Sunday, March 12, 2006
Time For Me
So much to do, so little time, is a constant refrain heard from those seeking work. Everyone gives lots of advice (including me): send out resumes, apply on the Internet, read the Classified, go to job fairs, and network, network, network. Some of us become so overwhelmed with all that we need to do that we can't figure out where to start so end up doing nothing at all.
Assuming that you have established some kind of a schedule that allows you to prioritize your activities on any given day, you are probably humming along, carefully pursuing the actions that are likely to lead to a job offer.
Because you are the one in the family who isn't working, additional demands are placed on the limited time you have available. It is you who starts the dinner, goes to the store, takes the kids to their games, and handles chores around the house. What little time you have left is spent in worrying over your situation and catastrophizing in your mind over what will happen when your benefits expire or obsessing about the possibility of your spouse also experiencing a lay off.
Make time for yourself: positive, valuable, self-affirming time. Even if only for a half hour a day, banish the gloom and speculation from your aching head. Take a break to concentrate on the positives in your life and in yourself.
If you have been keeping a job search journal, read over it and congratulate yourself on what actions you have taken. Read over your resume and any list of personal attributes and characteristics you have developed. Think about your significant other and your family and identify some small way you might show your gratitude for their loyalty and support.
Check out some self-help books from the library, or surf the Internet to find some inspiring ideas or simply words of comfort. Read some poetry or study your Bible to comprehend the big picture of life and history that relegates your present problems to a small hiccough in the vastness of the human universe.
Stroke yourself mentally for the good humor and fortitude with which you are facing enormous obstacles, and remind yourself that "This too, shall pass."
Assuming that you have established some kind of a schedule that allows you to prioritize your activities on any given day, you are probably humming along, carefully pursuing the actions that are likely to lead to a job offer.
Because you are the one in the family who isn't working, additional demands are placed on the limited time you have available. It is you who starts the dinner, goes to the store, takes the kids to their games, and handles chores around the house. What little time you have left is spent in worrying over your situation and catastrophizing in your mind over what will happen when your benefits expire or obsessing about the possibility of your spouse also experiencing a lay off.
Make time for yourself: positive, valuable, self-affirming time. Even if only for a half hour a day, banish the gloom and speculation from your aching head. Take a break to concentrate on the positives in your life and in yourself.
If you have been keeping a job search journal, read over it and congratulate yourself on what actions you have taken. Read over your resume and any list of personal attributes and characteristics you have developed. Think about your significant other and your family and identify some small way you might show your gratitude for their loyalty and support.
Check out some self-help books from the library, or surf the Internet to find some inspiring ideas or simply words of comfort. Read some poetry or study your Bible to comprehend the big picture of life and history that relegates your present problems to a small hiccough in the vastness of the human universe.
Stroke yourself mentally for the good humor and fortitude with which you are facing enormous obstacles, and remind yourself that "This too, shall pass."
