In the last
post I discussed the change curve and how important it is to be able to
evaluate at what stage in the ‘grief’ process you are in. By understanding each of the stages, we know
that each one is only temporary and that we can move through it as quickly or slowly
as we want to. In essence, the more
positive things we do to plan and get in to action, the likelihood that we move
more quickly through the stages.
So, besides
knowing what the stages are, what else can we do to help ourselves?
Talk
Talk to
people, it’s really important that we discuss our emotions and how we’re
feeling rather than let things build up.
There is no stigma attached to redundancy these days, in fact, if you
haven’t gone at least once in your career to date, then you’re very lucky! Bottling things up will not help, so you such
try and use the support network around you.
It can be difficult when you’re trying to not let your worries affect
your family, but it is important that you can talk about things and make
decisions together.
Don’t put your head in the sand
If you are
worried about your finances, don’t stick your head in the sand, talk to someone
about it. Your bank will be happy to
talk to you and find ways to help you – as will credit card companies and
mortgage lenders. Don’t leave things
until they consume you – the earliest you can speak to these people if you
think there may be a problem, then the easier it will be for them to help you
and for you to sleep well.
There are
also other government agencies out there that are set up specifically to help
people in financial difficulty. Here are
some websites which are full of information that may be useful – Citizens Advice
Bureau will also be happy to have a free, face to face meeting with you to
discuss your needs:
Exercise and eat well
When we’re
feeling stressed we often neglect our eating, opting to eat quick, convenience
food or we turn to comfort food.
However, this is the exact time when we should be looking after
ourselves, and eating correctly to give us the energy both mentally and physically
to deal effectively with what’s happening to us. If our energy levels are low because we haven’t
been feeding our bodies with vital energy giving foods, then we’re less likely
to be in a fit state to be able to take effective action or to think
positively.
Exercise
also plays an important part as it releases endorphins (the feel good hormone)
which is proven to reduce stress and make us feel better. Whilst we are going through difficult times,
we tend to release a lot of adrenalin due to experiencing ‘fight or flight’ –
that adrenalin, unless used up through exercise, can build up in our bodies and
lead to more stress and feelings of anxiety.
It’s very
easy for these two things, eating well and exercise, to be the first things to
go when we are feeling stress, however, through my experience; those people who
have looked after themselves during stressful periods are the ones that move
through the emotional stages much more quickly.
Sleep well
Our sleep can often be distrupted during such life changes, however, getting a good night's sleep is so important. I've written posts around how to sleep well, so I'm not going to go over it again here. You the posts here:
Sleep Well - Part 1 Sleep well
I also highly recommend Andrew Johnson's MP3s and Apps to help with relaxation and sleep (as well as a whole host of other things). I use them and I often recommend them to my clients. You can visit Andrew's website by clicking here.
In the next post in this series, I’ll talk about where to look for your dream job. Until then, if you are experiencing a difficult period in your life, why not contact me for a free, no obligation chat about how I can help you?
Jo
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