Online Therapy in California: Losing a Job and Grief
This is a letter to all my friends, as well as those who have recently lost a job.
Dear Friend,
I'm sorry to hear about the news that you've been laid off. It's a scary time. And the financial worry is huge. You don't know when your next paycheck will come in. You don't know how long it's going to take for you to find another job. It's a huge time of uncertainty. This can cause anxiety. What people don't recognize is they may be grieving too.
You may feel grief because this may be the loss of a dream. It could be the loss of a dream job, a lifestyle, and the idea of your future. You may experience denial, anger, depression, bargaining, and acceptance. Right now, you may be in denial of the job you lost, or you're really angry at the company you used to work for, or feeling depressed. This is common for what you're going through. And as I said earlier, there may be sprinkles of anxiety throughout the day because of the financial burden caused by the loss of your job.
Many people this situation push down all of their emotions into a box. They push these emotions into a box because they don't want to deal with their emotions. They focus on what they have to do to survive. This is fine to push your emotions into a box to make sure that you survive but make sure you process what you are feeling and experiencing. If you never process what you are feeling, your emotions may appear in other areas of your life. With clients that I work with, the emotions show up right at bedtime through doom scrolling or mindless interwebs browsing. You need to process your emotions. You can't push them down, forget about them, or they will cause problems later.
I understand the financial burden is really stressful. I've been there and it sucks. You are smart, capable, and make things happen. If you weren't, you wouldn't be where you are. You will find a way to get through this tough part of your life. I want to make sure that you keep your head up and take care of your mental health. It's easy to put your mental health and physical health in the back burner at this time. Please take care of your health at this time.
Let me know if you need any support. Reach out to me. I got you.
Chris
For more information about the process of grief, here is a good overview. Read this blog about how to support a person in grief. Also, here is a article about how to validate emotions. If you are playing a supportive role and have a friend who recently lost their job, here are three practical tips to support them.
Just listen. Don’t give feedback unless asked.
Check in with them regularly.
Encourage them to work on their mental health if you see that they are slipping into a depressed mood.
If you want support, reach out for a free 15-minute consultation. I’m Chris Rabanera. I provide online therapy in California, online therapy in Michigan, and online therapy in Las Vegas. I work with issues such as physician burnout, anxiety, depression, grief counseling and therapy for men.
