What if I lose my job? 9 helpful things to do right now

Business had not been good at the company for some time, yet when my husband came out of his office with shock in his eyes last week? It was heartbreaking. “Lose my job” is never really expected. The reality of your only income source being gone just sucks. There it is.

They say money isn’t everything, but it sure is important when you lose your job.

Clever quotes meant to encourage, do little to comfort someone who has just been told the work is gone. Not knowing how you’ll make ends meet? It is straight-up scary.

Fear is a thief. An abuser that combines dread, uncertainty, alarm, and distress to strong-arm its victims into a trembling mess. So what can we do to fight back against fear when our future is uncertain?

How do you cope when you lose your job?

Start a gratitude list- when the days are heavily clouded with uneasiness, it is incredibly helpful to have a written reminder of the ways you have been supported. Write down every little thing you can remember…such as the gift of a meal, people offering to pray, a card of comfort, songs that reminded you of your hope, people offering job leads. On the really hard days, remember to list everyday comforts such as shelter, a bed, sheets, water. Be specific. Gratitude multiplies upon itself when we focus on the details
Plug the leaks– take a hard look at where the money all goes. Most budgets have little bits of cash outflow we forget about. A coffee here, a recurring charge there. Establish the “nice to have” from the “basic needs”. Take action to stop the sneaky costs ASAP so any money can be directed towards the essentials
Update all profiles-make sure that all relevant outlets like Linked In are current and reflect today’s trends. We thankfully had invested in having a resume updated by a professional last year, it was dramatically different than how things “used” to be done. Keep your name out there
Dig in the cushions and crack the piggy bank– round up any money in the house. This is a great time to cash in the coins and add to the savings fund. Put loose cash away, it can add a level of comfort knowing “at least we have this…”

Practice humility– let people know, everywhere you can, that a job is needed. So many great jobs are known through word of mouth. There is no shame in needing work! Let people help you. Not just in finding a job, but in being the recipient of hospitality if offered. Let people give in ways that bring them joy, just like we enjoy giving. People want to help, let them
Check payment options for bills– some mortgages offer forbearance programs to delay your loan payments, for example. A better option than affecting credit scores with late or non-payments when available. Call places where outstanding debts are held and be honest about the situation. There might be a deferment of some sort to help in the immediate sense until things settle down and work is found
Sell the extras– check the garage, attic, and house to find items that aren’t needed or used. There are many online garage sale type options for selling stuff locally, often with no fees. Please be cautious about having them come to the home if you are alone though, best to have someone else there. If possible, have the item outside for them to view
Find the fun and free– losing a job is clearly stressful, but it doesn’t mean that entertainment is out of the question! Look for local festivals, be a tourist in your own town, check out free library movies, take a sandwich to the park for a sunset dinner. Having things to look forward to keeps our brains from only focusing on the scary stuff
Let it go at the end of the day– oh jeesh, I KNOW this one is so very hard. Nothing like the quiet of the evening to go to battle with anxiety and fear of the unknown. When you’ve done all you can, purpose to enjoy the evening. Practice self-care, play with kids (borrow some if you don’t have any, their perspective on life is refreshing), just…let….it…go. You can read how I did that when money was tight by clicking here

How can losing your job affect you?

If you have lost your job and don’t know what to do next, I hope these tips bring you a bit of peace. They are tools in our box that we’ve used several times before.

When the job was lost this time? It was horrible, scary and seriously fear-inducing.

Yet, we fought back.

We have a DIY globe bank that we’ve put all our loose change in for a few years. The dream was to someday use the money to travel. Paying our bills suddenly seemed like a good adventure instead!

We put on some fun music and got to counting. My family even made it fun by searching for missing quarters for my husband’s collection.

Instead of letting fear win on this day, we did what we could. That little action netted us over $200! That was a big win, versus the sitting in fear we were stuck in before the bank was cracked.

Even more importantly though, we stopped to remember that God has brought us through this before. It is hard. It is scary. Life does get really hard, really fast without income.

Fear tries hard to shake loose our faith and make us dread the unknown. Yet, we are fighting back with our biggest weapons. Hope, trust, gratitude.

Defiance is a fantastic tool against fear.

How do I recover from a lost job?

The future is unknown, and it might hold plenty we would rather we didn’t have to face. Living without a steady income isn’t what anyone hopes for. Wondering if we’ll have to move and leave family, sell our house, damage our credit.

Etc. etc. etc.

Fear says the future is scary; experience and hope says the future is full of potential.

What if, seriously, what if the best is just around the corner? A much better job? A dream job?

Let’s work hard to anticipate the good instead of assuming the worst. Because even if the tough times come, nothing about life is stagnant. The sun will rise again and hope is offered each morning.

Money can’t buy everything suddenly doesn’t sound so cliché after all. It makes it easier, but cash doesn’t guarantee love. Family. Hope. We are richer than we know if we step back to notice.

So, in the meantime without that professional commitment…embrace today. Gather the wealth found in moments.