Whether it comes as a complete shock, or if you’re honest with yourself it was expected, being fired never feels good.
Most importantly, being fired takes a toll emotionally.
You will have financial concerns, you might feel offended, you’ll feel like you’re not good enough, question your future, and more.
If you want to move forward and get a better job and further your career, you absolutely have to bounce back emotionally stronger.
Here are some tips on how to cope with being fired emotionally as well as mentally and otherwise!
How to Cope With Being Fired Emotionally – 10 Tips!
1. Take Some Deep Breaths and Reflect on What Happened
When I receive any news that I know is going to have an effect on me emotionally or mentally, the first thing I do is take a few deep breaths and calm myself.
This is super effective at clearing the head as we can’t think straight or make the best decisions when we’re emotional.
So, after you receive the news that you’ve been fired, whether it’s within a few minutes or you’re still reeling hours later, don’t make any decisions until you’ve calmed down.
Reflect on what happens and look at it from an objective standpoint.
I’m sure there were things you could have done better, decisions that would have changed the outcome, etc.
Make sure you understand why you were fired, be honest about what you could have done differently, and become a better person for it.
2. Don’t Blame Yourself or Feel Sorry for Yourself
Once you’ve taken some time to reflect on what happened, it’s important that you don’t spend too much time dwelling on it or beating yourself up.
It’s easy to do this, especially if you’re someone who is really hard on themselves in general.
We all make mistakes and no one is perfect – including your former boss!
I’m sure you didn’t do anything to get yourself fired deliberately, so you shouldn’t be too hard on yourself.
If you are hard on yourself it’ll ruin your mood, productivity, focus, and it gets harder every day to break the feeling.
3. Don’t Hold a Grudge Against Your Former Employer
Along the same lines as not blaming yourself, you shouldn’t hold a grudge or blame your former employer either.
Even if you think your boss or someone else is personally responsible for you being fired, there’s nothing you can do about it now.
All that’s important is that you recognize what happened, learn from it, and move forward.
Don’t dwell on the past or who did what, it’ll only make you feel worse and eat away at you.
4. Realize That Now You Have Space You Can Find a Better Job
One of the most difficult things about being fired is feeling like you’re not good enough or that no one will want to hire you.
This is normal, but it’s not true!
Now that you have some space and time, you can look for a job that is actually better than the one you were just fired from.
This is the silver lining I see happen time and time again.
Honestly, you’ll be surprised by the number of opportunities and offers out there that are so much better suited to you!
5. Lean on Your Support System
Whether it’s to do with work or personal situations, when you’re feeling down, it’s important to have a strong support system to fall back on.
Whether that’s your family, friends, partner, or therapist – talk to someone about what you’re going through.
It can be really helpful to hear from someone else’s perspective and get some opinions from the outside looking in.
Remember, you’re not alone in this and there are people who care about you and want to help.
Even just talking about how we feel can lift a huge emotional burden, it’s incredibly freeing – I can’t recommend speaking with loved ones strong enough.
6. Get Your Finances in Order
If you’ve lost your job, there is no ignoring – or hiding from – the fact that you’ve still got bills to pay.
Financial worries can take a huge emotional toll on you.
Yet even if you can’t resolve your financial issues without getting another job, just knowing exactly what your financial situation is can help a great deal.
If you don’t already do this, it’s time to draw up a budget on a spreadsheet and keep an eye on exactly how much you’ve got to live on while you job hunt.
7. Don’t Doubt Yourself
When we take an emotional hit from something like getting fired, it’s perfectly normal for self-doubts to creep in.
We start to doubt ourselves, our abilities, and our value.
But it’s important that you don’t let these doubts win.
You are just as good as you were before you got fired, if not better!
In fact, fast forward a little and you’ve learned from the experience and you’re wiser for it.
Use these self-doubts as motivation to prove yourself – to your former employer, your future employer, and most importantly – to yourself.
8. Take It as A Learning Opportunity
This really is key to this whole situation, you have to take getting fired as a learning experience – negative or not.
You might not realize it, but will be able to learn a lot from the situation and it’ll help you heal emotionally if you look at it like this.
When we learn, we grow. When we grow, we become better versions of ourselves.
And when we become better versions, we attract better things into our lives – including jobs!
9. Take Time to Practice Self-Care
After something as emotionally traumatic as getting fired, it’s important that you give yourself some time and space to heal.
This might mean taking a few days out to just relax, forget about the whole situation, and do things that make you happy.
It might mean going for long walks, taking yourself on a spa day, or investing in a new hobby that you’re really passionate about.
Whatever it is, make sure you’re taking some time for yourself to relax as this is crucial to your emotional (and mental) wellbeing.
Related – Here is how to resign verbally before being fired!
10. Surround Yourself With The Right People
One of my favorite quotes of all time is from Dan Pena and it’s, “Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future!”
I love this quote because it’s so true.
The people we surround ourselves with have a huge impact on our lives, especially when it comes to our careers.
If you’re constantly surrounded by negative people who are always putting you down, it’s time to cut them out of your life.
You need to be around people who inspire you, who make you want to be better, and who will support you through tough times.
These are the people who will help you get back up after getting fired and they’ll be there cheering you on every step of the way.
Friends can have a massive impact on our emotional wellbeing, literally being the difference between feeling on top of the world or down in the gutter!
Image credits – Photo by Geert Pieters on Unsplash
Phil lives in England, UK, and has around 20 years experience as a professional life, career and executive coach. He started this blog to help others find and define their own self development journey. Blogging about a wide range of topics to help facilitate a better future.