By Ocnos Psychology Clinic
A summary of Héctor Lozano Jiménez’s participation in La Línea de la Concepción Families Week.
Psychology, employment, community mental health and social support in Campo de Gibraltar.
Key idea: Ocnos Psychology Clinic took part in La Línea de la Concepción Families Week with the workshop “Active Mind for Job Searching”, delivered by Héctor Lozano Jiménez. The session explored the emotional strain of looking for work, fear of rejection, shame, emotional block and the importance of recovering small, realistic steps.
Ocnos Psychology Clinic has taken part in La Línea de la Concepción Families Week with the workshop “Active Mind for Job Searching”, an activity focused on the psychological impact that looking for work can have when it continues over time or appears during a difficult life stage.
The workshop was delivered by Héctor Lozano Jiménez, General Health Psychologist and Director of Ocnos Psychology Clinic. The session took place at CPA Atunara and formed part of a wider programme dedicated to families, community participation and social support.
The activity received institutional support from the Mayor of La Línea de la Concepción, Juan Franco, and María Zuleica Molina Herrera, Councillor for Social Affairs, Equality, Employment and Housing. At Ocnos, we would like to highlight and thank them for their presence and support for an initiative that places mental health, employment and the social reality of many local people at the centre.
An activity about employment, mental health and social reality
Looking for work is not just about handing out CVs. It also means waiting for replies that may never arrive, managing rejection, holding frustration, living with uncertainty and trying again when the mind starts saying “there is no point”.
For that reason, the workshop was not built around simplistic messages such as “if you want it, you can do it” or “everything depends on your attitude”. Instead, the central idea was much more human: some situations are heavy, and there are personal and social burdens we do not always choose. Even then, there may still be a small, concrete and possible next step.
During the session, Héctor spoke about anxiety, shame, tiredness, emotional block, self-esteem, personal limits and active job searching. The aim was not to promise quick solutions, but to offer a kinder and more practical way of understanding what happens when a person wants to move forward but feels saturated.
“We cannot always choose the backpack we carry, but we can choose the next step.”
The support of ERACIS+, Social Services and Ana Mª Ruiz Cano
The organisation and development of this kind of activity would not be possible without the daily work of social teams who support individuals and families in complex situations. In this regard, Ocnos would like to give special thanks to Ana Mª Ruiz Cano, psychologist at ERACIS+ and Social Services, for her participation and organisation.
Her involvement helped ensure that the workshop was not an isolated talk, but part of a broader community intervention connected to the real needs of people looking for work, families and local organisations.
Héctor’s introduction: a story of professional reinvention
One of the most meaningful moments of the activity was Héctor’s introduction, where his professional and personal journey was highlighted. Before fully dedicating himself to psychology, Héctor trained in architecture and worked for years as a teacher. That journey made his intervention especially connected to the subject of the workshop: job searching, changes of direction and the need to rebuild when life does not follow the expected path.
Héctor also shared his personal link with La Línea de la Concepción, the city where he was born and raised. Although Ocnos Psychology Clinic is currently located in Palmones, his connection with La Línea gave the talk a particularly close and local tone.
This is important because employment and mental health cannot be discussed from a distance. Looking for work is shaped by personal history, economic context, prejudice, available support and previous experiences.
Looking for work can also wear you down
One of the main messages of the workshop was that looking for work can also wear you down. From the outside, it may look like a simple task: preparing a CV, sending it, attending interviews or asking in a company. Inside, however, many difficult emotions can appear.
Waiting without a reply can generate anxiety. Rejection can touch self-esteem. Shame can appear when asking for work, speaking about one’s situation or feeling judged by others. In addition, when attempts are repeated without results, it is common for the person to begin to feel stuck.
The problem is that this block is often interpreted as laziness or lack of willpower. But this is not always the case. Very often, behind “I am not doing anything” there is fear, saturation, tiredness, anger, sadness or a sense of failure that paralyses the person.
The idea was not to blame the person who feels blocked, but to help them recognise the process: when a person understands what is happening, they can begin to choose more clearly what to do with it.
The invisible backpack: what cannot always be seen from the outside
Another central concept was the invisible backpack. Every person looking for work arrives with a story behind them. Some people carry difficult work experiences, financial pressure, family responsibilities, anxiety, shame, a sense of failure or fear of being judged.
From the outside, we may only see someone who needs to hand in a CV. From the inside, that person may be fighting thoughts such as “they will not choose me”, “they will laugh at me”, “I am not good enough for this” or “it is too late to try”.
The workshop did not deny that backpack. On the contrary, it recognised it. Because validating that something is heavy does not mean giving up. It means no longer fighting against oneself, so the next step can be seen more clearly.
The cycle of emotional block: thought, emotion and behaviour
Héctor explained how an apparently simple situation can become a cycle of emotional block. For example, a person thinks about going into a company to ask about work. A harsh thought appears: “they will laugh at me”. That thought awakens shame or fear. To relieve the discomfort, the person avoids going in and leaves it for another day.
