Whatever the reason for losing your job, the negative effects are the same.

• Loss of money – losing your job means that you do not have a regular income anymore. If you have a family to support, this can be totally devastating, particularly if you were the main or only breadwinner.
• Claiming benefits – If you cannot find another job quickly, then many people have no choice but to claim benefits to help them and their family survive. This often is not a pleasant experience.
• Loss of confidence – Many people who cannot find another job straight away can quickly lose confidence in their abilities. If you are applying for job after job and receiving no response or maybe you are going to interviews, but not being offered the role, this can quickly make you lose confidence in yourself.
• Loss of self-respect – When you lose your job, your self-respect can plummet very quickly. Overnight you may have gone from being the breadwinner and supporting your family to having nothing and this can be a major blow to a person’s self-respect.

However devastating the effects of unemployment are, it is possible to turn the negative effects into positive ones by looking at your situation in a different light.

• Spend time with family – This can be an ideal time to spend more time with your children and other members of your family. Whilst you are looking for work, you will have a lot more spare time. Do not waste it. Take some time to bond with your children, maybe doing the school run, going to see their plays, or watch them in a soccer match. See it as an opportunity to build some precious memories with your children that you will all remember.
• Time to de-stress – If you have come out of a very stressful job, take this time to relax, get your head together and de-stress. All too soon, you will be back in work and back on the treadmill.
• Re-train – This can be an ideal time to retrain for another career. Many people end up in a job that they really don’t want to be in. If you are unlucky enough to lose your job, why not look into retraining for the job you have always wanted to do.

Conclusion

Unemployment doesn’t have to be the end of the world. With a positive outlook, you can turn the negatives of the situation into positives. Who knows, you may find that your life turns out all the better for the experience.