How to Support Your Partner After a Layoff

Chances are you know someone who has recently lost their job. When the person is close, like your spouse or significant other, there are ways that you can be supportive to help relieve some of the burden for the one that you love.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. When your partner has lost their job, it can be upsetting, stressful, and overwhelming all at once. But, regardless of how you may feel, you need to make sure that you are understanding. Not all people handle stressful situations in quite the same way, and realize that when they may get irritable or upset, it may be that they are not sure how to cope with this new situation. They might try to internalize their stress and their fear. Let them talk to you about their concerns, their fears, and their feelings, and really listen. Let them know that you are there, and that you are in this together.

2. Stress is not only a mental issue. It can also affect your partner's health, and yours as well. Depression and anxiety create physical pain, aches, and even issues with digestion. Make sure that you monitor your partner's health to make sure that the stress is not affecting their body, and take care of any health issues that may arise from the stress of the situation.

3. Work together to organize a family budget. Talk about where you can both cut back and where you can eliminate unnecessary expenses. If you discuss your money situation together, you can help each other begin to feel a little relief as you create solutions and discuss alternatives.

4. Offer unsolicited encouragement as your partner seeks new employment. Help them update their resume. Remind them how smart and qualified they are, how hard they work at every job, and how valuable their past employers found them to be. Bolster their self-esteem before interviews, and even more when they haven't heard back from a prospective employer. Finding work can be challenging, so make sure they know you are behind them all the way.

5. Trimming your budget can be tough. Not only is the lack of work a stressful situation for everyone, but when you don't have extra cash, you can't afford much in the way of entertainment. Everyone needs small distractions to help them cope. Try making something special for everyone to get your minds off things, like instituting a family game night, or making a special romantic dinner once a week. It will give you something to look forward to, and give you time to regroup and strengthen your bonds.

6. Be patient, and help them to be patient too. Job searching is a very time consuming endeavor, especially during a recession. Remind them that you have made cuts in your budget to make things work, and encourage them that the right job is just waiting to be found.

[paigeturner]

on 6/1/2009 Excellent points. I especially like #5. Thanks for sharing.