Change is all around us in life, especially at work during transformational times. Redundancy is a word most people have heard before, but until you are directly affected, it's hard to know how you will cope in that situation. It's normal for each person going through this degree of change to react quite differently.

The more we understand about how any change impacts us personally at an emotional level, the more choices we have about how we respond. Also, keep in mind that the feelings you have now will change as you start your next job search and look to the future.

This article guide helps you understand change and start to think about the things you can do to move forward with a clear plan. 

Your perspective on change

The impact any change has on us and the way we respond ultimately determines our ability to bounce back and move forward healthily and positively.

If you're struggling to come to terms with a work change, it will come through in the way you interact with others, which might limit your success when trying to secure your next role.

If you have moved on, your message will be more positive, and you will be able to focus on describing your skills and achievements with more confidence.

Let's next look at how we respond to change.

The change curve

The Change Curve is a useful way of looking at how you might be feeling in response to change. As mentioned previously, people react to change differently and can move through these stages in different ways. It explains the emotional side of career transition, giving you further insights and tips for success.

1. The first emotion people feel can be shock & denial due to the nature of the message and fear of the unknown. After the initial shock has passed, it's common for individuals to experience denial and dwell in the past - "everything was ok as it was, why does there need to be a change?"
2. Others can experience anger and depression. In this phase, we try to find someone to blame, which allows a continuation of the denial. The lowest point is when the anger begins to wear off and the realisation that the change is genuine hits. It's common for morale to be low and for self-doubt and anxiety levels to rise. Feelings during this stage can be hard to express. People can feel like giving up, being apathetic, with feelings of isolation. Here there is a tendency to fixate on small issues or problems.
3. Some experience is optimism and enthusiasm as they accept that change is inevitable quickly and begin to work with the changes rather than against them. The focus tends to be on exciting new opportunities, and since accepting the change, they can be impatient to move on.
4. The final stage is acceptance, where the focus is firmly on the future, and there is a sense that real progress can now be made. The feelings and emotions experienced in this stage include hope, excitement and trust and a definitive focus on the future.

Look at where you are on the change curve. Make a note. Now, look at where you'd like to be.

Emotional survival tactics

During any time of transition, the experience is like being on an emotional roller-coaster, and people experience any combination of reactions, from shock, denial, anger, sadness, guilt, anxiety, fear, relief and maybe even excitement.

It is usual to experience at least a few of these. Some of the reactions are more acute at the beginning. It's important to understand that some or all of them may occur over the following months until things normalise again. Regardless, identifying how you're feeling can be very helpful in moving forward. Think about the following:

• How am I feeling right now?
• How do I feel about my last/current job?
• How do I feel about my career changing?
• How do I feel about my future career opportunities?

Three things to help you manage your emotions

1. Keep a daily diary and write how you are feeling and write down what you did that day to help you move forward.
2. Each day pick a word for how you want to be that day, i.e. happy, relaxed and rate how you did at the end of the day and record it in your diary.
3. Do something that you love every day.

Want more?

We recently teamed up with author Liggy Webb, her eBook Adapting to change may provide you with the positive outlook you need whilst dealing with change.

Or take a look at our building resilience articles, under the mind section on our healthy living hub.

We hope you found this article useful, don’t forget that with your Simplyhealth plan you have access to counselling and advice services should you need some additional support.