12 Simple Steps For Dealing With Unemployment
The economy, the news, your 401k and the world in general eat away at your psyche. Here are some steps you can take to ward off bad vibes if you are out of work.
1. Don’t Isolate
Make sure that you have friends in your life; physically meet them and don’t depend on the phone and e-mail.
2. Improve Yourself
Improve on an annoying habit you have; if you conquer that, move on to another one.
3. Get Physical
Exercise. It releases endorphins, a natural pain-reliever. This can range from a walk to working out; keep slowly increasing the duration of these sessions.
4. Learn Something New
You must have some topic you’ve been interested in; this can be work related, a new hobby, or some subject that’s always caught your attention.
5. Set up a Schedule
Live by it. This is your new job until you get a job; it is more than a 9-5 on weekdays.
6. Be Nice
Do nice things for yourself and for other people. It doesn’t have to be big or cost money. It just has to be thoughtful.
7. Make a Personal Bulletin Board
Post nice comments that people have made about you recently. Force yourself to look at it daily.
8. Be Honest With Yourself and Others
Talk to others about your fears and concerns; make sure you allow equal time to sincerely listen to theirs.
9. Watch Your Budget
You can control more of your money than you think; some relatives may even lend you some money.
10. Devote Time to Job Hunting
This must be a set amount of time every day for research, letter writing, phoning and follow-up.
11. Live in the Present
It is up to you to set the positive attitude you will need to start each new day.
12. Network with Everyone
You should be talking to everyone you can think of; remember your friends and associates are your biggest salespeople.
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March 2nd, 2009 at 8:44 pm
Excellent, thoughtful advice. Especially #5. If you’re really serious about getting a new job fast, you could combine #5 and #10 with a full-time (+) allocation to the job search!
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Hi Shipley, I agree number 5 and 10 are key if you want to see results from your job search. I’d add that the job search can be a wholly frustrating experience. I like that Tony added tips to his list unrelated to work.Before I landed my internship, there was a period of a few weeks where I started feeling sorry for myself. A few things got me through it: friends – fellow graduates who felt the same frustrations I did – and working out at the gym.
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:15 pm
Shipley,Thank you so much for reading our posts and taking the time to comment. In some regards, #5 is more important than #10. For those of us who are procrastinators and easy on our self, I could see frustration with not getting interviews subtly degrading my whole effort and self confidence. All of a sudden, I am spending the day out shooting images, kayaking and playing with Photoshop. I am doing what I like, not what I need. By setting up a bona fide daily schedule, I am forced to publish and prioritize my goals. If I slip off the schedule, I have an early warning system that something is wrong.Tony