It has been one of those days where you wish you had never rolled out of bed. No sooner did you arrive at work, but your boss calls you into his office to hand you the customary pink slip. The experience is perhaps far more awkward for you than for your former boss, but before the full impact of the whole experience sinks in, you find yourself already walking out of his office in a near daze. As the fog covering your mind clears away, a question pops into your head. You start to wonder how you are going to break this news to your spouse.

Butter Them Up

You may have a spouse who responds to bad news better in public than at home. Inviting your spouse out for a nice dinner might help to lighten the mood before dishing on the fact that you just lost your only source of income. Maybe if you address the matter right after a couple of glasses of wine and before dessert and a home cooked meal there will still be a chance at ending the evening on a positive note. If nothing else, maybe your spouse will appreciate that you went through all the trouble to make them feel pampered a bit before letting them know the truth about your getting fired. Focus on your relationship, laugh, cry, vent, and deal with issues one day at a time.

Tell Them Everything Will Be Fine

It is important to remind your spouse that, despite your being fired, everything will be alright. In fact, tell them that you will be going to apply for unemployment first thing in the morning. This way, you will at least have some money coming in until you can land a new job. This will take some of the financial pressure off and help to keep the tension at a minimum between you and your spouse. Research to see if you are going to have unemployment compensation, or if you were illegally fired. Study your situation and make the best of it.

When Face to Face Does Not Work

Sometimes bad news is never best-served face to face with your spouse. Their reaction can sometimes be a little emotional. To avoid that kind of up close and personal reaction, it may be best to simply break the news over the phone. In fact, you can even cut the call short by explaining to your spouse that you have to start looking for work: as one of those general labor jobs that hire quickly. At least then, your spouse will have some time to deal with the situation before you see each other later in the day. This way the worries of not being able to pay bills will be gone and you don’t have to worry about eviction or food.

Conclusion

Talking to your spouse about losing your job is never a fun process. For some families, this can put a huge strain on their marriage. Sometimes that outcome is simply impossible to avoid. The best thing to remember is, to be honest, and to deliver the news in a way you think they will be able to handle it. Focus on what you have, make a plan of action, and stick with it. Your relationship should be able to withstand the ups and downs of life.