Ways to Manage Stress when Unemployed
Nowhere in this post will we tell you that being unemployed is easy or stress-free. The reality for many people living paycheck to paycheck is that unemployment can cut off access to necessities such as food or housing. While the devastating impact of unemployment can be felt; so can the opportunity to renew and reset that comes as a silver lining to every ending. There are things you can do during a period of unemployment to make the experience less grueling and adjusting to work life again easier.
Re-Invigorate Your Skills
It's easy to fall into the trap of finding your favorite job-search site or app and just submitting to everything you see. However, this just wastes time you could use to submit higher quality applications to a smaller number of companies. You also don’t need to burn yourself out by submitting applications for 8 hours a day. It's an incredible time, while nothing else is going on, to brush up on your current skills and maybe branch into new things that place you in a better position to get the job you really want. Making sure you are the most polished, most prepared, and most qualified version of yourself is the best guarantee that you will be ready when the right opportunity comes along!
Reinvent Your Self-Esteem
One of the hardest things about becoming unemployed, other than the physical and financial strain, is the emotional toll it can take. Especially in capitalist societies, your worth is often associated with your output or general productivity. It can feel like you’re all of a sudden on the fringes of society with no clear control over getting back in. One way to combat this is to approach yourself from a different perspective. Your worth can’t be cheapened no matter how much or little “work” you accomplish in a day. Straying away from the narrative that accomplishment can only come if profit is made opens up the door to regaining that lost sense of control over your own life and direction. These new skills and mindset shifts will carry into your next period of employment as well and help you find confidence in yourself no matter the situation.
Live Your Life
Yes, you heard me. LIVE YOUR LIFE. If you can’t blow a ton of money on expensive outings, that's ok! But, reminding yourself of all of the things you love outside of your employment can help you feel less isolated during an intensely lonely experience. See your friends, do things you didn't have time to do while working, or pick up a new hobby you've been meaning to try. The world keeps spinning, even if you feel stuck in place at the moment, so don't let even a day of it pass you by! You will come back to your job search with renewed energy and purpose because you know what you want your life to look like and can more easily plan accordingly.
