Your invaluable intervention might help someone regain their confidence: Life coach explains

Their mornings were calm, and they hoped the rest of the day would be just as beautiful and stress-free. However, within hours, hundreds of employees at a well-known multinational company in Kerala were shocked to learn they had been fired without prior notice. It must be a strategic decision made by the company, but the truth is that there are human beings and their aspirations behind the numbers reported in the media. Life coach Vineetha Joseph explains the psychological aspects behind our reactions to such situations. 

The survival mode
The weight of family responsibilities, loan repayments, children’s education, and, moreover, the silent lamentation of losing oneself, too, shouldn’t be ignored. In such situations, human beings’ first reaction would be to switch to survival mode. Psychology states that our nervous system reacts in four ways when there is a sudden crisis – Fight, flight, freeze and fawn. 

Some might react strongly and fight for their rights, while others flee to escape the situation. Meanwhile, some people will be frozen with shock, unable to think or act properly. People might even suppress their pain to make others happy and are overly eager to please. They do not want others to think badly of them and will keep saying that they are okay even when they are shattered inside. This behaviour is described as fawning in psychology. These four are survival responses that the mind and body adopt to cope with unfavourable situations or dangers. 

Loss of sleep, anxiety
Losing one's source of income is not the only problem one faces when fired. It could even escalate into self-doubt and confusion about one’s own identity and selfhood. It is natural to lose sleep and drown in anxiety when you wonder whether you have lost your value. It does not make you weak to talk to your friends, get your family’s support, or seek professional help from a psychologist in such situations. Instead, it is the first step towards recovery and comeback. 

The responsibility here doesn’t lie only on the individual. Companies, too, are responsible for carrying out their decisions by respecting the individuality and hard work of their employees. A good leader will ensure open communication with individuals, be gentle and respectful, offer support, provide career guidance, and even direct them to mental health services. Besides, society too wields the responsibility to listen to them. A phone call, sharing information about a job opening, or offering support without judging are small yet invaluable interventions that could help someone regain their confidence. 

Collective social responsibility
A society’s collective responsibility is tested not during festivities but during moments of crisis. When society dismisses one’s crisis as a personal problem rather than a social issue, then it collectively creates a wound. However, when society responds with kindness and empathy, we are not just supporting an individual but also strengthening our mental endurance as a community. Mental health is not an individual responsibility but a collective social commitment. 

One might lose a job, but it doesn’t cancel their value, talents or hopes. So, when we read a news report about mass layoffs, we should ask ourselves whether we see only a number or a human being who, hopefully, awaits some reassurance and support.