By Kayla Matthews, Huffington Post
If you’re one of the approximately 30 million people who have been laid off from a job within the last five years, you know all too well that being unemployed can be depressing, to say the least.
People looking for work stand in line to apply for a job during a job fair. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
A new report released by the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development found that, despite the creation of nearly 10 million jobs and 54 consecutive months of economic growth, the job market remains incapable of offering enough full-time work for the number of unemployed Americans vying for job opportunities.
If this is you, don’t get too down on yourself. I know that’s easier said than done but it’s important to stay positive during this tough time in your life. Giving into feelings of hopelessness and depression are dangerous because they are bad for your health and your relationships, and they are damaging to your morale and your motivation to keep job hunting.
But staying positive when you’re unemployed can be very challenging at times, so here are a few things you can try to give yourself a boost when you’re having an especially rough day:
1. Remember that there are tons of other people in the same position as you (and worse).
Like I mentioned earlier, roughly 30 million people have lost their jobs within the last five years. While some days it may feel like the universe has singled you out as a target, keep in mind that there are literally millions of other people in the same position as you right now. And, sadly, some are much worse off.
When I’m having a really hard time dealing with something, like being out of a job or feeling stressed about bills, I try to remember that there are likely tons of other people going through exactly the same thing. I think that if I could stand in a room with all of those people, I would want to set an example for them and help them get through our situation. And that makes me want to be stronger.
2. Don’t blame yourself.
As Americans, we’re a very individualistic society. We place a lot of emphasis on being autonomous and in control of our lives. But, as much as we’d like to believe that we are the sole influencers of the many extraneous pieces of our lives, it’s important to know that there are some things we just can’t control as individual people. The Recession was one of those things.
If you were laid off as the result of economic downsizing or a company going out of business (or one of many other reasons for that matter), just know that it wasn’t your fault and that you can’t blame yourself for being out of work now.
There’s a lot of stiff competition out there and not getting an interview or not getting hired for a job doesn’t necessarily mean that you are unqualified or inferior in the grand scale of the job market. It just means the job didn’t work out this time.
The important thing is that you continue to value yourself as a person and, to do that, you need to stop blaming yourself for things that are outside of your control.
3. View your unemployment as an opportunity to get in shape.
If you aren’t working all those long hours right now, why not use some of your free time to exercise the way you wanted to when you were slammed with paperwork every night?
It’s okay to take some time for yourself and your health while you’re out of work. Plus, getting in shape while unemployed will help you stay positive by releasing endorphins in your brain, which act as a natural antidepressant and can boost your daily mood.
Additionally, using your period of unemployment to get in better shape can keep you looking healthy for that time when you do get called in for an interview, which certainly can’t hurt your chances of getting hired.
Read the full article HERE.
