Here are five tried and true steps for transitioning from the loss of a job to the next chapter in your life, says Sandy Hutchens.

Step 1

Your feelings are normal. It is characteristic for the loss of a job to trigger a period of mourning. Regardless of your attitude toward your job, you now have changes to your life that you must deal with. Accept your feelings, but do not act rashly or use them as an excuse for misbehavior. It’s a bad idea to get into a fight with your boss about the cessation of your job; for the most part, he is just the messenger. If you think your termination was in error, go to human resources. The point is to seek clarification about why your job ended rather than exact payback.

Step 2

Sit down with your resume and a red pen. Be honest with yourself as you review your experiences. What were you most proud of? Emphasize those areas. What were your career highlights? Put a star next to those. What do you want to emphasize most to a new employer? Circle those skills. It’s all too common to lose track of the positives of your career when you’ve lost a job. This technique will assist you in recalling your your achievements. It will also help you update your resume to show where you are now.

Step 3

Start making phone calls. By connecting with others–not just family and friends–about your job loss, you are putting yourself back on the job market. Word of mouth is a vital tool in your search for new employment. As far as your emotional life is concerned, reclusiveness is an untoward side effect of job loss. If you shut yourself off from other people, you are more likely to increase your feelings of depression, loneliness, and despair. Many have lost jobs, but your friends may be able to give you valuable insight into how to avoid emotional turmoil. Social interaction is a well known antidote to depression in people who are going through trauma.

Step 4

Make your future plans now. The sooner you seek a new job, the greater the likelihood that you will be focused on the positive aspects. Waiting to see if your former employer will hire you back will merely keep you from advancing your career. It will merely keep you in the past. Psychiatrists also posit that creating a plan of action is often a positive act that can propel you through the healing. It’s alright to feel nostalgic about your job; missing the morning coffee with your co-workers is normal. But you can’t go back into the past.

Step 5

Begin a new routine. While you may have been set on autopilot throughout the week, after a job loss, you will need to adjust to a new schedules. Keep as much of your usual routine as possible: Get up at the same time to make coffee, check your emails and get dressed. Since change can be traumatic, keep portions of your old routine, but add new elements–i.e., a morning walk around the block–for your mental and emotional health.