Whether you've been right-sized, downsized, underutilized, or 
just plain fired, looking for work is a life-changing experience 
that rocks your world. Regain your equilibrium with these ten 
strategies and get back to being your best.


1. Take time to grieve for what is lost. Losing a job is big. 
   Find a way to acknowledge the loss. What ritual could you 
   perform or symbol could you use to say goodbye to the past? 
   What positive habit could you develop to help you transition 
   to the future?

2. Admit your feelings. This helps you gauge where you are in 
   the process and help you determine what next step to take. 
   Typically you feel anger, sadness, fear, embarrassment, loss 
   of confidence, and more-and that's normal!

3. Write about your fears, dreams, hopes, and losses. Getting it 
   down on paper helps you make sense of the change and put it 
   into perspective. 

4. Look for the humor in the situation. Humor is 
   transformational. It heals us and changes the way we view 
   a situation and our attitude toward it. Open your heart 
   and mind to the humor in everyday life. 

5. Appreciate the neutral zone for what it is, a fallow time 
   full of uncertainty and possibility. You can't will-power 
   your way through this period; it takes as long as it takes. 
   This transition can be a period of both chaos and great 
   creativity.

6. Reframe your experience and seek to reinvent yourself. Ask, 
   "How else can I look at this?" What future door opened when 
   this door closed? How can you reinvent yourself?

7. Change your vocabulary. Choose powerful words rather than 
   powerless words. Keep a list of powerful words posted nearby 
   and refer to them often. Notice how your feelings change when 
   you say: 

   §  "I can" instead of "I have to."
   §  "I have choices" instead of "I have no options." 
   §  "This is an opportunity" instead of "I have a problem." 
   §  "I see success around the corner" instead of "I am a 
      failure." 
   §  "I can hardly wait!" instead of "I am dreading…" 

8. Ask for help when you need it. We all need the help and 
   support of family and friends at various points in our lives. 
   Use your support system and seek outside help when you feel 
   overwhelmed. 

9. Cut yourself and everyone else some slack. We are all human. 
   In times of stress and change, we are bound to make mistakes. 
   Accept and forgive your own mistakes and those of others so 
   that you can focus on the important things. 

10. Dare to dream again! Life shrinks or expands in proportion 
    to one's courage. Develop the courage to build a new dream.