April 3, 2009

Easy ways to accentuate the positive after a layoff

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If you're like me, you don't like to be told to "just cheer up." Nothing plasters a frown on my face faster than hearing someone tell me to "snap out of it" whenever I'm troubled by something. And being out of work certainly classifies as one of those troubling times.

But in this economy, which is forcing people to keep up the job search for several months at a time, it's important to remember how much of your mood can be affected by the conscious choices you make. It may be tempting to give up and mope on the couch after a layoff, but such behavior only adds to the problem.

Here are some immediate things you can do to readjust your attitude while you're scanning the online job boards and updating your LinkedIn page:

Turn off the evening news: It's bad enough that we're in a deep recession, but do we have to have the point hammered home to us at 4, 5, 6 and 11 p.m. every night? The TV news networks serve an important journalistic purpose, but remember that their primary goal is to boost ratings -- and nothing attracts eyeballs like gloom and doom. It's very important to recognize how easy it can be to get sucked into a media-fueled TV misery spiral. Read a paper (or, um, blog) instead.

Reach out to others: The business of searching for a new job, especially after a layoff, is a lonely pursuit, but just being unemployed doesn't mean you have to lock yourself in your den. Use your Facebook or Twitter connections to schedule occasional meet-ups with other job-seekers to commiserate. With February unemployment rate reaching 8.4 percent in Washington state, you'd be surprised how many others are in the same boat and will be willing to share leads about work opportunities.

Maintain a daily schedule: Just because you don't have to be at a desk by 9 a.m. doesn't mean you can start to relive your night-owl college schedule. Set a timetable of regular tasks to maintain discipline as you continue your search -- and don't forget to include coffee breaks.

Prepare for the long haul: Many of the laid-off people I know say the hardest part of being unemployed came months later when the depth of their predicament really sank in. One friend of mine said he wished he had planned for a long siege rather than living life day by day in the first few weeks of his job search. These days, regardless of the field you're in, start preparing immediately for at least six months of searching. Look for ways to cut expenses and consider doing some part-time or contract work to help pay the bills.

Don't forget to have some fun: The mind can only take so much serious activity. Set aside some time for leisure activities: Go outside for a walk, see an occasional movie matinee and get plenty of exercise to help relieve tension. Some of the most popular stress relievers these days are online "casual video games" that can be downloaded for a few dollars. For example, Seattle-based Big Fish Games offers a new game every day on their site, most of which can be downloaded and played for free for up to one hour -- a perfect, brain-clearing pick-me-up after trolling through Craigslist all day.

Randy Woods writes about job-search tools, networking techniques and other tips to help you land your dream job.

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