So you have worked for a firm for 10 years or more, abiding by every condition it had set-forth for a decade or so, now a pink-slip is in your hand, "What to expect next?" Personal pride and motivation puts this optimism on a higher plane to thwart the looming negative sentiments of depression. From the moment you receive the notice and go through the separation process, it seems like a concentration camp in World War II in the sense that you are alienated from the workforce. The common response would be that you did not do something well enough, soon enough, and harshly criticize yourself, largely in an unfair manner. Society has conditioned American workers to blame the loss of a job due to some level of incompetency or other self-inflicted failure. This mindset comes from the early 1900's, when factory workers in places like New York dared not blame the company for a lay-off in the hopes of being rehired.

The truth of the matter is that a reduction in staff does not discriminate in respect to longevity or how hard a person worked. As an employee ages, they are perceived by some companies to be a liability akin to an old car that the firm does not care to sink money into anymore. This has an adverse impact on one's self-perception as being obsolete, useless, or grossly devalued.

Unfortunately, for many people this translates into a form of depression over time. After about three months of being unemployed, the reality sets in that the company may have benefited more than the individual. The truth is this is always the case with few exceptions. Think about it for a moment, if a person was paid according to their productivity for the company there would be far more millionaires spanning the globe. During the lay-off period these things come to mind.

The very first thing that comes to mind is to conceal an unemployed status in the form of using terms such as "between jobs". If a person is not working there are no jobs to be between. Friends are commonly the first people to alienate themselves, then co-workers etc. American society is very individualistic and prides itself on self-reliance. Now we know that this philosophy is flawed in the sense that if a person goes to work each day, they are depending on the solvency of that firm to pay for his or her work. The main difference is perspective, because if they were unemployed that would put them on the doles of unemployment. The difference is the firm is the government in this sense as the worker is contributing as others do on the work-fare program.

Most men will take a long drive after getting the pink-slip without any focus or direction when leaving the workplace. At this point, fear of an unknown future is what keeps depression close at hand. Getting past this shock is crucial because the job market has changed so much since last employed. A college degree might have been good enough 10 years prior, but a certification may be more relevant today.

Below are some of the things to expect if you find yourself out of a job:

The demise of certain friendships.
Alienation of former co-workers.
A rise in family tensions and stress at home.
A reduction in lifestyle from food to cars.
The pressure to find another job.
The displacement from the workforce.

These are natural conditions upon being unemployed and should be addressed with zeal more so than with fear which leads to anger and frustration. To combat this a proactive approach to preparing yourself for separation by enrolling in some sort of training in another field puts you in a situation that would not be so demoralizing in respect to a cut in pay for instance. By doing this earlier in your unemployed state, you can better manage the looming depression and achieve a level of accomplishment that helps self-esteem. Remain positive from the beginning because going negative early will only lead to more negative behavior.

James has several years of personal experience as a personal match-maker and informal relationship adviser with a successful track-record. In his twenty plus years in the aforementioned fields, he has mastered the realm of social networking by engaging in topics, and subject matter after extensive research.

You may see some of his work at Weiberfach Business Journal http://weiberfach.wordpress.com/.