The Effects of Being Unemployed
We tend to talk about unemployment and how it effects the economy and society very negatively and some people believe the unemployed love being at home all day and being paid by the government for doing nothing, but do they? Or do they feel a loser and one of lifes failures. There are many, many effects that unemployment has on individuals and here are some of them:
Being unemployed can affect your health
Unemployment can have a significant impact on a persons physical and mental health. Being unemployed is a highly stressful situation that may cause stress related health issues such as headaches, high blood pressure, heart disease and insomnia. Long term unemployment will definitely cause health problems of some kind.
Being unemployed will change your personality
We believe we are the person we are under whatever circumstance. We might experience different moods, like the happiness we get when we hear something nice has happened to a friend. Unemployment will drastically change some basic areas of our personality. The ability to be happy could disappear if you are unemployed and be replaced with anxiety and worries.
Being unemployed can have an affect on your relationships
Unemployment can have a negative affect on relationships with your children, your partner or your parents. People with more issues due to unemployment are likely to become stressed and engage in conflict. You may face increased issues with self-esteem and as a result be unhappy and this definitely affects those around you.
Being unemployed might make you disappear
For people who have dedicated most of their life to their career becoming unemployed will be a complete nightmare. You can lose your own sense of identity as you no longer have a purpose. Some people will avoid others just not to talk about being unemployed. This identity loss can directly lead to a disregard for yourself as you feel you no longer exist in the community.
Being unemployed is affecting the economy
Unemployment also has a significant impact on the economy, high employment lowers GDP growth. This is because people have less money to spend. Unemployment also reduces the need for businesses to invest in new product development as people won’t have the money to buy the products so it’s a big spiral and everyone suffers.
Being unemployed has an effect on society
Being unemployed has a significant effect on society. Unemployment can make it more difficult for individuals to meet their basic needs. People are more likely to become homeless if they’re unemployed, then the problems start, if you are homeless you can’t claim benefits and no employer is going to consider you without a permanent address.
Being unemployed long term makes it hard to get a job
If you’re unemployed you are going to spend a lot of time looking for a new job, however the more jobs you go for and the more times you are rejected the more depressed you are going to be. Not only that but the longer you are unemployed the harder it will be for you to get a job. Employers simply don’t view candidates who have been unemployed for more than 3 of 4 months very favourably.
Being unemployed increases your mortality rate
There are literally hundreds of documents studying the correlation of mortality rates and unemployment. Health issues and bad habits affect your mortality. Additionally where there are high unemployment rates the suicide numbers also increase. A big side effect of unemployment is depression and this can lead you anywhere.
While unemployment is a life stressor you need to get your head right and you can deal with it. Firstly think of it as a temporary set back, start networking to see who can help you with your job search, work on improving your CV, get your CV out to clients and start attending interviews. Most of all take care of yourself and think positively.
Good Luck