“A day of worry is more exhausting than a week of work” - John Lubbock
Many job seekers describe feeling overwhelmed with a sense of worry. Left unchecked worry can lead to sleep disturbance, depression, lack of focus and motivation, health and relationship problems and seriously interfere with the job seeking process.
Worry is an emotional state marked by getting caught up in negative thinking, leading to a harmful increase in arousal of the brain and body. There are many things that a job seeker may worry about: feeling uncertain and out of control, money worries, family responsibilities, the strain on relationships, applying for jobs, attending interviews, loss of identity and loneliness… the list goes on.
6 Productivity Hacks to Combat Worry
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Stay Healthy. A healthy brain worries less! Job seeking can take it’s toll on your health, but it can also be a time of opportunity to improve your health. Carve out time each day to focus on your health. Cook a delicious, healthy meal, stay hydrated, exercise regularly, sleep well and have some fun! Mindfulness practices such as meditation, yoga, prayer or gratitude journalling can help improve physical and mental health, relationships and productivity and are excellent tools against a worrying mind.
2. Create certainty. Looking for a job can be frustrating and make you feel that you are not in control of your own destiny. It’s important to create certainty by identifying and reducing your sources of worry, having a rock solid job seeking strategy, taking consistent daily action and making a financial plan for your job seeking process.
3. Work on your self esteem and confidence. Do things that make you feel good about yourself. When you have a job you complete project and (hopefully) get praise for a job well done. When you are not working you might feel a loss of value and significance. The cure to this is to create projects that make you feel that you are making progress. These projects may or may-not be job related: for example you might want to redecorate your bathroom or applying for five new jobs in the next week. Set yourself goals and reward yourself when you achieve them.
4. Connect with others. Loneliness and isolation is common, especially for long time job seekers and is very unhealthy. Spend time with friends and family who make you feel good. Join a support group and hang out with other job seekers. Accept every social situation that comes your way and get yourself out there! You never know when you might meet a potential business connection or bump into an old boss who is looking to hire. Maintaining your conversation skills is also essential for interviews that may come your way.
5. Avoid boredom. Boredom is the enemy of the job seeker and leaves way too much time for worry. Plan regular activities that are fun, exciting or that make you feel like you are making progress: go to a waterpark, take an art class, rediscover an old hobby or better still learn something new. You might want to learn something that might refresh your resume or something that would be interesting to talk about at an interview. You might just impress your next interviewer with an memorable story that makes you stand out from the crowd.
6. Contribute beyond yourself. There is no better cure for worry than helping out others in greater need than you. Offer your time and talent to friends and family or to a community project. Not only do you help yourself but you help others too, it really is win-win!
Say NO to worry
Worry is natural in the job seeking process but if left unchecked it will sabotage your success and make it harder to land your ideal job. Catch it early and use some of the strategies in this article to ensure it doesn’t take hold.
About the author
Dr Leonaura Rhodes is a physician turned Health and Career Coach. She is Director of Programming for “Project: Job Search” and volunteers for New Canaan CaTS (Career Transition Support Group) a community group offering free workshops and support for job seekers.
For more information visit: project-jobsearch.com & newcanaancats.org.