Unemployment Depression

Unemployment
Depression Tips

Beating unemployment blues

There are a number of ways that you can beat the unemployment blues and actually catapult yourself to a whole new level in your career and life. The first thing is looking at this change as a new opportunity to reshift your goals, values and perhaps even career direction.

Tips to beating the blues

• Realize that your not alone. During this economic downturn unemployment is a sad reality that is touching almost every family, neighborhood, and community.
• Feeling bad about what happened is completely normal. There are alot of emotions that are just a natural part of a career change.
• Unemployment is just a temporary life cycle. Don't look at your current unemployment as a permanent fact of life, but rather just the temporary adjustment that it is.
• Develop a plan. This is one of the most important parts of what happens next. It's important to develop a plan just like you would have for work. Except this plan is just for you! Honestly assess what you want to do, what is important to you and your family, what steps do you need to take to get there, and most importantly don't forget to keep your network strong. Use Facebook and Twitter to stay in touch with friends and business contacts. Let them know of your availability.
• Keep the big picture. Oftentimes it's during major life changes like this that people reevaluate what is important to them and what they want. Use this as an opportunity for personal growth. Don't go to church? Now may be the time to start. Has spending gotten out of hand? Now is the time to reevaluate how your spending your money. Need to start exercising? Now would be a great time to start.
• know when to get help. Let's face it sometimes life can get overwhelming. Talk to your physician or other health care professional about what you're going through and see what help they may be able to provide.

 

 

Unemployment Depression

 

Tips for Alleviating Unemployment Depression

Can you relate to this unemployment depression situation? When you become unemployed, you may feel like you have lost control of your future and your self-confidence begins to erode as a result. You know what it's like. You feel discouraged and unsure what the future holds. It shakes your very identity and the way you perceive yourself. Bad habits that you once thought were gone suddenly creep back into your life with a new vigor that makes you feel even worse about yourself and your situation. You begin to question your relationships and the way you are perceived. Unfortunately, turning on the news only makes it worse. The big question looming in your mind is what can you do and is there any relief.

Recent studies have shown that a high percentage of individuals develop depression within six months of becoming unemployed. Unemployment depression is a serious problem that throws you into a cycle of defeat because its debilitating symptoms can make it even harder for you to find another job. It's like a vicious cycle. Unemployment depression in its early stages is typically characterized by physical symptoms such as headache, stomachache, and sexual dysfunction. Other symptoms that may eventually arise include irritability, fatigue, sluggishness, and loss of interest in things you used to enjoy. People who have been unemployed for more than three months are particularly susceptible to unemployment depression.

 

How to Lift Yourself Out of Unemployment Depression

Creating a plan to follow is very helpful in alleviating unemployment depression. Make a daily schedule for job hunting and have a goal of something to do each day. For example, you can volunteer or take a college course to acquire a new job skill and boost your resume. It is also a good idea to take an occasional break from your job hunting schedule. If you look for work from 9am to 3pm on weekdays, make sure to rest on the weekend and do things unrelated to job hunting to refresh and recharge. Spending time with your friends and participating in activities you enjoy will help to keep your spirits elevated.
If the symptoms of your unemployment depression are very serious, you should contact a doctor immediately. Otherwise you can take small steps to make yourself feel better. Getting 30 minutes of exercise each day will dramatically improve your mood and outlook because it releases natural mood enhancers. Eating right will also help to improve the way you feel. When you wake up each morning, take a shower and get dressed. Don’t mope around in your pajamas all day even if you are going to spend the day making phone calls or writing emails. The way you dress affects the way you feel overall and if you are dressed for success, success is bound to come your way.

 

In moments of discouragement, defeat, or even despair, there are always certain things to cling to. Little things usually: remembered laughter, the face of a sleeping child, a tree in the wind—in fact, any reminder of something deeply felt or dearly loved. No man is so poor as not to have many of these small candles. When they are lighted, darkness goes away—and a touch of wonder remains.

- "These Small Candles" ...tombstone inscription in Britain

Quick Tips for Finding a Job - the best way to combat unemployment depression

In addition to taking steps to alleviate your unemployment depression, you should take your job hunting efforts up a notch in order to find a job faster and get out of your rut. You may be surprised how large the network of people you know is and how beneficial your network can be in helping you land a job. Tap into your network by talking to your fellow alumni, neighbors, ex-coworkers, church members, parents, parents’ friends, relatives, etc. Brush up on your job hunting skills by reading books about job interviews and careers. Learn how to cold call well and start cold calling companies you are interested in working for every day to increase your prospects. Create sample job interview questions and brainstorm good answers to them. Do role-play job interviews with your friends and family for practice. Tweak your resume and have other people look over it to help you make it the best it can be.

In conclusion, don’t let unemployment depression get the best of you. Letting yourself get sucked into the cycle of negativity and defeat that an extended period of unemployment can lead you to will only make it harder for you to find work and improve your situation. Stay positive and set goals for yourself by making a daily job hunting schedule. Balance your job hunting duties with exercise, resume-boosting activities, and recreational activities you enjoy. Keep the big picture and before you know it, you’ll be gearing up for your first day of work at the new job.

 

Unemployment Depression Helpful Resources

While you, your family and health care provider are the best resource for determining what steps are the most helpful for you there are a few excellent resources you may wish to consider as well. One book you'll find oftentimes referred to as one of the best on the topic is Feeling Good by David D. Burns, M.D. which focuses on treating depression without drugs. A description of the book is provided for your consideration. "The good news is that anxiety, guilt, pessimism, procrastination, low self-esteem, and other "black holes" of depression can be cured without drugs. In FEELING GOOD, eminent psychiatrist, David D. Burns, M.D., outlines the remarkable, scientifically proven techniques that will immediately lift your spirits and help you develop a positive outlook on life. Now, in this updated edition, Dr. Burns adds an ALL-NEW CONSUMER'S GUIDE TO ANTIDEPRESSANT DRUGS as well as a new introduction to help answer your questions about the many options available for treating depression." This book can be found at nearly any bookstore as well as Amazon.

This site is for information and support and does not a substitute for professional advice.