On the whole, unemployment sucks.
It's hard to find ways to stay positive when you have nothing to get up for in the morning.
But instead of curling up in a ball on the sofa and watching a sappy romcom with a tub of ice cream, let’s focus on the positives.
No, this isn’t some wishy-washy philosophical piece about finding your inner chi.
Instead, it’s a handy little guide designed to keep you motivated and positive during your unemployment days.
Stay active and on schedule ⌚
While having more time in the day may seem like you have more opportunities to do exercise, the feelings that come with job searching can sometimes make you feel unmotivated.
Breaking your usual eating, sleeping and exercise cycle can result in weight gain and binge eating on unhealthy snacks.
Once you’ve enjoyed the luxury of one or two extra lie-ins, you need to restore your usual working day routine.
Giving yourself structure will make it easier for you to mentally focus on completing exercise and eating the right things at the right time.
Which in turn will make you happier!
Socialise 📲
Don’t use your cash flow as an excuse to hide away from friends and family.
In fact, socialising is one of the best ways to stay positive, as they will give you the support you need.
Relying solely on your own self-esteem isn’t a good idea.
Friends and family can build you up, encourage you and even inspire you.
They may even have some connections who can help you find a new job opportunity.
Help others 👐
One of the most frustrating and demoralising parts about being unemployed is not being able to contribute your skills, experience and knowledge to any projects.
To solve this, try volunteering for an organisation that means something to you.
Whether this is a daily or weekly occurrence, it not only looks great on the CV, but it will make you feel valued again.
The feeling of accomplishment is a powerful thing.
Read inspirational quotes 📖
You’re not the only person in history to face career challenges.
Reading famous quotes from celebrities, icons and events in popular culture is often a nice remedy to keeping your spirits high.
And guess what, we’ve got loads waiting for you to explore:
’50 Motivational Quotes To Put A Smile On Your Face’ – read more
’27 Motivational Quotes From Famous Movies [Infographic]’ – read/see more
‘9 Inspirational Quotes from Marvel [Infographic] – read/see more
Think quality, not quantity 🎯
It’s a bitter pill to swallow when you get rejected multiple times by various employers.
However, you shouldn’t feel bad about it.
Instead, think about what you can do to improve your applications.
A common mistake a vast majority of unemployed professionals make is to compromise quality in exchange for quantity.
Sure, probability suggests that you will eventually get a job – but will it actually be something you want to do?
As an alternative, try to use the time necessary to craft bespoke CVs and cover letters for each job opening.
While you may only submit a handful of applications a day, you will go away knowing that you’ve done absolutely everything you possibly could to land the job.
Now, that’s a reason to smile!
Let it go! 🧘♀️
The Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius once said:
“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realise this, and you will find strength.”
No words ring truer.
Focus on what you can control, like improving your application and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Use the time made available to try new things out.
Are there any free online courses you can do? Have you been meaning to join a club or learn how to play an instrument?
Broaden your mind and focus on your present surroundings. Sitting in a room searching for jobs 24/7 isn’t going to make you happy.
Find the job search and social life balance.
Expect the same question ❔
You’ll soon realise that friends and family will ask you the same question: “how is the job hunt going?”
Pre-empt this kind of question by practising your answers.
Be positive and finish your answer by asking the person whether they know anyone in your chosen industry that could help with your job search.
This instantly pushes the emphasis back on them and demonstrates your positive attitude towards the situation.
If you don’t think about how you answer this question, it’s going to really frustrate and upset you after hearing it a few times.
Summary
To sum this blog up, unemployment should be seen as a time for a change.
It may feel like you’ve reached rock bottom, but in theory, the only way is up.
We live life in the fast lane, so take this brief moment in your life to reassess your goals, figure out what you want to do and take any necessary steps towards achieving it.
Register your details with recruitment agencies like us and set up alerts on all the popular job boards.
It’s only a matter of time until something suitable crops up and you’ll look back at this moment wondering why you didn’t take the opportunity to take stock.
To help with your job search, you may find some of our previous blogs useful:
‘4 Steps to Successfully Promote Yourself’ – read more
‘4 Things an Employer Wants to See in a Candidate’ – read more
‘5 Good Hobbies to Include On Your CV and 3 Hobbies Not to’ – read more
‘6 Ways to Make Your Social Media Look Professional to Employers’ – read more
Keep smiling!
