I got fired and I’m depressed (5 coping tips)

In this article, we will look at 11 ways to cope if you got fired and are depressed. You will get a detailed understanding of how to cope with getting fired. At the end of this article, we will also provide some statistics in relation to job loss and depression. 

What to do if you got fired and are depressed? 

Here are a few things you can do if you got fired and are depressed. 

Grieve 

Try to understand the situation 

Be kind to yourself 

Avoid Panic 

Avoid wishful thinking

Focus on your strengths 

Try to get some closure 

Acknowledge your achievements 

Look for better opportunities 

Talk to a professional

Losing your job is one of the most difficult things. For some, it is not only about the income or the benefits, but it is about their identity. Getting fired is also one of the most humiliating experiences one can face. Hence it is quite normal that getting fired can take a toll on your emotional well-being and lead to problems like depression, anxiety, and stress. 

Irrespective of how much we like or dislike our job, we might not want to get fired. Getting fired turns our world upside down in that one second. Suddenly you have no source of income. You do not know what lies ahead of you. You are also left devastated and it quite easy to slip into depression in this situation. 

Here are a few ways you can ease up your experience of getting fired and being depressed. 

Grieve 

When we lose something, it is important that we grieve. Taking out what we feel, only makes us feel lighter. Taking some time out for yourself and understanding those complex emotions, even if you were not very fond of the jib is essential. If we let our emotions pile up and ignore them completely it can lead to a catastrophe later. Therefore, it is important that you take out the emotions rightly. You can just get onto your sweats, watch TV all day and feel bad. 

However, if you are doing this, you need to know when to stop. It is productive only if it was for a limited period of time. If your grief turns into despair, it will be very difficult to come out and you might stay unemployed for an unnatural amount of time. 

Try to understand the situation 

Humans beings are curious to find out the why’s in everything. So if you are fired you certainly would want to know why that happened. Therefore, you need to look at the situation from a bird’s eye perspective. If you were fired because of your lack of ability to perform well. Then it is important to understand if you knew about these shortcomings. Try to read your employer’s report and get an idea of what exactly is going on. This will help you understand the situation rightly and will certainly make you feel better. Once you have found out the reason for your termination, you can work on your shortcoming to avoid this in the future. On the other hand, if the termination was not your fault, you can look for a different job, 

Be kind to yourself

Bad things happen to all of us all the time. But if you start taking the blame for every time life throws lemons at you, it will certainly be difficult for you to survive. It is necessary that you cut yourself some slack. Stop blaming and looking at the negative aspect of things. instead, you need to look at what you learned and gained from the previous job. Pamper and take care of yourself. You deserve some time off. Instead of worrying about what next. Take a break from life. Go on a small budget vacation. This will help you take your mind off the negatives of your life as well as clear your mind. 

When something goes wrong, it is your won support that you need the most. If your mind is turned against you, you will certainly fail to thrive in life. Therefore, you need to support yourself and be kind to yourself. 

Avoid Panic 

It is normal to panic. Your world was just taken away from you. In just a blink, your entire life is changed. You do not have a job, you have nothing to do the entire day. You are worried about your financial issues, how will you survive, how will you feed yourself and the rest of your family. Will you even find a new job that can sustain your lifestyle. Everything that lies ahead is unknown to you. And it is a normal instinct to panic. 

But, even with the stress you have, you need to avoid this panic. Yes, you should worry about your future, but that should not take a toll on your mental health. If you panic, you will make decisions that you might regret later. Instead of directly jumping into things and finding out this was not what you wanted, it is better that you take some time off, address the things that need to be addressed, and then take a step forward. 

Avoid wishful thinking

If you have just been fired, sitting at home worrying about what happened and what would happen if, when you are not doing the right thing. Keeping your mind in the past is not going o help in any way possible. Engaging in wishful thinking like what if I had done this right, what if I was no fired will only make things worse. Plus, answering these what-if questions are one of the most challenging things you will have to do. Actually, it is kind of impossible to answer these questions because you do not know what will actually happen. 

In addition, looking at termination from a positive framework is needed. Maybe this your opportunity to explore and find new meaning and purpose in your life. Try living by the motto ‘It all happens for a reason’. Maybe this is has happened for a bigger that you might not be able to see now, but later. 

Try to get some closure. 

In order to accept and move on from being fired, you need to understand why you were being fired. This should ideally come from your employer. Therefore, if you are being fired, try to schedule a meeting with your boss. Ask them all the things you want to they will give you detailed reasoning on why they are letting you go. This is very important for what lies ahead. They will give you both your strengths and weakness. Be proud of your strengths and try to work on your weakness. 

Acknowledge your improvements 

If you are fired, it does not have to mean that you are at a complete fault and failure. From every job experience, there is something that you might have gained or even learned. You might have also grown and made some improvements as well as achieved something. Therefore, instead of only looking at your shortcomings, acknowledge your improvements. 

On the other hand, if you are depressed because you got fired, you need to also acknowledge your improvements here. Over the period of time, you might get better and do things better. Therefore appreciate yourself for the same. This will encourage you and give you a push to do even better. 

Focus on your strengths 

Life is not only about shortcomings. If you are fired, it does not mean that you are a complete failure. You have your own set of strengths and skills that various organizations will be looking at. It does not mean that you ignore your shortcomings and do not improve them, it means that you also look at your strengths. This will make you feel better and competent as well as avoid or make your negative mindset better. 

Look for better opportunities 

Well, one positive thing about getting fired is that you can look for something better. You can find better opportunities and gain a different work experience altogether. After having acknowledged and working on your shortcomings, you can apply for better jobs. It may seem like getting fired is the end of the world. There is nothing left in your life to do and your entire routine is now messed up. But remember it is not. There are more as well as better opportunities waiting for you. 

Talk to a professional 

If things do go out of your hands, you can always visit a professional/ visit a therapist or a counselor irrespective of you having depression or not. By doing so you will get maximum and efficient help in coping with depression. If fired, talking to a professional might avoid you from falling into depression. If you already feel depressed then a professional can help you come out of it. 

Statistics 

Around 20millionpeopl lost their jobs or got fired because of the ongoing pandemic. According to a poll in 2014, the longer you are unemployed the more psychological symptoms you will show. It also found that 1 in 5 people who are unemployed or fired experience depression or are undergoing treatment of depression. According to a 2019 study published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, people who are unemployed lose access to job-related benefits such as time structure, social contact, and status, which contributes to increased depression.

BetterHelp: A Better Alternative

Those who are seeking therapy online may also be interested in BetterHelp. BetterHelp offers plenty of formats of therapy, ranging from live chats, live audio sessions and live video sessions. In addition, unlimited messaging through texting, audio messages and even video messages are available here.

BetterHelp also offers couples therapy and therapy for teenagers in its platform. Furthermore, group sessions can also be found in this platform, covering more than twenty different topics related to mental health and mental illness. The pricing of BetterHelp is also pretty cost-effective, especially considering the fact that the platform offers financial aid to most users.

Conclusion 

In this article, we have look at 11 ways to cope if you got fired and are depressed. You have gotten a detailed understanding of how to cope with getting fired. At the end of this article, we have also provided some statistics in relation to job loss and depression. 

FAQs: I got fired and I’m depressed

References 

Link 1

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/high-octane-women/201108/seven-things-avoid-after-being-fired

https://www.themuse.com/advice/8-steps-to-bouncing-back-after-getting-fired