Job Loss can lead to Health Loss
On the Richter scale of life events that can shake your foundations, job loss is near the top. Whether you’ve been fired, taken a redundancy or been retrenched, even a temporary phase of being jobless can take its toll on body and mind, as well as the bank balance.“Job loss is associated with increased smoking, alcohol intake, physical inactivity and obesity, as well as increases in domestic violence and marital breakdown,” says Dr Andrew Noblet, senior lecturer in organisational behaviour at Deakin University. “One study even showed that teenage children were more likely to take up smoking or smoke more when their breadwinning parent lost their job.”
As well as the obvious benefits such as income, employment is good for wellbeing because of the five ‘latent’ benefits it offers that keep us in touch with reality, according to the theory of Marie Jahoda, the late Austrian social psychologist. Tony Winefield, Professor of Psychology from the University of South Australia, explains. “Work structures our use of time, enforces activity, puts us in regular contact with others, creates goals and provides a sense of identity.”
With identity and status so closely tied to what we do for a living, it’s no wonder that
mental health takes a slide in the absence of a job title. According to the 2001 National Health Survey, 9.8 percent of adults who were without a job reported ‘very high’ levels of psychological distress, compared to 3.6% of the adult population.
“Our research into unemployed youth indicates that the stigma of unemployment has intensified since the eighties,” says Winefield. “This is probably due to the myth of low unemployment, with current levels reported to be at less than five percent. Unemployed people think, ‘there are plenty of jobs around, how come I can’t get one?’ But the current figures are so deceptive – even if you work one hour a week you’re classified as employed.”
Declining health following job loss isn’t inevitable. Resilience depends on many factors, such as financial security, social support, age, the conditions surrounding loss of employment and the market demand for your skills. The ability to cope with stress, loss of structure and plenty of time on your hands, also makes a difference. ‘Maladaptive’ or ‘escapist’ coping behaviours, such as filling empty days with TV, food, alcohol or cigarettes, are more common in people under financial strain and in those who feel a sense of helplessness, according to Noblet from Deakin University.
Lesley Schoer, who has clients in Sydney, on the mid north coast of New South Wales and overseas, is an executive business coach who steers people through periods of change.
“Confidence is really challenged when people find themselves without work – even in those who are highly qualified and very employable,” says Schoer.
It’s confidence and vitality you need the most when trying to stay positive, present well and pass medicals in the search for the next job. So how can you stay healthy and buoyant during this vulnerable time?
“The first thing is to recognise that you are in a transition phase, which always involves loss, letting go and feeling disoriented. There will be ups and downs and that’s normal,” says Schoer.
Finding other ways to get the ‘latent benefits’ of employment is also important, including life goals and identity. “I get people to vision a new future for themselves, asking ‘what do you want the next stage of your life to be like?’ People also need to re-establish an identity for themselves, apart from their job. This is especially pertinent for people who’ve been in a job for a long time. Men seem to struggle with this the most. I encourage people to develop a response to the common question – ‘what do you do?’ drawing on all aspects of themselves and their lives.”
Schoer also encourages her clients to keep fit and healthy. “Exercise improves mood and confidence, so it really helps people keep their spirits up.” Social fitness is equally vital. “It’s really important to stay socially connected,” emphasises Schoer. “It helps people feel valued and supported, keeps up their social skills and can help them find new work.”
Putting pen to paper can have impressive benefits. A 1994 study conducted by Professor James Pennebaker, now Professor of Psychology at the University of Texas, found that men who had lost their jobs found work significantly faster if they wrote about the experience for 30 minutes a day for five consecutive days. It seemed to be the clarity and insight that emerges during writing, as well as the emotional catharsis, that proved therapeutic.
Without the structure of work, it’s all too easy to lie in bed for open-ended hours. Instead, Schoer encourages her clients to create a structure for their days and weeks, using their future life vision to guide their activities.
Stay mentally and physically healthy off the job.
· Create structure and routine for your days and weeks.
· Exercise regularly – it improves mood and confidence and relieves stress.
· Develop healthy ways of dealing with stress. (Try some journaling instead of eating).
· Stay socially connected with family, business and community networks.
· Establish an identity for yourself that’s not dependent on work.
Copyright: Thea O’Connor - health promotion consultant, writer and speaker, www.thea.com.au
Published in the Sydney Morning Herald, MyCareer, November 3rd, 2007