In tough times, a positive outlook
December 29, 2008 - 12:00 AM
By JANE GLENN HAAS Special to the Register
This is not a good season for the unemployed.
The economic predictions for the new year are not bright. The cities, the county, the state, the nation, the world seem to be in a downward spiral.
So why is Layna Browdy smiling?
More to the point, how does the Irvine communications executive keep herself so chipper despite a full year without a job?
“Unfortunately, this is nothing new for me,” says Browdy, 57. “This has happened to me three times in my career. Always around a recession.
“But each time it has been a gift. Honestly. I find it is God’s way of getting my attention. I am more spiritually connected.”
Browdy is looking for an Orange County position in public relations and corporate communications. She sees herself helping companies and organizations get their message to stakeholders and key audiences.
“Because of the kind of work I do and the career I’ve had, looking for a new position is not like shopping in a supermarket,” she says. “I have to take the time to find the right opportunity, and the company has to find me as well.”
Browdy has come to the monthly meetings of Re-Invent Yourself, a program designed by the nonprofit group WomanSage, to help women 45-plus discover new workplace opportunities. She wants the support and the camaraderie, she says. She also wants to give back.
“I know what it feels like to lose your job,” she says.
“The first time it was such a shock. Each time I’ve been told I’m losing my job, my first question has been ‘What did I do wrong?’ That’s the way I’m wired.
“Each time, I got the response that it’s not personal, not about you, it’s just that we no longer will have the position. Each time the company was changing so extensively, it affected the job I had.”
Still, her self-esteem flagged. She acknowledges going from disbelief to gradual acceptance. She also acknowledges moments of doubt and despair.
And she tells other women to take advantage of outplacement services, other avenues of support.
“But for me this has been a time to evolve my spiritual life, to turn to God,” she says. “I turned the volume up, go to church more regularly.
“And I also joined a health club. There are no excuses anymore. I get good exercise, fresh air, eat fruits and vegetables and turned off the alarm clock.
Yes, she examines her career objectives. Each time, she decides what she is doing is best for her because it is what she loves.
“I have always chosen to be a positive person,” Browdy says. “Psychologists tell you it’s a choice.
“In any type of challenging life situation, you go further toward whatever is your goal by being positive. The times I’ve slipped into negativity – well, I can literally feel it anchoring me to a spot. I tell myself, ‘Don’t let yourself do that! Give it up!’”
When you are faced with a job loss, or even the threat of a major job change, the first thing you lose is your professional identity, says Pauline Abbott, director of the Cal State Fullerton Institute of Gerontology and Ruby Gerontology Center.
“We put such a lot into that – our identity and the network of professional people we know,” Abbott says. “Then you start to question yourself and your ability. Maybe you weren’t as good as you thought you were?
“There is a grieving process. Shock, denial, anger, depression. This is particularly difficult for older women to go through. Like Layna, they believe it must have been something they said or did.
“We sabotage ourselves and that builds up fear and anxiety, leads to more depression.”
Browdy has the right approach to maintaining self-esteem, Abbott says.
“You need to take a step back and look at the positives taking place in your life, what’s going right,” she says. “What skills are in your tool kit?
“It’s most important to bring in a network. You should be building a network outside your job framework throughout your career. If you can, build that network before you need it. If you need it, then go find it with a group like Re-Invent Yourself, where your peers gather monthly.”
A network of peers can be more helpful than family members who “may sympathize but not empathize,” Abbott says.
She’s a believer in building an inner spirit, a “can-do” attitude. This is not a time to sit in your pajamas eating comfort food all day, Abbot says.
“You need to be out, eating right, exercising, allowing time for fun. Don’t just make lemonade out of those lemons, make lemon meringue pie.”
One trick in her tool kit is journaling.
“You can see your progress this way,” she says. “It gives you a yardstick to measure your progress and attitude.”
It also helps to plan, Abbott says. To decide what you want to do in the future. To get yourself “back in the driver’s seat.”
“Sometimes it’s hard to get back into the driver’s seat if you don’t see a road ahead,” she says. “You need to do gut-level work, assessing your strengths and weaknesses and deciding what you need to shore up. If you need retraining or retooling, take a class. Discover new successes.”
Abbott doesn’t mince words: “This experience truly makes you face your fears. And that is scary, no question about it.
“But you must tell yourself you are a responsible person and you are confident in who you realistically are. You can maintain your self-esteem.”
Re-Invent Yourself!
Pauline Abbott will speak on nurturing self-esteem at the Jan. 6 meeting of Re-Invent Yourself.
The group meets at 6 p.m. at the Assistance League of Newport-Mesa, 2220 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa. Cost is $5 for WomanSage members and $10 for nonmembers. Reservations are required. Call 949-222-4210 or e-mail info@womansage.org.
Re-Invent Yourself offers career counseling for those seeking new positions and training in ways to start your own business, as well as networking and support. An outreach of WomanSage, the program will have a job board and other Web-based features at womansage.org later in January.
Abbott also will lead a three-class series on self-esteem, the nuts and bolts of selling yourself and ways to use technology in a job search. The 9 a.m. to noon classes – Jan. 17, Feb. 7 and March 7 – are $25 each. For information, call Linda Ormes at 714-278-4686