Keeping Your Spirits Up During a Job Hunt

Written by Alora

Topics: Lessons & Epiphanies, Lifestyle, Miscellaneous

connecting-people Job hunting is rough for oh-so-many reasons. One of the things that is hardest about it, though, is managing your own attitude and spirits. If there is one thing that is liable to get you into trouble during a job hunt, it is unmanaged anxiety.

I’ve written before about some of the things that I discovered were helpful during a job hunt, but in talking to other people, some more questions have come up that I want to offer suggestions about.

Time is Like Money: You Can Only Spend it Once
This is one of those things that is really obvious, but that most of us need the occassional reminder about. Time is precious, and you have to consider when you are spending it wisely, versus when you are just blowing through it on the temperal equivelant of Twinkies.

A really, really great thing to do while you’re hunting for a job is finding local organizations to get involved with. It might be a non-profit, it might be a Meetup group, it might be an internship at a local company. Whatever it is, consider that volunteering your time gives you the following:

you are (theoretically) doing something that can go on your resume to help fill in an employment gap
you are networking with people you wouldn’t normally have access to
you showcasing your skills to a new assortment of people who might have entirely different ideas that might be helpful for you
you are working on things that can give you a sense of accomplishment and pride, which come across in your attitude when speaking to prospective recruiters/employers

The first thing that people say when you talk about volunteering their time during a job hunt is to counter with the ultra-important point: but I need to make money. Of course you do. No one is disputing that. But the point is that you cannot spend every possible second of the day job hunting. Aside from your mental health requiring a break, look at volunteering your time as time spent networking. If necessary, do it instead of something else (like watching TV).

You Are What You Eat
This one is hard, because when you are looking for a job, it’s often more comfortable to socialize with people who are either in the same boat or with people we know and with whom we feel safe. But there is no more important time to work on expanding your social networking than when you are job hunting. And, even more importantly, it’ll help keep you sharp.

Just like the food we consume helps determine our physical help, the information — including the attitudes, personalities, data and social cues — we consume will determine our mental health. People look like their friends and associates more often than not. If your friends and regular social circle are not providing you with the support and motivation you need, then start expanding your horizons to include some new influences.

Is your mother a downer who depresses you for days every time you talk? Then pick up a couple of cards at the dollar store so that you can write her quick “Thinking of You” cards for a while instead of calling her and letting her bring you down.

Is your best friend miserable in their life and only ever want to complain over drinks about how lousy a day they’ve had? Then shake things up a bit. Use being unemployed as an excuse to avoid going out for drinks (too expensive!), and drag them out to do something else instead. A game of bowling often costs the same as a single drink and lasts longer. It’s also a physical activity that will get you both moving a bit, provide some good people watching, and give you other things to talk about.

There is no need to “dump” the people you care about. Just don’t let them bring you down. And if some of the most important people in your life are not being helpful when it comes to keeping your spirits up, then it’s also fair game to tell them that you need their support and help in staying positive. Most people don’t realize when they start becoming a downer to be around. Often times, just pointing out that you are counting on them to keep your spirits up is enough to help them become more aware of their own habits.

I had some other valuable tips I learned that you may want to check out, too. But the keys I’ve found are not slipping into old habits, because no matter how comfortable they may be, they are often the embodiment of that old saying: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” If you need a new outcome, don’t rely on doing the same old same old to get there.

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