Keeping Your Head After Losing Your Job: How to Survive Unemployment

233 Pages·2013·1.96 MB·English

by  Robert L. Leahy

Praise for
Keeping Your Head After Losing Your Job
Losing a job is like losing a piece of yourself. It can cause real damage to your
self-image, your mental health and your physical health. Robert Leahy’s
Keeping Your Head After Losing Your Job is a practical guide to picking
yourself up, restoring your health and wellbeing, and getting the motivation and
confidence to move forward with your life. This invaluable resource also has tips
for family members who want to help, but don’t know how. Leahy is an
international expert in teaching people how to recover from setbacks and live
healthier, productive lives.
~ Dr. Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, author of the bestselling Women Who Think Too
Much
Tough economic times bring tough psychological challenges -and that’s where
Keeping Your Head After Losing Your Job comes in. It’s based on the best
research for what really helps people cope - changing your thinking. You might
not be able to avoid losing your job, but you can try to avoid the depression that
comes along with it. The book also has invaluable practical advice on money
management, job searches, and venting without wallowing in victimhood.
~ Jean M. Twenge, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology (San Diego State
University) and author of The Narcissism Epidemic and Generation Me
A great self-esteem book
~ Healthy Magazine
Leahy provides psychological tools to help you handle your unemployment, with
simple strategies that can be used immediately
~ Money Magazine
Every unemployed person and their family members will want to read
internationally renowned psychologist, Dr. Robert L. Leahy’s book, Keeping
Your Head After Losing Your Job. Being unemployed is not simply about losing
a job, but it also can involve losing hope, feeling ashamed, becoming isolated,
financial worries, losing a sense of who you are and increased family conflicts.
With powerful self-help tools for the many difficulties that you face, Dr. Leahy
gives wise, compassionate, and empowering advice.
~ Aaron T. Beck, MD, Professor Of Psychiatry, University Of Pennsylvania
KEEPING
YOUR HEAD
AFTER
losing your job
HOW TO SURVIVE UNEMPLOYMENT
ROBERT L. LEAHY, PH.D.
Author of The Worry Cure
USA
Behler Publications
Keeping Your Head After Losing Your Job
A Behler Publications Book Copyright © 2014 by Robert L. Leahy, PhD.
Cover design by Yvonne Parks -www.pearcreative.ca.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and
retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Leahy, Robert L.
Keeping your head after losing your job : how to survive unemployment / Robert L. Leahy.
pages cm
ISBN-13: 978-1-933016-62-7 (pbk.) ISBN-13: (invalid) 978-1-933016-61-0 (ebk) ISBN-10:
1933016-62-0 (paperback) 1. Unemployment--Psychological aspects. 2. Self-esteem. 3. Self-
actualization (Psychology) 4. Stress management. I. Title.
HD5708.L3943 2013
158.7--dc23
2013026416
FIRST PRINTING
ISBN 13: 9781933016-62-7
e-book ISBN 9781933016-61-0
Published by Behler Publications, LLC
North Fayette, PA
www.behlerpublications.com
Manufactured in the United States of America
To my brother Jim, who is always there
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction,
1 Looking Differently at Where You Are Now,
2 You Have a Right to Your Feelings and the Ability to Change Them,
3 Take Action,
4 Build Your Self-esteem,
5 Don’t Get Stuck in Your Head,
6 Why Me? Feeling Like a Victim or Becoming Empowered?,
7 Mind Over Money,
8 Helping Each Other: For Partners and Families,
9 Stop Worrying: Live for Now,
10 Getting Outside Yourself,
11 Taking Care of Yourself,
12 Taking it to the Future,
References,
About the Author,
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
It is always a challenge to do justice to the many people to whom I owe a
debt of gratitude. But I will try.
Let me begin by thanking my many clients, friends, family members and
neighbors who have shared their stories about coping with unemployment. It is
their voice and experience that I wished to convey in writing this book. Often the
unemployed person feels marginalized, forgotten and desperately helpless, but
their stories and their examples of courage and perseverance can give hope to
others.
Once again I recognize how invaluable my colleagues at the American
Institute for Cognitive Therapy in New York City
(www.cognitivetherapynyc.com) have been. They have been gracious enough to
allow me to share my ideas about this book and their insight and experience are
reflected in whatever is of value. Thanks, especially, to Dennis Tirch and Laura
Oliff, who continue to educate me and support our mutual work together. My
research and editorial assistant, Poonam Melwani, has been tireless in her
detailed devotion to the many projects that we work on.
In North America I am grateful to the many colleagues and mentors that I
have had, including Brad Alford, Aaron Beck, Judy Beck, David Burns, Tom
Borkovec, David A. Clark, Frank Dattilio, Allison Harvey, Steve Hayes, Stefan
Hoffman, Steve Holland, Steve Hollon, Sheri Johnson, Thomas Joiner, Marsha
Linehan, Chris Martell, Lynn McFarr, Lata McGinn, Dean McKay, Cory
Newman, Art Nezu, Christine Nezu, Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, Christine Purdon,
John Riskind, Kelly Wilson, Terry Wilson and many others. Writing is a lonely
enterprise that, ironically, reflects the voices of a multitude. Thank you to all.
Thanks, also to my many British colleagues over the years whose work
continues to inform and inspire: David M. Clark, Christopher Fairburn, Melanie
Fennell, Paul Gilbert, Emily Holmes, Warren Mansell, Costas Papageorgeo, Roz
Shafran, Adrian Wells, Mark Williams and, of course, my good friend Philip
Tata. I have been honored over many years to participate in the conferences held
by the British Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Psychotherapies as well
as the European and world conferences where I have been fortunate to get to
know my international colleagues.
My editor at Behler Publications, Lynn Price, has been immensely
supportive. Bob Diforio has been my dedicated, skilled, wise and wonderful
agent for many years. His dedication to this work and to the message it
represents has been far beyond the call of duty. Thank you, once again, Bob, for
your friendship and support. And, to my brother, Jim, I am forever grateful for
always being there, always generous, always wise. This book is dedicated to
him. Finally, I once again realize that words are not enough to express the
gratitude I have for my wife, Helen, who is the wind beneath my wings.