This may sound counter-productive. As if we're telling you to kick back, be lazy, veg-out, do nothing and stop worrying. Are we nuts or what? You just lost your job and you're hearing from everybody else that you need to Man-Up (or Woman-Up), pull yourself up by the bootstraps, get off of your rear and get to work finding a job, take responsibility for your situation, blah, blah, blah. And we're telling you to do nothing?
No! We just had you complete three very difficult tasks before you got to this point. As a result, you should have already completed those three items, or at least have them in progress. So, this suggestion is only to allow you to take a breather after you have taken care of the items that you must take care of first.
Any job loss is a stressful situation. When coupled with other life events, the combined stress can become dangerous to your health and well-being. Sleeping too much, moodiness, isolationist behaviors, depression, irritability, etc. are all signs of adverse reactions to stress. Job loss itself is in the top 10 most stressful life events according to the Holmes and Rahe stress scale. For more information and a list of these stressful events, click here. To take a short test to evaluate your current stress level, try this link. When you know and study the enemy well, he is much easier to defeat.
OK. That said, what do you need to do now? Rest and relax. Although it may seem so, your world is not coming to an end. You've just reached one of the many forks in the road that you will experience in your life. When you reach those forks, the path that you take will affect you considerably. So, there's nothing wrong with just sitting down and taking a deep breath before you choose your new path. You don't want to overdo it, but a short break can do wonders for your psyche.
Read a book by one of your favorite authors. Watch a movie or two (check out your library - you might be surprised as to how many movies they have - to borrow for free - more on this resource later). Sleep in late. Are there a few things that you "haven't had the time to do" around the house? Watch that show on late-night TV that you never got to see because you've had to get up at five o'clock every weekday morning. Break the routine for two or three days. You may not get this chance again for quite a while. Take advantage of it. This doesn't mean you're lazy. It doesn't (necessarily) mean that depression is making you cower in the corner. It just means that you need to clear the fuzz out of your head. Make sure that your family and friends understand this. Have them read this page if need be. Just remember that, like everything else in life, moderation is the key. Don't overdo it.
Once this is over, you should be more refreshed, and ready to tackle all of the things that you need to in order to start down the path to the next stage of your life. Believe it or not, most people in your situation find out that (ultimately) their new life is more positive and rewarding that it had been in the past. You're smarter and more seasoned than you were when you took your last job. You're a better judge of the situations that you prefer and the situations that you want to avoid in the future. You have a better chance to improve on your career now. It just doesn't seem that way right now, and that is understandable. We'll work with you in order to help you realize that.
Just one thing to remember here. Because of the requirements of your state's Unemployment Department, you will be required to make a minimum number of job contacts each week. If you fail to do so, you can lose some or all of your benefits. You also must file each week. Do not fail to meet these obligations. This is crucial!
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