Coping with Depression After Losing Your Job: A Guide for Men
Depression after losing your job can lead you with feelings of depression, if you find yourself in this situation then this guide is for you. We’ll cover what you might be going through, tactics to cope, and expert tips to make getting back on your feet a little easier during this challenging transitional period.
Common Causes of Depression After Losing Your Job
There are a few key factors that commonly trigger or worsen depression after losing a job:
Loss of Purpose and Structure
Many men draw purpose and meaning from their careers. Unemployment takes that away! It causes some men to struggle with questions of identity and loss of self-esteem when work is tied to feelings of status and value. It also removes structure from daily life, which can negatively impact mental health.
Financial Stress
Most people rely on their jobs to make ends meet. Losing a steady income means needing help to cover expenses like mortgage payments, bills, groceries, and other necessities for yourself and your dependents. This financial stress compounds the emotional distress of job loss.
Social Isolation
Work provides opportunities for social interaction and a sense of community. Depression can set in from loneliness and lack of social connections after the regular social outlet of a workplace disappears.
Common Symptoms of Depression
There are a wide-ranging set of depression symptoms spanning emotional, mental, physical, and behavioral realms that men may experience after losing their jobs, including:
- Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed
- Feeling sad, hopeless, worthless, or helpless
- Irritability or frustration over small matters
- Loss of motivation and energy
- Increased anxiety, restlessness
- Sleep issues like insomnia or sleeping too much
- Changes in appetite and weight
- Digestive issues, cramps or nausea
- Headaches, muscle tension, and pain
- Memory issues, inability to concentrate
- Thoughts of death or suicide
It also causes of MDD
You can be more susceptible to major depressive disorder (MDD), a dangerous mental illness that needs to be treated.
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America reports the average age of onset for MDD sufferers is 32 and the disorder affects roughly 6.7% of adult Americans annually.
When you’re suffering from Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), it can be difficult to see a way out of your job problems. MDD symptoms include:
- emotions of guilt, self-hatred, or worthlessness
- sentiments of despair or powerlessness
- exhaustion or a persistent lack of energy
- Anger
- having trouble focusing
- decline in curiosity about once-pleasurable pursuits, like sex or an interest
- Insomnia (excessive sleeping) or anxiety
- social exclusion
- shifts in appetite and resulting rise or decrease in weight
- suicidal ideas or actions
Coping tips to overcome Depression
The Good news is there are proactive steps you can take to relieve depression, maintain mental health, and get back on track after job loss. Here are some top self-care coping tips:
Keep a Schedule
Without a structured job schedule, days can bleed aimlessly into one another. Set a routine with small goals and tasks to restore purpose. Wake up early, exercise, apply for jobs, or work on a hobby project during set times to help fill your days with productive activities
Stay Connected
Don’t Isolate Yourself. Continue engaging socially with friends and family. Join networking events, volunteer groups, and clubs related to an interest, or community program to meet new people. Feeling Connected combats loneliness.
Exercise and Healthy Eating
Working out triggers endorphins, relieves stress, and boosts self-esteem. Eat more veggies,
fruits and lean protein. Avoid excessive alcohol consumption. Taking care of your physical self lifts your mental health.
Practice Gratitude
When facing hard times, focusing on blessings, even small ones, promotes positive psychology benefiting mental health. Appreciate loved ones and simple comforts still present rather than dwelling on loss.
Try Relaxation Techniques
Anxiety frequently accompanies depression. Set aside time to calm your nervous system with yoga, deep breathing, meditative walks in nature, or whatever helps you unwind. Reduce stress levels with regular relaxation.
Get Professional Support
Seeking counseling or joining a men’s grief support group helps lessen isolation and provides tools to process emotions. If depression seems severe, consult a psychiatrist or therapist for interventions and treatment plans.
Explore New Directions
Losing a job forces you out of your comfort zone. But this can propel learning new skills, reinventing your career, or discovering unknown aptitudes and interests never before explored. Let uncertainty guide you incrementally toward fresh opportunities.
Advice for Moving Forward After Job Loss
Implementing healthy coping strategies alleviates difficult feelings, while proactive steps forward restore empowerment. Here is some advice specialists commonly offer men for navigating this challenging transition:
- Allow yourself to fully grieve the job loss, then refocus your energy on forward-thinking solution-finding. Do not let the setback stall momentum.
- Structure your days with productive activities that further both personal and professional goals during the transition period.
- Sustain social connections and self-care habits that protect your mental health from further decline.
- Take stock of your transferrable skills and consider expanding your experience into entirely new fields you may not have previously considered.
- Use job centers, networking events, career counselors, and other resources guiding your next career moves. Do not forgo opportunities for guidance.
- Research growing industries like tech, healthcare, and renewables. Consider whether retraining programs can build skills to pivot your career.
- Locate community resources assisting with supplemental food, housing cost reductions, and health insurance support if finances become strained. Do not hesitate to access assistance while getting back on your feet.
- Bolster both your physical and mental health during this period, enriching personal relationships beyond just your career. Broaden your identity and sources of self-worth.
- Rediscover any dormant passions, hobbies, and outside interests that fulfill you beyond occupation alone.
- View job loss ultimately as an opportunity to emerge stronger with expanded capabilities, interests, and sense of identity.
The grieving process after job loss is variable by individual and characterized by good days and bad days. Patience, self-compassion, and trust in the process help you navigate the ups and downs. While the Depression After Job Loss immediately following the unemployment crisis can seem unrelenting, good mental health habits sustain you until fresh opportunities appear.
Have faith that with self-care, continuing personal growth, and exploring new directions, you will rediscover purpose and meaning again. Difficult endings always precede hopeful new beginnings.