“Looking for Work” is the title of last weekend’s Pacific Northwest article about people who have lost their jobs and have been out of work for many months now. The subtitle is “more than jobs are lost to those laid off.” When I open to the article the headline reads “The Castaways… through months without work, time to cry, to connect, to hunt and to reimagine.”
Interesting, according to my spell check, the word “reimagine” does not exist, but it’s probably the biggest thing happening out there these days. Imagine being a woman in your 50’s with a skill set working in early childhood education and your job is gone? How do you take those skills and “reimagine” yourself doing something different?
Being unemployed is difficult on so many levels. The first one is that you’ve lost your income. The second one and possibly even the more devastating one is that you’ve lost your identity. The third is that you’ve lost your routine and the fourth is that you’ve lost the day to day camaraderie with the folks you used to work with. On a personal level, it’s all pretty devastating.
Having been unemployed for months on end myself in prior economic downturns, I can attest to this from a personal level. I remember spending hours (before the internet) calling around, taking classes, taking tests trying to figure out who I was in the world of work and sleeping late and feeling sorry for myself. I took jobs doing whatever I could to get back into the world of work, including working in a warehouse, being a prep cook and working as a janitor. Once I was working again, jobs in my chosen fields were offered and eventually I became employed in an entirely new career.
I also got caught up in make money quick rip offs and gave the little money in savings I had to very bad people who had no intention of helping me make money. With the help of others I was successful in putting one of those shysters behind bars. Today there are so many people ripping other people off in the name of making money online, it can feel very discouraging.
So, what’s this all about? And how do you keep your sanity during this period if you’re one of the 10% currently unemployed and going crazy trying to find work?
Here’s my list of what I’d do differently if I was unemployed today (instead of what I did when I was unemployed before).
1. Wake up in the morning and appreciate my life, my creativity, my cat, the roof over my head and the food that will sustain me that day.
2. Meditate for 10, 15 or 30 minutes.
3. Go out for a walk if you can. Just get out of the house for awhile. If you still have access to a gym, go and work out.
4. Make contact with a good friend or family member and just check in. Let them know how much you appreciate them. When you appreciate your friends, you appreciate yourself. This is so important.
4. Have a good nourishing breakfast, maybe with a friend.
5. Remind yourself to stay fully present in the present moment and do this whenever you feel like you’re sinking from the weight of being unemployed or worry sets in.
6. Do something creative like write, paint, play an instrument, sing or dance to some music in your living room. The point here is to keep remembering how amazing you are.
7. If you’re sending out resumes, send a few more out. Check in with your temp agencies if your looking for contract work.
8. Really think about what a perfect day would look like for you. If you’re so inclined, start a blog on a free site like wordpress.com or blogger.com and write about your experiences being unemployed or your experiences being a great mom to your cat or whatever makes you feel good. I know for myself I’ve gotten lost in the crazies about what to write about when really it’s right in front of me. For instance, when an old friend asked me for my lasagna recipe, it felt like nothing to write it all out in full detail.
9. Appreciate yourself some more. Remember that you’re a unique and amazing person with so many gifts and talents you are willing to offer. When you keep this in mind, you will find a match.
10. Because all lists should probably end on the number 10, here goes. Enjoy the time off. that’s the biggest regret I have for my periods of unemployment, is that I spent the time worrying and freaking out. You will be employed again or you will work for yourself or you will have obligations on your time in the future. Accept and appreciate the time you have now. In fact, cherish it with all your heart!
If you have something to add to my list, I’d love for you to please comment.
