Without a Job Who Am I by Abraham J Twerski

Author:Abraham J Twerski
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hazelden Publishing

CHAPTER 6

Coping with Grief and Depression

REMEMBER THE FIRST-GRADE STORY about Chicken Little? When an acorn fell on her head, she panicked and ran to tell everyone that “the sky is falling, the sky is falling!” If you’ve lost your job, home, or retirement savings, certainly more than an acorn has fallen on your life—but nevertheless, the sky is not really falling.

My work in the past forty-plus years has been treating people with alcohol addiction. I have counseled people who seemed totally ruined, but were able to bounce back to a happy and productive life because they had a glimmer of hope. They taught me something that’s crucial for facing hardship: never despair! Despair is our worst enemy because it takes away every bit of motivation to survive and recover. When one despairs, one may do some very foolish things, such as casino gambling hoping to avoid losing one’s home, or borrowing money from loan sharks to keep a child in college or pay bills. Step number one is “Keep your equilibrium. Don’t panic.”

We can be confronted with hardships that appear to be overwhelming at times. Yet, if we reflect a bit, we will recall that we have weathered challenges in the past that we had thought were overwhelming, yet we survived. Recalling our strength and resiliency in past difficulties can give us some of the courage and confidence we need to cope with the present.

I have never yet walked away from an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting without taking something valuable along with me about overcoming adversity. An alcoholic shared the following story at one meeting—a story with true antidepressant power.

I have been sober for four years, and I wish I could tell you that things have been good. My company downsized; I lost my job and haven’t been able to find another job. My wife divorced me and took custody of the children. I was unable to pay the mortgage, and they foreclosed on my house. Last week the finance company repossessed my car. But I can’t believe that God brought me all this way just to walk out on me now.1

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