So you got shitcanned.Fired. Laid off. Were you shown the door and it hit ya where the good lord split ya?

Yup. Me too. Now in my third smash week , I have found a few tips that may be helpful. No, not how to get a job because, obviously, I don’t have any answers for that. This is how you keep sane.

1) Take the Check. I’ve heard a lot of folks try to be proud and not file for unemployment. NO! Take the check. This is money you have earned and the government has taken away. Time to cash in! Take the check. You may be in for a long haul so any extra pennies help. UE is probably about 25-45% of what you used to get a week. This is nice for the occasional movie, beer run or credit card payment. It takes about ten minutes of work every few weeks. Also, it takes about a month before check start rolling in regularly. Next month you will need it.

2) Manage your time. Looking for a gig is a full time job. True but treating it as such is a sure fire way to drive yourself insane. Limit searching to 4-5 hours a day. I like 8-10 am and then 3-5 pm. With this extra downtime do something for yourself. With so many endless possibilities in online resources it can be overwhelming. This also includes checking e-mail and social networking sites. You can probably get through all of your email in three sessions. I do it at 10, 3 and 5. What do you with your downtime? Get out of the house! You don’t actually have to go anywhere, just around the block.

3) Lunch at a reasonable hour. Give yourself a lunch break every day. And GO to lunch. Make yourself a sammich and hang out at a park, your apartment complex common area or pool; anywhere but INSIDE.

4) Nap! We all think that we must be uber job searchers. We are not machines.  There is only a certain amount of internet job searching you can do every day before reaching hyper dementia. Take some time every day for yourself. Preferably nap after lunch,  like you used to fantasize about around 2:00 when you were working.  I like 3:00 to 3:30..Some folks think this unproductive, but in this time of high stress give yourself a little extra.

5) Listen to Music- Drag out old albums, Shit you haven’t listened to in years. It will remind you of a time when you could conquer the world. Do not fear the most laughable stuff, like the “Pretty In Pink” soundtrack; which isn’t half bad. Also really listen to the lyrics, it makes you feel smart.

6) Read the paper a few times a week. Not online, the paper. It costs 25 to 50 cents. When reading the paper start by throwing away the Business section.  Start with the sections that have nothing to do with your career. So if you are politician, start with sports. If you are actor/model/whatever go with op-ed. If you are a Realtor start with entertainment, Try the crossword. First of all, it enlightens you to what is happening outside of your world. In interviews you can drop tidbits like “I was reading the Times the other day and it said...”  It sounds impressive. Also, the Library has a ton of magazines that are free to read. Trust me, even "Men's Health" will put some enrichment into  your day. Start with a magazine which is completely foreign to you

7) Let the dishes pile up. Then do them all in one fell swoop. Makes you feel accomplished and adult.

8) Eat more ice cream. This always makes me feel better. Again, go out to do it; the carton on your lap on the couch doesn't count. It's only 75 cents a scoop at Rite Aid.

9) Get off your ass. You don't have to take up yoga oranything. WALK to the ice cream, library or Starbucks. It's that easy!

Wish I could be over more help.

-CP

 TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed