Are you being threatened with redundancy or are you about to lose your job? Being made redundant can be traumatic. But it doesn’t have to be. You can master the skills of self-confidence and positive psychology that can turn your redundancy into a pivotal moment on your path to success.

When you are made redundant here are some of the changes that happen: (hint people jump to loss of income when it is only part of the story)

• Your relationships at work change. Colleagues can become competitors, your boss can become your ex-boss and you can suddenly be the person who is leaving.

• Your identity changes. Really it's not you who is being made redundant it is your role. You are not redundant and never will be but redundancy can become a negative badge of identity. You are perceived differently both others inside and outside your workplace and most importantly by yourself.

• Your salary is stopped. Depending on how long you have worked at the organisation and what kind of role you have will depend on your leaving package but loss of salary creates instability. Your sense of security is changing. It may also create instability in your family.

• Future dreams and goals change. Whether you like it or not your brain is always adjusting expectations based on experience. If your experience is being employed then you will have set expectations and maybe even verbalised goals that depend on your continued employment. As you are made redundant these expectations will change and this can cause a sense of loss. If you are the breadwinner in a family this also impacts the expectations of those around you.

I know this is all sounding very doom and gloom, but I have some really good news for you.

But first a bit about the brain.

Your brain comes equipped with a threat detection system as an early warning of threat to your survival. The threat doesn’t have to be major (the sub of a friend, cutting your finger with a bread knife) to trigger the release of stress hormones. Those hormones will regulate your bodies response (faster heartbeat, faster breathing, racing thoughts and blood circulating away from decision making part of the brain) and you will be in a state of alert.

While this state of alert is great for running away from a tiger it is not great for processing a complex situation like redundancy. So the first thing we must address is your threat alert. I use 3 questions to clam the brain and refocus your thinking.

Question #1: What are you afraid of?

Once you have got the bottom of what you are afraid of you can acknowledge and release your fears with a verbal (out loud) affirmation. (I give lots of examples of this on the video)

Question #2: What great opportunities does this provide?

Don’t hold back on how great those opportunities could be. This is not wishful thinking this is positive psychology. It does not pay to ignore the good in life.

Question #3: What is the next right thing to do?

Having acknowledge your fears and your opportunities its time to focus your mind on just one thing. The next thing. Focus on your next step and do it well.

Your hidden redundancy script

All of us as adults have a set of expectations formed from our experiences that we call scripts. These scripts run in our subconscious and we are largely unaware of them.

Let's say you were bitten by a dog as a child. If you meet a dog in a park with your own child your script is likely to be less positive and you will probably have some fear in your reaction. The same is true for redundancy. All the experiences you have had over your life (from TV, friends, family or stories you heard) have combined to be your internal script.

How to spot your script.

Look for patterns or trends in your thoughts and behaviour. How do you tend to feel as the redundancy unfolds? What does your behaviour generally tell you? Use a journal to help your focus on the trends in behaviour. Reflect on your journal entries looking for patterns and trends.

Creating a new script.

The great news is that this situation you are in now will shape your script for the future. Its great news because it means that you can positively take control of your life direction. If you handle this redundancy well your new script will affirm your ability to cope and turn a situation around. Using the psych tools I have shared in this video you could be well on your way to a turnaround moment. You can positively take charge of your inner world, whatever the situation, and shape your story to be the one you want to tell.

If you have a story about being made redundant then I would love to hear about it. I am looking to feature posts from guest writers on my website. Get in touch or leave a comment below.