Unemployed for a week and going stir crazy

olias

You could just put the kettle on and watch bargain hunt..........

Olias

bananachip

Can you get yourself into some kind of routine for your weekdays which might make you feel better. Give yourself a set time to get up and say 9 to 12 is jobsearch and apply for job times.

Have you anything you would like to achieve you have not got round to like getting fit or a DIY project? Use an hour a day or so to get that done too. It is so easy to end up wasting loads of time when you have nothing planned and doing something every day which will give you a sense of achievement will make you feel better.

claire16c

Ive had a job since I was 16 but currently unemployed as Im waiting for a new job to start in October, I am counting the days!! So to pass the time whilst I am looking for temping work, which seems to be few and far between, I have completely redecorated my living room, got another 2 doors to paint this week, seen friends - which obviously is hard when most people are at work!!But I do have some who work odd hours or are teachers etc.

Ive done baking, Ive done a car boot, Ive put stuff on ebay. When its been nice weather Ive sat outside sunbathing and reading a book - because that is one thing I would love to do when I have been at work on a hot day, Ive also gone to an outside swimming pool, taken walks, looked after friends kids, exercise videos even. And then each day go on the computer to do job searches too. So Im finding the time is actually going pretty fast.

I guess its easier for me because I do know I have a job its just not starting yet - but then that is also restricting me on the jobs I can apply for, so at least for you you can apply for anything. In the mean time maybe you should try to do the things youve mentioned you would do if you were on holiday - and try not to feel so anxious because as long as you know you have done everything possible in your job search, there is not much more you can do.

smileylondongal

I felt very much like you when I was made redundant and I soon realised that they key for me not feeling that way was to structure my day. So I'd get up early at 8am and spend a couple of hours job hunting and making agency calls. I'd either then do a bit of housey stuff or read up on my old job area to keep up with it, until lunch after which I'd find an inexpensive excuse to go out - either meeting mates, volunteering once a week, visiting local groups, etc. You then feel much more productive and purposeful.
HTH!

Mistral001

I never have been made redundant, but I faced such a down-turn in my business over a year ago that I might as well have been. Let's say, I know what it is like to wake up on a Monday morning with no work on and to be in the same situation over a week later.

Fortunately things have picked up a little. During the lean days, however, I found that I needed to keep to a routine as other have suggested.

For a while I started to do some house maintenance like painting and caught up on other things around the house, but it just felt all wrong. I felt uncomfortable with this. I realised the uncomfortable feelings came from the fact that I did not want to regard this forced lack of work as some sort planned year-out or well-earned rest (I have been a sort of workaholic in the past and probably still am) or retirement. Thus I kept to the routine of doing those things I normally did outside of working hours to outside "working hours". Thus I painted the house and mowed the lawn in the evenings and weekends as normal and not during the day. I kept the day for looking for new business, reading up on new technical articles to do with my work in my field and doing some studying in work-related subjects. On ocassions I even watched TV or read a book during these hours (though very seldom I must say)and then in the evening i would do all the normal housework etc. It might seem strange, but it worked for me. The important thing for me was that I did not divert my attention from my job/business/career and I kept normal working hours for this and just did the same routine for the rest of my time.

ceridwen

One thing that strikes me - reading this and reading a "homemaker" thread on Old Style Board - is that it must I think be a "younger generation" thing for women to define themselves by their jobs. I think in my generation (ie Baby Boomer) that perhaps we only have done so/do so if we have a career - but if we have a succession of jobs then we don't???

I think the thing is that whatever sex and generation we are in though - some people need a "sense of purpose" and some just "drift through life". I'm someone who needs a "sense of purpose" personally - so, when I've been unemployed before now, I did some voluntary work (at a "higher" level - ie not just a couple of hours doing "unskilled" work at someone else's direction - eg couple of hours in a charity shop).

Thats not to denigrate doing a charity shop stint - as its still one of my "fallback ideas" if I couldnt think of any other voluntary work to do - and I have done this before now.

So - yep...somewhere specific to go and something specific to do when you get there - that makes sense to you and is enjoyable for you is advisable.

Obviously also catching up on major type jobs at home - springcleaning, decorating, redesigning the garden (if you have one).

So - ask your local Volunteer Bureau what they have available - and tell them what your interests and skills are and that you have all your time for yourself (apart from job-hunting) and that you dont know how long this will be the case for (ie because its unemployment - rather than retirement or by choice) and ask what one-off type things need help.

You dont say how old you are - so I dont know how far from retirement you are. My advice would be to make the absolute best of this enforced break - because you have however-many-years-it-is after that before you will have another one (ie retirement).

So - I'm guessing that the "defining yourself by your job" mindset means that you are under 40 for instance (ie because a lot of us Boomers dont...) - so I'm guessing you have a further 30 odd years to go before retirement - so dont waste it...do make constructive use of it. Otherwise - once you get back into work again and are "on the treadmill" again - that you will regret it if you dont make the best of this enforced break.

That is certainly the attitude I took when unemployed - I just thought "Wonderful - lots of time - so do make the best of it - because when I get back into work then that will likely be it for over 20 years of never having enough time until retirement". That has proven to be the case - and I'm glad I did look at things that way. Certainly work since that Break has been a lot more arduous in many ways than I ever anticipated it would be - mainly because the whole World of Work has changed so drastically since I left school (and its darn nearly all been for the worse).

dwsjarcmcd

Register with linkedin and network through it. You will be surprised how many people you have worked with over the years are on there. Complete your profile and proactively 'link in' with them. It's an amazing tool and can really help you find a job and catch up with old collegues and friends. Once you've lonked in with everyone you know, trawl their cntacts to see if you know them and link in with them too.

If nothing else, you feel your being proactive. I got my current job via linked in connections after I got made redundant a couple of years ago. I founf recruitment agencies a total waste of time but linkedin was very useful indeed.

El_Rey

morganedge wrote: »

Did you feel like your purpose in life was to go to work?
Man, i have such a different view on life.
Maybe you had a really awesome job or something, but I'm always a lot happier when im NOT working, lol. I've always found Work very depressing.
I hate the fact that we waste such a huge percentage of our lives doing a 'job' and not actually enjoying life.

I completely share your opinion on this. Maybe we've both been unfortunate and never found the right job for us, but there has to be another purpose in ones life, besides going to work.

erdd2

On the bright side ...you can go job hunting/take job...I found it a huge obstacle losing my career on account of injuries sustained in an assault

NikkeiJones

Thank you for all of ideas and comments.

I know that life is so much more than work, but since leaving college all i've ever done is work. I've put so much into studying my AAT's and starting CIMA despite every obstacle thats been put in my way and at the moment it feels like it's been for nothing. I know how silly that sounds but it's genuinely how I feel right now.

Over the last few days, i've applied for about 25 jobs and been to see various agencies. I've finally sent off the last remaining docs of my AAT to get my certificate through. I've done some makeup artistry work for a friend. I've set up my zerohype account to get an extra £700 or so towards my out of work bill fund. I've gone through our budget and worked out how much money we need a month to cover bills and credit cards and should be able to get by for upto 4 months which makes me feel a little better. Today i'm going to food plan for the next month and may do some batch cooking, I've also decided to take up running and am going to do the kettleworx programme.

The anxiety still hasn't gotten any better, I'm now at the point where I'm having one meal a day as my stomach is not tolerating food very well at all, on the up side I need to lose weight so this may be a hidden benefit I guess.

Well I must go and do some food shopping, who ever would have thought food shopping would become a highlight of the day!!!