Let's take a break from venting about the job market and discussing the frustration of getting nowhere and talk about Mental Health for a minute.
Anyone can tell you that this process is demotivating, depressing and lonely. I think I do it every week I write something. But it's really important to not let these things bring you any lower than they have to. It's inevitable we'll all feel down as we go through out job search, there's no way to eradicate that feeling, but it is possible to bounce back from that low place by taking time away from the search. Here are my top tips for taking care of your mental health as you look for a job.
1. Exercise
I know everybody hates this cliche suggestion. It's hard enough to motivate yourself to do exercise, let alone when somebody else tells you you need to do it. But exercise remains one of the best ways to get your mind off of whatever is negatively affecting your emotions - even if it's because you're too focused on your lack of breath to be able to think about anything else. It also means that all the energy you store up as you sit at a desk actually goes somewhere, your body can stretch out and move and those aches from sitting still can be shook off. You don't need to do something every single day, even going for a walk can help you calm down and refocus yourself.
2. Socialise
When you're holed up with your computer all day, it is so, so easy to not talk to anyone. Whether your family are at work or your friends are away, sometimes we just don't think to contact anyone, especially if we have no news to tell them. I advise you take my sister's view of things here: phone people out of the blue and tell them everything, even what you had for dinner. Sure it seems mundane, but when we were both at university, sometimes the thing that made me smile at the end of the day was hearing her chatter on about absolute nonsense. If you can, see people in person, but if not, remember that there are people who want to talk to you - and they don't need to know anything about the job search if you don't want to talk about it.
3. Find a hobby
I cannot describe how viscerally I hated being told this. When I left my job to complete my final year of university, I found I had more time on my hands than before and to fill this time I was told to 'get a hobby'. Yes, the person was right, but that didn't mean it didn't feel like an insult to hear that, beyond university and work, this person didn't think I did anything. The difference was that now I could do those hobbies seriously; I found it was okay to give an hour over to embroidery if it made me happy. A year on and I have even more spare time, and whilst I like to spend it productively, sometimes it's good to just put down the work things and do something for myself. In fact, I've just picked up knitting in order to try something new!
4. Leave the house
It's important to remember you still have a life. Don't let it pass you by because you're sat at a computer day after day rewriting your cover letter. The other thing about sitting at your computer all day is that you don't get fresh air or a chance to look away from a screen. There is no doubt in my mind that screen time does us no good, so my advice is simply to get up and stand outside. Obviously I fully support going out and doing things, but for days when this isn't an option, just standing in your garden for ten minutes and thinking about something other than work can be like pressing a pause button on the world.
5. Talk about it
Part of the reason I have this blog is so that, when I don't want to bother people in my life again about the fact I don't have a job yet, there is somewhere I can go to talk it out. I know there are people reading who can relate and sometimes that's enough. When it's not, there are people around me who will listen and - this is the important part - just listen. Sometimes you don't need people to give me advice or say "You'll find something", sometimes you just need to let out everything that's in your head just to get it out of your head. It really helps to have someone like this in your life, not just for job searching but for everything.
Hopefully some of these tips help. It's important to remember we are more than just the job we do (or the job we are searching for). Daring as it sounds, you're even allowed a day off the job search every once in a while.
Good Luck and Take Care
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