“A positive attitude may not get what you want, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.”—Anonymous
When one is out of work, looking for a job becomes a full-time job in itself. The difference here is that you are working 24-7 and there is no end in sight. With each passing day the constant drumbeat of bad news, no matter where you turn, can exacerbate this feeling of doom in a spiraling economy. This feeling of growing hopelessness can spill into your mood that will follow you wherever you go; much like the perfume you wear. You can no longer smell it, but others can!
The inescapable feeling of doom can interfere with your own welfare. How?
When you are down about what is happening to you and to those around you, your brain releases chemicals that interfere with your clear thinking and puts you in a less-than optimum functioning state. You become more irritable, short tempered, and less capable of fully deploying your faculties. The anxiety around the uncertainty consumes you in ways that shows in how you come across to others (not your immediate family members and friends because they get used to seeing you this way, day-in and day-out).
This will not serve you in a well-orchestrated job search. So, what must you do? Here are some tips that work:
- Have a daily routine and stick to it. Lack of structure (when you’re out of a job) can be a major cause of undisciplined activities that cause much wasted effort and it causes negative feelings
- Exercise every day. Physical exercise at a set time each day for about half hour can help you stay in shape and the endorphins released in the process can detoxify your body of any “negative” chemicals stemming from your feeling down about your situation.
- Stay in touch with positive people and stay AWAY from whiners. Find something positive each day in what happens to you and relish it. Being positive is a virtuous cycle and helps keep you in a positive spirit.
- Consolidate all activities that require emotional stamina and a strong “immune system.” These activities are typically cold calling, following –up on sent responses, new introductions, and asking for referrals. If you spread these throughout your day then it is difficult to stay away from negative experiences inevitable form such encounters throughout the day, too. Conducting these activities in a single block of time, when you are at the peak of your energy and spirits it will help you cope with everything else, once you put this behind you.
- Find out what lifts your spirits and energizes you and have “it” at least once a day or whenever you need it.
- When something positive happens (an interview call) celebrate the victory and treat yourself (a walk, or a TV show, or whatever energizes you; just not sweets and eating!)
- Write a recommendation or a note of appreciation to someone who has done you good. This is an empowering experience when you yourself feel powerless
- Visualize the dream job you are pursuing and translate that visualization into actions that will take you there. The brain does not know the difference between the actual reality and the imagined one!
- Stay away from influences that do not reaffirm you and what you stand for. Use positive words to communicate message; avoid negative words at all costs
- Smile more, be confident and look powerful. This alone will do you more good than you can imagine in getting what you are looking for by attracting you to it.
Being out of work in a deteriorating economy is no picnic! But, you can make it so by merely changing how you experience it!
Good luck!