Is Redundancy affecting your thinking?
Unfortunately we are seeing an increase in the number of jobs being made redundant and will continue to do so over the coming months. Just because something is commonplace and "happening to everyone" doesn't mean it's any easier to deal with.
Michelle Tranter
Redundancy can create some very real problems:
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How am I going to keep a roof over my head?
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What on earth will I do next?
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My sector is being decimated, will I be able to get another job?
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My age is against me, isn’t it?
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I really loved my job and now it’s gone. I’m lost.
When we receive some upsetting or difficult news a part of our brain that is triggered by emotions, called the amygdala, wades in, in an attempt to keep us safe and protect us. At the same time our frontal lobes where the home of logic and reason sits tries to take charge. Depending on how strongly we feel, and how dangerous we perceive the threat, will determine which part of the brain overrules the other.
Not surprisingly when faced with thoughts driven by anxiety about money, security, confidence, and loss, our emotions can take over and our ability to make decisions and plan is reduced.
Bottling up emotions or ignoring them is not the answer though
As with any loss, you need time to grieve. The way you react to this situation is yours and yours alone.
Anger, confusion, fear, are typical responses….so too are excitement and overwhelm at the possibilities that may be out there.
You can feel like you’re exploding with all the “what if’s” and “I can’t do that, can I’s?”
A simple activity you can do to start to help your frontal lobes take back a little control is to answer the following questions about the situation you find yourself in:
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What are the losses that are happening that are negative? e.g. losing a steady income, etc.,
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What are the losses that are happening that are positive? e.g. feeling undervalued, having to attend those boring meetings etc.,
Answer these questions with as many responses as you can. Don’t censor them just write!
Once you’re ready to start thinking about options e.g. get a new job, go self-employed, move into semi/full retirement (to name but a few), answer the following questions for each option that appeals:
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What could be the positive gains from doing that?
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What could I be taking on that is negative with this option?
Now review all your answers – what new thoughts and emotions are you experiencing?
Good luck! I’d love to hear your thoughts on this article
Redundancy coaching can help you get clear on who you are and what you want, explore options, discover options that you may not have thought of yet, overcome any challenges you might face, create a plan of action and support you in implementing that plan.
Contact me to find out how I can help
Michelle Tranter
Career SOS, Work-Life Balance & Professional Development Coach
The World of Work can often be a challenging place to be. Are work worries keeping you awake? Are you facing redundancy? Have you fallen out of love with your career? Do you want life to be different? I'm Michelle Tranter, a qualified Career, Leadership and Life Coach, HR Practitioner and Trainer, with many years' experience of working in the real world - the ups and downs of managing a team, the wrath of autocratic management, being “dumped in at the deep end,” restructures, a crazy busy workload with no let up and often left feeling that I was dancing to someone else’s tune and not living my life. I've supported 100's of professional women, from all sectors, to take positive action and develop flourishing careers. Work and life are intertwined and you, the human behind your job title, are in the driving seat. Why not contact me and we'll have a chat about how I can help: www.achievemorelivemore.com/book-online *Featured Expert for Abintegro - the Career Development Portal *Featured Expert in Psychologies Magazine *Creator of "How to create a happy and productive work from home lifestyle" for Psychologies LifeLabs
