Five Ways Bounce Back After Getting Laid Off

Feb. 17, 2009— -- After only three months on the job, Dave Joseph, 24, of Boston, found himself joining the ranks of a group that has grown since January 2008 to include more than 7 percent of Americans.

He became unemployed.

The recent college graduate moved to Boston to work for an industrial design firm, but after the company announced budget cuts, he said he found himself low on the totem pole. He was laid off on Christmas Eve.

"You assume that when you graduate college you're going to get a job," said Joseph. "I worked hard to make that college-to-job reality happen, so to have it come crashing down after a couple months was hard to deal with."

With the Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting more than a half-million jobs lost in January, and larger companies enduring hiring freezes, many Americans are finding the stalemate economy has also put a check on their emotional health.

Joseph said although his company has given him great recommendations, he is worried about enduring the job search again.

"I know it's a tough climate, but I feel anxious that I'm not doing enough," said Joseph.

According to Dr. Charles Raison, director of the Mind-Body program at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, an economic low is often parallel to an individual's emotional low.

"[Uncertainty] makes people feel less confident of themselves, less adequate, and those are essential in your next job interview," said Raison. "It can sometimes be a perfect storm of emotions, and then you have to go out and try to sell yourself."

But there are ways to boost your emotional health and bounce back from a job loss, he said.

"The bounce-back challenge is not the practicality of getting the job again," said Raison. "The real challenge is keeping your brain and body from going into a state where stressors have hit your health."

In fact, many studies have linked stress to increased health risks including depression and heart disease.

"You don't want this economic crisis to put you in a mood state," he said. "You need that brain and body in the future when things turn around."