Job Loss

How to Cope
Call it what you want — being laid off or downsized,
getting dismissed or fired, receiving your pink slip
or your walking papers, losing your job hurts. Among
a variety of life-altering events, such as death in
the family, divorce, and serious illness, losing your
job ranks among the highest in stress-causing situations.

Job loss can have a profound effect on your emotional
well being. There is a typical cycle that most people
experience. This cycle includes denial, anger,
frustration, and eventually adaptation.

Dealing With It
As you can see, being separated from one's job is
extremely difficult. Many of us closely identify
ourselves by what we do for a living. When the job is
taken away, we can lose track of who we are and even
why we are.

Emotional issues aside, a number of practical issues
must be addressed. We must determine how long our
financial resources will sustain us. We must also
decide if a career change is in order. Then we must
begin to plan for the future.

Taking Care of the Practical Stuff
A major issue most people must deal with is providing
for themselves and their families. Finding out if one
qualifies for unemployment compensation should be the
first thing that is taken care of. The next thing is
applying for this benefit. There are certain criteria
that must be met. In the United States, your local
Employment Service Center will be able to help you. The
Web Site of the U.S. Department of Labor has information
on unemployment compensation in the United States. This
includes links to the individual sites of many states.

The next issue to deal with is health insurance. In the
U.S. the majority of people who have health insurance
are covered under a group plan through their employer.
When a job is lost, that coverage is as well. That is
why The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act
(COBRA) was passed some time ago. This law allows those
separated from their jobs to purchase health insurance
at a group rate for a limited time.

Moving On
Once we have come to terms with all matters emotional and
practical, it is time to move on. We must decide where to go
from here. First you must look at why you lost your job. Was
the company downsizing? If so, is this a trend in the industry?
Do you want to stay in the same field? Is a career change in
order? If not, maybe this is a good time to spruce up some skills
in order to make yourself more marketable.

Rather than looking at a job loss as a horrible thing, it
might be better to consider the positive implications of this
situation. Take the time to make some changes — switch careers
or industries, learn some new skills and improve upon the ones
you already have, or perhaps consider relocating. Look forward
to your next opportunity. You never know what doors this turn
of events may open for you.

6 Tips to Deal with the Time Change

Time-Tested Ways to Cope with Daylight Saving Time

It's that time of year again, when we reset our clocks
and try to readjust to the time change associated with
Daylight Saving Time (DST). Some of us breeze through
the change seamlessly, yet others feel out of sorts for
days. If you have trouble dealing with this sudden
disruption in your routine, it is for good reason.

Even though your brain knows that the time on the clock
has changed, your body's internal clock does not. In the
fall, you'll gain an hour of sleep. And although you might
not feel tired, you may get cranky when you have to wait
an extra hour before your lunch break or when it feels
like work should have ended an hour ago...

Another Fitness Myth Debunked

Somewhere along your journey to fitness, whether
in the gym, reading the latest books, or talking
with your friends, you'll hear a lot of advice
about exercise--not all of which is true.

Fitness Myth
If you can't exercise hard and often, there's
really no point.

Truth
Even moderate activity is shown to reduce your
risk for heart disease and stroke. If you don't
have 30 minutes in your day to exercise, try
splitting it up into 10-minute segments instead.
Everyone can find 10 minutes to spare sometime
during the day! There are simple things you can
do to increase your activity without having to
go to the gym: take the stairs instead of the
elevator, jump rope or do body weight exercises
push ups, crunches) at commercial breaks, take
a short walk after lunch. Remember that any
exercise is better than none!

Exercise Extra: Clip on a pedometer and aim for
10,000 steps daily, which equals about 5 miles.

Lose Weight for Better Sex: There's a lesser-
known fringe benefit of shedding excess pounds:
Being trimmer bolsters your self-esteem, and
when you feel good about yourself, you are more
likely to desire and enjoy sex. I really feel
good about myself.

DREAMS

Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a
broken-winged bird that cannot fly. Hold fast to
dreams, for if dreams go, life is a barren field,
covered with snow.

- Langston Hughes

BECOMING GREAT

Keep away from people who try to belittle
your ambitions. Small people always do that,
but the really great ones make you feel that
you, too, can become great.

- Mark Twain, writer and satirist

Ways to Expand Your Life

1. Decide to run a marathon. The physical discipline required will allow you to experience the immediate benefits of daily training.
2. Give more. You may set a goal of giving 20% rather than 10%. The extra stretch here will loosen up the blindness that greed causes and make you see new ways of generating income.
3. Commit to spending one hour a day for personal growth. Choose positive materials for meditation, go to workshops, or sign up for teleseminars. There are many opportunities for stretching yourself in this area.
4. Read at least one new book a month. This will accelerate your ability to increase your “preparation” and to see new ways to grow. Remember, “Luck” is when “preparation” meets “opportunity.”
5. Design a break in your normal schedule. Getting away from a routine is one of the best ways I know of unlocking creativity and innovation. I have spent 3-4 days at a monastery, just as an attempt to tap into new insights and inspiration. (The Abbey of Gethsemani)
6. Create your own timelines. If you want to write a book, decide when you will have the chapter outline completed. If you need to update your resume, decide now to have that completed in two weeks. Whatever it is you want to accomplish, set your timelines to propel you on.