Unemployed times are tough, but you’ll get through. Not having a job creates psychological changes in us, whether we’d like to admit or not. Without a steady paycheck, the future looks grim. More than that, there’s difficulty in paying for basic amenities and makes us purposeless. Some might even retract themselves form social interactions which can seriously cause direct toll on our physical and mental health. Though it might seem tough, it is important to keep mentally strong and optimistic. Here are a few things to do to keep sane when you are unemployed. Practice self-care Being unemployed is challenging to mental and physical help. It is easy to neglect health when you are stressed. Eat well, get proper sleep, exercise to keep physically healthy. Maintain social interactions Do not detach from friend and family. Positive connections with close ones help in relieving stress and help you out. If you can’t meet them personally, there’s video calls to help out. Tell people about your job search It’s all about building connections. No need to feel embarrassed about it. Draw possible and potential connections by telling as many people as possible that you are looking for a job. Keep a schedule Do not permanently slip into your pyjamas and give up. Keep a schedule even when you don’t have a job. Keeping a schedule is the first step to productivity. Even if it is doing house chores everyday in the morning, do it. Stick to the schedule and stay active. Stay physically active Exercise. Join a gym, if you must. Join yoga is that’s more your thing. Even a walk around the block everyday counts as exercise. Stay physically active and stay organized with it. Write down your goals Part of unemployment is listing down job offers or looking for jobs. Since it is not a 1-day work, write down your goals. How many jobs are you going to apply for, how many interviews to prepare for, temporarily join a temp agency – write he down and follow through. Reach out to talk to someone If you are feeling distressed or depressed, try talking to a close friend or family. Vent it out rather than keeping it all in. Imbibe healthy coping mechanisms Exercising, writing a journal, painting, meditating, yoga are all great examples of healthy coping mechanisms. Imbibe coping mechanisms that do good to your body. Stay away from toxic coping habits It’s easy to resort to drinking or drugs to keep things off your mind. But in the long run they do not help. Stay away from toxic coping mechanisms that can potentially make you lose track of your goals.
