Anonymous asked: I have been unemployed since May '09...And went from manic (searching frantically for a job, considering several employment/ career options) to utterly depressed (completely withdrawn, don't see/call any friends, never leave the house, crying every day, no longer do anything. Spend entire day in bed, rarely read---I feel as though my intellect has severely suffered...I feel like I'm a in a bottomless pit) I'm too broke and have no insurance to even get examined by a psychiatrist. I'm far from being a doctor, but I'm convinced I'm chronically depressed. I'm in California...feel so lost. I really feel like I could use some job coaching at least. I don't have family support since in my culture depression and like illnesses are highly stigmatized. My parents just tell me snap out of it. They can't believe a college grad is such " a zero" (their actual words)... Any recommendations? (I'm 26)
First, I’m sorry you lost your job. Job loss is one of the most devestating and significant losses in life that is up there with the big ones like death and divorce. The loss is perceived by some people as if it were a formal declaration of failure and incompetence. People who have been laid off or fired from a job, sometimes turn a lousy situation inward and attack themselves over it as a way of coping or fighting back.
It’s human nature. One need only google search the topic “Job Loss” on the Internet to come up with a daunting amount that talks about the stages of job loss, including fear, anger, doubt, obsessive thoughts—much like the natural stages of feelings over death. So give yourself a break and realize that what you feel is natural. Accepting it, recognizing it, is the first step.
The fact that you read unemployment online websites like The 405 Club shows that you want to climb out of your funk. Pat yourself on the back.
It’s when these feelings hold us hostage for a protracted period of time, and we can’t seem to get out from under, that we have to seek professional help…
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