02 May 5 Things to help with Job Loss during COVID-19

“Time is really the only capital that any human being has, and the only thing he can’t afford to lose.”

Thomas Edison

We are experiencing tumultuous and uncertain times.  Some are working on the front lines in the immediate fight with COVID-19.  Some have been laid off.  Others are working less hours and may not be called back to work.  Some feel a bit more stable working at home.  Others miss connecting with others during coffee or lunch breaks and confiding in others who get it.  Whatever “it” is.
We are all experiencing an abundance of loss right now in many different ways.

What are you feeling right now?  Reduced concentration, numbness, a fear of missing out (FOMO), disrupted sleep, a roller coaster of emotions, helplessness?  We are all living in a world with bigger problems than we have ever experienced on a global scale and job loss is one of them.

There are no easy answers or solutions, but here are 5 things you can do to find your way with job loss in our COVID-19 world:

1. If you are out of a job or working less hours, see if you qualify for financial help and start filing an unemployment claim within your state.  In Colorado, go to ColoradoUI.gov
2. Continue to socially connect with your professional groups by having virtual coffee or lunch while respecting physical distancing guidelines to stay safe. Face time, Zoom, Skype and Google Hangouts are a few options to stay connected.  Most people find new positions by maintaining and calling upon their professional connections.  Reach out to your family, friends, previous co-workers and bosses and ask to be connected with their spheres of influence.
3. Support your professional community by offering what you can, including emotional support by checking in at a distance with people who have compromised or challenging living situations.
4. Find opportunities to laugh, smile and reconnect with your child-like sense of wonder and be open to ways you can make a positive difference with random or intentional acts of kindness.
5. Visualize a world where everyone is supporting one another in kindness, resourcefulness, taking care of each other and making sure we all make it through this together.

By keeping at a distance, hunkering down and connecting more virtually, we will make it through this stronger, healthy and together.  We will find opportunities in our problems and move forward.