In the short term, avoidance brings relief. However, in the long term it usually increases the block, because the person loses an opportunity and confirms the idea that they cannot do it. Fear gains ground.
The way out does not always consist of waiting until you feel motivated. Very often it starts with a small step before motivation appears: reviewing a CV for ten minutes, asking for help, preparing a phone call or simply recognising which emotion is showing up.
When I speed up
I may notice nerves, irritability, tension, the urge to argue, escape or answer badly.
When I shut down
I may leave everything for tomorrow, isolate myself, avoid the phone or think “what is the point?”.
Questions from attendees: limits, dignity and job searching
The talk was not only a presentation. There was also conversation with attendees, which allowed very real topics to emerge. One of the most interesting questions was how far a person should give in when they need to work.
The group spoke about jobs where conditions are not respected, offers that can undermine dignity, the difficulty of setting limits when there is financial need, and how pride, self-esteem and personal values influence decision-making.
The answer was not simple, because not everyone starts from the same place. There may be moments when a person needs to accept imperfect conditions in order to move forward. But there are also situations where saying “I will not go beyond this point” can be a necessary form of self-care and dignity.
Another contribution focused on the difference between avoiding something out of fear and accepting that something cannot be changed. The conversation helped clarify an important idea: avoidance driven by anxiety usually feeds the problem, while calmly accepting that a situation does not depend on us can be a mature way of closing a chapter.
Looking for work does not only raise practical questions. It also raises personal ones: what do I need, what can I sustain, which limits do I not want to cross, and what kind of life do I want to build?
The 60-second pause: stop, breathe, name and choose
Among the practical tools presented during the workshop, the 60-second pause stood out. It is not a magic technique and it does not make the problem disappear, but it can help lower emotional intensity enough to choose better.
- Stop: I notice that I am speeding up or shutting down.
- Breathe: I take air in and let it out more slowly, without trying to do it perfectly.
- Name: “this is fear”, “this is shame”, “this is anger”, “this is tiredness”.
- Choose: I think about what small step brings me closer to what I need.
Regulating yourself does not mean everything disappears. It means turning the internal volume down a little so that anxiety, shame or anger do not decide for you.
Small actions: searching, preparing and caring
In the final part of the workshop, three types of actions were proposed for a person who feels blocked while looking for work.
Search actions
Handing in a CV, asking in a place, applying for an offer or requesting an appointment with an organisation.
Preparation actions
Reviewing the CV, preparing documents, practising an introduction or checking email and phone access.
Care actions
Sleeping a little better, walking, speaking to someone, not isolating yourself or reducing habits that are causing harm.
A possible step
The aim is not to change your whole life in one week, but to choose a small step that can be taken today.
This approach fits with how we understand psychology at Ocnos: working with the person’s reality, without denying their difficulties, while looking for concrete margins for action.
Official posters and venue
The activity was held as part of the official Families Week programme, with a schedule of workshops and meetings aimed at families, professionals and local citizens. The Ocnos workshop took place at CPA Atunara, a community space in La Línea de la Concepción.
Presentation from the workshop “Active Mind for Job Searching”
Below, we share the slides used during the workshop. The presentation summarises the main ideas: the emotional strain of job searching, the invisible backpack, the cycle of emotional block, the body’s warning signs, the 60-second pause and the importance of choosing a small next step.
Organisations and institutions involved in Families Week
This activity forms part of La Línea de la Concepción Families Week, with institutional support and co-financing from the European Union, the Ministry of Labour and Social Economy, European Funds, the Regional Government of Andalusia, the Department for Social Inclusion, Youth, Families and Equality, and the La Línea de la Concepción Town Council.
We would also like to recognise the work of the social organisations that are part of this week of activities and of the community work carried out in the municipality, including ERACIS+, Betania, Asansull, Don Bosco Salesianos Social, Coordinadora Despierta and Fakali.
Institutional support
Institutional logos linked to the activity and to La Línea de la Concepción Families Week.
Ocnos’ commitment to community mental health
For Ocnos Psychology Clinic, taking part in this kind of initiative is a way of bringing psychology closer to real life. Mental health does not only appear inside a therapy room. It is also present in the search for work, in family tiredness, in the shame of asking for help, in anxiety before an interview and in the need to feel useful and supported.
From our clinic in Palmones, we work with people from La Línea de la Concepción, Algeciras, Gibraltar, San Roque, Los Barrios and the wider Campo de Gibraltar area. For that reason, being part of community activities like this has special value for us.
Psychology can help people understand emotional block, regulate anxiety, organise thoughts and recover possible steps. But it also needs to remain connected to each person’s social reality. That was precisely the spirit of the workshop.
Accessible psychology in Campo de Gibraltar
If you are going through a period of emotional block, anxiety, frustration or difficulty moving forward, at Ocnos Psychology Clinic we can help you understand what is happening and build realistic steps from your current situation.