The silent struggle of the unemployed during the festive season

AS THE festive season approaches, many people are getting ready to celebrate by planning their gift lists, their scrumptious menus and the colour scheme for their dinner table. On the other end of the same coin, lies the lives of the unemployed. The one’s who will be declining dinner invites because they can’t afford a gift for everyone. These are the guys that won’t attend your bring and share lunches because they don’t have anything to bring along with them.

These unemployed people are currently reading this column, dreading December because even though they have every reason to have the opportunity to unwind just like everyone else, they can’t because they are too concerned about work and about the New Year that lies ahead.

Being unemployed unlocks a very different door to your brain. It brings you to a state of delusion whereby you constantly feel like you are stuck and there is no light in sight. The misery of the unemployed doesn’t end there. It follows you into all aspects of your life and creeps into your mental health forcing you to believe that you “aren’t good enough” for anything besides rejection. When it reaches that part of your brain, it creeps into your everyday life – your relationships, friendships and your family life.

The unemployment rate keeps increasing and nobody seems to be noticing it. It goes unnoticed because people with jobs are either busy complaining about the job they have or complaining about the salary that they receive. If you have a job right now, appreciate it. I know some days are tough and difficult, which is completely understandable, however don’t take it for granted.Being without a job can destroy your mental health. It can make you feel like you really are not good enough for anything, including life itself and force your mind to believe the rejection emails that pile up at the same rate as your bills.

The automated rejection email can take the wind out of you and can be this horrible song that plays on repeat every single day. It’s not easy. It’s not something I would wish upon anyone because the feeling of not being good enough for a company despite your long list of capabilities and abilities outweigh any rejection. If you currently have a job, be grateful. No matter how bad the day is going and no matter how annoying the goody two shoes you work with is, just remember you are not part of the statistic.

Hold that job tightly with both hands clasped like your life depends on it, because it does. You have an income and a way to support your family. Being unemployed means, you don’t know how you are going to pay the next bill, it means you don’t know how you are going to cover the debits for the month, or how you wish you could buy your kid a R100 toy. With the festivities around the corner, our hearts pound. It becomes a time of worry instead of happiness, a time of distress instead of relaxation and a time of sadness of being incapable of participating in all the fun gatherings because you don’t have the money to buy that piece of clothing to make you look presentable. It eats you up inside, almost like a parasite eating away at your brain day after day.

If you are reading this and you are unemployed, I’m sorry. I’m deeply sorry for this situation. Never stop applying, never stop trying and never give up. Tell yourself that, this is a horrid phase and season, and it will pass. Everyone has their turn and one day it will be yours. Don’t be hard on yourself, you are not alone.

Kamini Rambridge, a business owner, gives personal insights on mental health wellness through her blog, Mental(it)y Matters, which she launched in 2023. Her initiative not only aims to create awareness, but also serves as a therapeutic outlet for her own experiences. Visit https://kamzrambridge.wixsite.com/mentalitymatters

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