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How to recover your cool when you lose the top job
31 October 2003
Being in the public domain makes a change in career direction even more difficult to cope with - just ask Iain Duncan Smith, businessman Michael Green and football manager Glenn Hoddle. Bupa psychologist Robert Westlake advises on how to cope with a sudden reversal of fortune.
“These people have all experienced a shock which will trigger feelings of grief - denial, anger, rationalisation and then acceptance of the loss. For some people, recovery takes just five minutes. Others may find it difficult to progress from one stage to another.”
Tips for getting back to normal include:
- fall back on your family - spend time talking to your family and express your private and personal thoughts and feelings. They are a trusting audience and will help relieve some of the pressure
- build your self-esteem - concentrate on what you know you are good at to help build self-esteem which will have taken a knock and reward yourself for some of your successes
- prioritise - identify and sort out your immediate priorities. By focusing on some of the simple quick wins you will boost your self-esteem quickly
- think about the future -set out your strengths and weaknesses and use your strengths to find a new role. This may be just the opportunity you need to change direction completely
- work/life balance - a change at work is the ideal opportunity to look at your work/life balance and perhaps make more time for your family, friends and hobbies. This could be the key to bouncing back quickly
- don’tpanic - above all don’t do anything in haste. Take your time and review your options
“It’s often tough to cope with change overnight but there are plenty of advantages - more time to catch up with family and friends, better sleep patterns or even reducing your golf handicap,” said Mr Westlake.
For more information on health in the workplace and work/life balance telephone Bupa Employee Assistance at 020 8947 2690 or visit www.bupa.co.uk/wellness/asp/corporate/health_work.asp.
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