| Topic Name: |
Unemployment & Depression |
| Message Name: |
Unemployment & Depression |
| Date Posted: |
09/17/2004 |
| In Reply To: |
You know you are depression if:
1. You sleep for long periods of time.
2. You focus on yourself and your situation. No friends, no family or no one else.
3. Your pysical appearance is changing not for the better either in weight loss/gain or hygiene.
Here are some recommendations:
1. Go for walks in parks woods or along beaches. When you were employed you paid taxes and those taxes paid for those public arenas such as National Parks, local parks, libraries, etc. So you might as well use what you have paid for.
2. Exercise!!!! LIfting weights or aerobics or bicyling. Anything to get oxygen to your brain and get those endorphins rushing. Good advantage is you will look toned, vibrant and fresh for those next interview when they occur.
3. Do something for some one else. If it is just reading at the library for children or helping with voter registration for the elderly or something that uses any of the many talent you have. YOur skilss and talents are worth immeasurably more than the dollars you fleetingly earn.
4. I recommend reading Psalms 35, Psalms 23, Psalms 112 and Deuteronomy 8. As long as you're waithing for your next job you might as well be waiting patiently and in peace.
5. Also consider all the things you wanted to do when you were working but couldn't. Have you finished that book or attended that class or started the project which you put off, due to work? Don't get depress over not doing them get inspired.
P.S.
If you must seek professional, then see if your unemplyment office know of any resources that are free or low-cost. Usually talking with some one at a job club or community center (church, univerisity, outplacement center).
THE LAST THING YOU SHOULD CONSIDER IS A PHARMACEUTICAL SOLUTION FOR DEPRESSION. (1) Drugs are expensive, be they legal/illegal and on limited income this will only make your cash flow worse.
(2) The side effects are listed on the package but definitely unpredicatable for each human.
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| Message: |
Having been unemployed or underemployed since Feb. 2001 I certainly understand how you're feeling, I have been through every emotional cycle several times! When you sit around the house all day reading job postings your brain starts to whither and you feel as if you've forgotten all that stuff you have on your resume. The self doubt gets a good grip and that combined with the depression becomes self-defeating in your job search because it affects your body language, the language you use in cover letters and the way you project yourself. Most of the posts here are good advice; I will add a few other suggestions.
1 - Don't just get out, get yourself to professional functions for your field where you can meet valuable contacts and exercise those brain cells which seem to be dying off.
2 - Network, network, network! This does not mean schmoozing and it doesn't mean going to singles gatherings. There are probably several professional networking organizations operating in your city, get on the email lists and attend all the functions you can. Talk to anyone and everyone there and HAVE BUSINESS CARDS! If you don't have any personal business cards have some made FREE at www.vistaprint.com. I suggest that you gather a few cards from other people you meet before ordering yours so that you can see what looks good and what doesn't. Keep it professional, don't go for the flashy or brightly colored (as in flowered) card styles and don't allow the order form to dictate format. I used the text fields to enter a mini-resume instead of the info in the field name. It's very informative for anyone who reads my card or finds it later in their desk and can't remember what I do.
3 - When you're depressed your appearance usually suffers. Hair looks unruly, nails get rough, dress is always casual because you figure "what's the point in dressing up?" But our appearance has a profound affect on the way we feel and the image we portray. It also makes a first impression that's hard to overcome if it was bad. You never know who you might run into at the grocery store, the hairdresser, the doctor's office or a networking function. Make a point to always look clean and well dressed (not a suit but professional) when you leave the house, and always have business cards with you.
4 ?? When in a long job search the search itself can become a hindrance because it gives employers the impression that you weren??t trying to find work, you consider yourself too good to do low level work or you??re unemployable. To overcome this start working temp jobs of any kind at any company for any rate of pay that makes it worth your time to get out of bed in the morning. This pay rate issue is important to consider because it can mean the difference between working or not. Figure out what your unemployment benefits are equal to with taxes and add on a bit more for the effort of getting out of bed and having clothes dry cleaned (if necessary). Don??t go in demanding $30/hr for clerical temp work, depending on cost of living in your city you can reasonably expect to get between $10-$15/hr with more if you have accounting skills. If you live in a rural or outlying area the rate will be much lower for local work so consider the commute and parking costs of getting to the business district or major office parks and look for temp work in those areas, the pay is better. Don??t get upset at being asked to take a typing test; anyone applying for clerical work is going to be asked to take reading, filing, typing, math and software tests ?? regardless of your gender or degree.
Regardless of personal politics, it is my belief that the market will improve after the election so keep your head up and be prepared to start looking hard and working harder. Good luck in your search!
Simone
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