takes a huge hit. But does a person’s value really come down to how much money they make? Or are we more than just our careers?
Ideally, you answered “no” and “yes”, respectively.
There are a lot of reasons why people can’t work, but it doesn’t mean that they don’t matter as much as someone who has a job. Different careers also don’t have different values, even if one person might earn more or less than the other. A CEO isn’t an inherently better person than a mailman, just because they have very different paychecks.
Sometimes we need to reevaluate our value. Maybe we don’t work, but we might be a great parent. We might be a good friend or partner. We might be really good at something that we haven’t monetized, but that doesn’t mean it’s worthless. These are just a few of the other ways that we can define and value ourselves.
After all, when someone dies, what goes on their gravestone? Is it their job? Or is it the impact they had on the people they loved?
Fighting Unfair Firing
There are a lot of legitimate reasons why someone might lose their job. But there are also a fair amount of illegitimate reasons, and in these cases, you might actually be owed some money.
This can be helpful in so many ways. First, you get the obvious financial help, which if you’re not working at the moment, can be incredibly useful. But you also get the satisfaction of knowing that your workplace can’t get away with treating you unfairly and, in some cases, illegally.
If you think you have a case, get in touch with employment law attorneys as soon as possible. Depending on your circumstances, they might ask for different types of paperwork. For example, if you lost your job and the ability to work in your chosen field because you were injured at work due to negligence, you will need to provide your medical records.
Even if we’re treated unfairly, we don’t have to roll over and let it happen. By fighting your case, you can get the support and financial aid you need to move forward with your life and your career.
Take Stock Of Your Finances
No matter what the circumstances of your current situation are, one of the most important things you need to do is to take stock of your finances. In an ideal world, you should have savings that add up to a few months of your expenses.
If you’re able to build up these savings, you will be in a much better position to find work without panicking about money. It’s still best to stretch what you have as much as possible, but those savings can be a great safety net. Unfortunately, it’s easier to tell people to save than it is to actually save this much money, especially if you’re essentially living paycheck to paycheck.
In this case, you need to work out exactly how much you need to spend and how much you can cut out. When you aren’t working, it’s important to cut your expenses as much as possible, but ideally without impacting your family’s needs.
You may need to take out loans or use credit cards to get by. This will build up debt that you might not be able to pay off right away. Selling things you don’t need can help in the short term, but the important thing to do is to mitigate your financial drain until you’re earning again.
Side Hustles and Temporary Work
Speaking of working again, this is a good time to find work in other fields. Even a part-time, minimum wage job is better than nothing. The problem with tying your value to your wallet is that it makes it harder to earn money where you can.
This isn’t to say that you should stop looking for work that you’re trained in or that you are good at, but you should spend the time looking for easier employment as well. If you have some savings or another form of income, this could be a great time to start a side hustle.
A side hustle can provide a small form of income while you look for more work, giving you more time. In some cases, it might even grow into a business capable of supporting your family.
Improving Yourself
If you have the time, this could be a good opportunity to look into further adult education. This allows you to further your skills in your chosen field or, if you want, you can even build new skills and start again from scratch.
Your experience is never worthless. Even if you end up working in a completely different field, you show that you have an ability to work in a professional field and with other people.