How to stay sane while being unemployed

Every adult out there has been unemployed at some point or another in their life. Whether they just graduated from college and are looking for their first job in the “real” world or the troubled economy has caused their employer to make budget cuts, including eliminating their position. We’ve all been there.

Hopefully the time of your unemployment is minimal. But if not, you need to make sure you don’t lose your mind while you’re waiting to find your next dream job. You can’t be searching for a job 24/7. (If you can, let me in on your secrets … LOL). You basically know what sources are out there where you live. You can’t keep checking those sources all day long. Some (like newspapers and their websites) are only updated once a day. Even if you are looking for work in an industry that has a TON of openings, you’ll still have some time on your hands … whether it’s waiting to see if you get an interview or finding out if you get the job after an interview.

So what you do with that down time could make or break you … could keep you sane or drive you stark raving mad. Here are some things that I’ve been doing to try to keep myself from falling prey to the latter.

1. Keep doing what you’ve been doing, only for yourself. Of course, this one really depends on what type of work that you’re looking for. In my case, I’m a web programmer. I have my own websites that I can work on. I’ve had ideas bouncing around in my head for web applications that I just never got around to because I was too tired after a day of work or some other excuse. I have the time to pursue them now.

2. Learn new things, maybe even something that can help in your job hunt. I’ve recently become really interested in social media. (I blame Twitter.) While I have some time on my hands, I think I’m going to delve deeper into the industry. I may never use it in my professional life, but you never know.

3. Expand your horizons. Learn a new hobby. Find something to take your mind off being unemployed, even if it is only for a hour a day.

4. Spend time with friends. Lean on your friends. They’re there for you. That’s why they’re your friends. You’d be there for them. This is something that I need to learn to do more. I tend to withdraw in times like this.

5. Clean up your house/apartment. Since you might not have time to give your place a good cleaning when you’re working full time, now is the time to do some of the things that you’ve been putting off.

Those are just a few things that can keep you occupied and your mind off things while you’re waiting to find your next perfect job. And hopefully that wait is really short.