People react to different situations in different ways, but if there’s one thing most of us can agree on, it’s the fact that losing your job is a tough thing to come to terms with. If this is coupled with a traumatic injury, the effects can be so much worse. You’ll have to deal with two major changes in your life, and this will likely affect you on various levels: physical, emotional, and financial. While you may want to wallow in your sadness forever (which is totally understandable, by the way), at some point you’re going to have to deal with the events that have occurred. We’ve set up a guide that you may find helpful if you find yourself in this position.
Speak to a lawyer
If your job loss occurred at the same time as your injury, it may be the case that you got injured at work. Workplace injuries are very common and often lead to personal injury cases. If you think that your injury was due to someone else’s negligence or irresponsible actions, you may be able to claim money from the company. While this won’t take away the trauma you experienced, the financial benefits may offer you some stability until you decide what to do next. Have a look at personal injury lawyers, Tucson, to see whether they can help you.
Therapy
Injuries and job losses are two things that will affect anyone’s mental health. However, some may feel the effects harder than others. If you feel that your mental health isn’t improving, or that it’s getting worse, it may be beneficial to look into getting professional help. There is no shame in this – you’ve been through a lot, and it’s natural to feel overwhelmed, scared, or a whole host of other unpleasant emotions. If you’re not up to facing the world just yet, consider giving online therapy a go.
Re-evaluate your finances
With any job loss, the biggest impact tends to be on your finances, especially if this was an unplanned and unexpected job loss. If this happens at the same time as your injury, your financial stress will likely be doubled. You’ll have medical expenses to cover, and depending on the severity of your injury, you may not be able to start working again for quite a while. Considering your finances isn’t the most fun way to pass the time, but it is vital. You’ll need to decide whether you have enough money to carry you through until things start to look a bit more normal, or whether you need to tap into your savings.
Join a support group
If you think therapy isn’t the best option for you, why not try joining a support group? There’s no denying that you need to talk to other people about what you’ve been through. If you don’t, your feelings will likely build up inside you until they get too much. Of course, you can talk through your experience with people close to you, like family and friends. But keep in mind that it can be very frustrating if they don’t understand how you feel. By joining a support group, you’ll be exposed to people who can understand what you’re going through. You can join a group for people who have lost their jobs, or for people with injuries that are similar to yours.
Consider your options
We know – the last thing you want to do right now is deal with real-world problems. Unfortunately, you can’t avoid your responsibilities forever. This means deciding what you’re going to do with your job situation. You don’t need to make any drastic decisions just yet, but it is smart to have an idea of which direction you want to go in. Are you able to survive without working? If not, which jobs can you do with your injury? If there aren’t any available jobs, can you create one for yourself? Various job searching apps may help you figure out your next steps.
Take some time off
We know we just said that it’s important to figure out a game plan for the future, but that doesn’t have to happen immediately. If you can afford to, try to take some time off to deal with what has happened to you. You need some time to work through your emotions, and your body also needs time to start healing the injury. Diving straight back into your normal routine will likely leave you feeling overwhelmed, and can do more harm than good in the long term.
Physical therapy
Depending on the extent of your injuries, you may require some form of physical therapy. People often don’t do this, either because they feel like they don’t need it, or because they are too mentally drained to go through with it. But physical therapy is very important when it comes to healing your injury, and it can also help with your mental health. You can’t just go to physical therapy now and then and expect it to work – you need to put in the effort. Your physiotherapist will likely give you exercises to do at home, and you need to commit yourself to doing them, even if they’re hard. Even if you can’t do anything else, put your all into your physical recovery.
Move forward
What happened to you is horrible, there’s no denying that. And it may be easy to fall into a circle of anger and bitterness, but that’s not going to help you. As hard as it may be, you’re going to need to find a way to accept what happened to you. Dwelling in the past isn’t good for anyone, especially since you can’t change the past – you don’t have control over it. However, you do have control over your actions, so you should use your actions to try and make a better future for yourself. Click here for some advice on how to stop dwelling on negative things.
