Some Tips for Coping with a Job Loss

Recession is, when the neighbor loses his job,
A depression is, when you lose your job, and
Panic is, when your wife loses her job
©1990 Winston K. Pendleton

Custom Search

A job loss is a very serious event in any person's life, and for an older person, say over 50, it can be catastrophic. This page has been created, not to be facetious, but rather to help you in your endeavor to keep, or regain some sanity in a world, that has been turned upside down, for you and your family.

So here are a few suggestions to make your life bearable, not least for the people around you, because stress often turns into aggression, which turns into hate and dislike, and the last thing you want is, that your family starts to hate you. You need them and they depend on you!

	Make time for yourself. Relax, read a book, watch a film, take a walk. It does not matter what you do, as long as it gets you off, brooding about your predicament. Take a half an hour a day, or even an hour a day, away from your worries. It will do wonders for your mood and you become a "bearable" person again.
	Try to get a daily dose of humor. Read the comics in your local paper. Or, alternatively, buy an inexpensive comic book - something like the Far Side or Asterix or "1001 jokes". If you get yourself a library card, you can look at some of these types of books for free!
	Budgeting will be a chore, because it means that you have to convince members of your family to restrict doing, what they normally do! Make cutting your expenses into a game for the family! See how many coupons you and your family members can find, for everyday items that you buy! See who can save most money per week, then let that person decide the Friday Night menu or the DVD you will rent or watch.
	Get out the board games for family fun: Monopoly, Clue, Life, Scrabble! Any of these games will provide hours of free entertainment as well as relaxed quality time with the family.
	Now is a good time to check for activities at your local community center. Most towns and cities have some kind of center that offers dancing lessons, excersise classes, aerobics, yoga, tennis lessons etc. By and large, these courses are not expensive. It is a great place for both parents and children to find new fun activities and at the same time "save money".

How to Handle Disputes and Arguments

Try to avoid arguments with your spouse and children. especially about unimportant matters, that is not going to solve any real problems. It might sound silly at first, but if you find yourself annoyed or angry at someone, count to ten or twenty, before you respond! Or, walk away for 30 minutes and come back, when you can analyze the causes of your annoyance in a less emotional state. Your differences and disputes can then be worked out in a more productive way.

Keep calm and breath deeply!

Some suggestions for your "light" reading from amazon.com