How to Deal With Job Loss Without Damage to Your Self-Esteem

Our careers fulfill a number of different functions in our lives, says David Blustein, a professor of counseling psychology at Boston College and author of “The Importance of Work in an Age of Uncertainty: The Eroding Work Experience in America.” Work helps us satisfy our needs to achieve, earn an income, connect with others and feel like the authors of our own stories, he says. In Western cultures in particular, Dr. Blustein says, our jobs are often so integrated into our identities that it is common to feel as though we have lost some sense of self if we lose them. This can take a toll on your mental health.