Caring for Your Mental Health While Looking for a Job
Looking for a new job can be mentally and emotionally taxing, especially if you are someone with an already existing mental health issue. Even if you don’t have an existing issue, it can feel difficult to stay positive when on the hunt for a job when the market seems to be against you. Here are some ways you can help look after your mental well-being while job hunting.
Schedule your Day
This one is the advice everyone gives but is the most difficult to manage, set a schedule and stick to it. If you are in a position where you are job hunting and are currently employed trying to manage time for applications and interviews is a daunting task. Break down your tasks as much as possible so you know exactly what you are working on and when, and plan out the time to do them.
If you are a person who is currently unemployed and looking for a job then this is even harder to stick to and requires a lot of self-discipline. Create a schedule of what you need to do and include breaks as part of the schedule. Force yourself to not only look for work but to actively practice self-care. Don’t plan on spending 10+ hours job hunting, instead set a baseline of around 5 hours of job searching and career development with the rest of your day spent looking after your mental health.
Set Realistic Goals
“So many people will set a goal like ‘I will be employed within the next two months' without considering the fact they cannot predict what the job market will look like,” warns Christine Braun, a business writer at Elite assignment help and UK Writings review. These unrealistic goals tend to come from older self-help books that talk about the law of attraction or the manifestation of goals. It can take several months to find work and this has only gotten more difficult in recent years.
For your mental health, it’s better to set smaller goals. Decide how you plan to apply for work and how many jobs you will apply to in a day. You may even make some tiered goals that are quantifiable and easy to accomplish. This also has the benefit of breaking work down into smaller manageable steps that show the progress you are making even if you haven’t yet got to that final goal of employment.
Practice Mindfulness and Self Care
The biggest thing to do when job searching is to ensure you are looking after yourself emotionally, physically, and mentally. Set time aside to deal with any surges of emotion you feel and try not to judge yourself too harshly if you haven’t met a goal.
Work out what self-care means for you on top of the basics like ensuring you drink enough water, get enough sleep and eat healthily. Work out the time these activities take and the materials needed and put these moments into your day. Even if it’s only 10 minutes at the end of a long day it can go a long way to improving your mental health.
It sounds very flowery and some people can find it strange to do at first but creating affirmations can help boost you when you’re down. Put up notes that remind yourself why you’re doing this and what your values are. Create little rituals for job applications where you have been unsuccessful in processing the feelings of rejection. Remember you are an individual and not your job, work does not define you. This is especially true if you’ve been laid off or are unemployed. Take some time to learn new skills and appreciate what it is that makes you, you.
Ask for Help
“A lot of us don’t like to do it but sometimes all you can do is be brave and ask someone for help,” says journalist James Hernandez of Revieweal and OX Essays review. Whether it’s reaching out to friends or family for advice, going to groups to help practice interviews and to help review your CV, getting in touch with former co-workers to help you network, or admitting you need some bigger help in the form of a therapist there is no shame in asking for help when it feels too much.
Sharing the concerns you have can help lessen the burden you feel and may even pay dividends in your job search. Most of your friends or family will have been in a similar position before and will be happy to help you in whatever way you need. It’s the hardest step but at the end of the day, it’s the one that might benefit you the most.
Wrapping Up
At the end of the day, remember that while a job is vital to be able to pay the bills it is not the only thing that matters. Ensure you take time to care for yourself and ask for help when you need it.
Content Contributor:
Writer and marketing strategist Rebecca Leigh, Write My Essay and Big Assignments, spends most of her work hours consulting with businesses or attending conferences relating to marketing and technology. When she has the time, she contributes to online magazines and blogs like Do My Assignment.
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