How to Cope With Job Search Depression
The ongoing pandemic has sparked a lot of fears for people facing unemployment.
I’ve said it before and I know I’ll say it a few more times yet. Job hunting is depressing. More than that, it can often feel demoralizing.
When I worked with long-term unemployed young adults, I could see it in their whole demeanour when they sat down at my desk for our appointments. Slumped body language, tired eyes, and a lack of motivation. You can’t fight that kind of low, but you can acknowledge it.
I began naming their depression in our appointments, asking them how they were feeling overall — outside of looking for work. I’d comment they seemed tired or down, and ask how they were looking after themselves. For many of the people I worked with, they didn’t have someone asking them about anything other than when they were going to get a job. Taking an interest in them as a person immediately created a change. They’d sit up a bit straighter, make eye contact, start offering more than mono-syllabic responses. They’d start to tune in a bit more to what we could do to move forward and seem more motivated about the workshop or training session I’d found for them to attend.
When we care about each other, we spark chains of change that have long-reaching impacts…
