How to cope with anxiety when you are between jobs
A proven approach to deal with the stress of finding a new job
When you find yourself between jobs and under pressure to find a new one, anxiety can be a real risk. You’ve been attending interview after interview and receiving rejections, or worse, being ghosted especially when your interview had seemed to go well. You end up following up a lot with no response which can develop frustration, anger, and anxiety. You start doubting your abilities — What if I mess up this interview? What will be the impact of this gap in my career? How will I justify losing my previous job? Will I ever get a job? Do I have any market value? How will I pay my EMIs/bills?
These thoughts can be debilitating and may affect your health and the job-hunting process. I had a similar experience for a while when I had these thoughts on a loop which was keeping me up at night, badly affecting my mood and causing unwanted stress.
Remember, you have the experience, creativity, skills, resourcefulness, work ethics, perseverance, dreams, courage, network, and nonetheless, friends and family.
It’s not until we are broken that we discover what we are made of, so don’t be hard on yourself. You just need to pick up the pieces and rebuild.
Over time, I realized that instead of the job search process, it was the lack of daily routine that was the cause of the stress building up internally. You get sound sleep only when you look forward to tomorrow with a purpose or have achieved a micro goal that day. Therefore, I am going to talk about devising a routine that is easy to follow and effective enough to help you reach your destination.
Routine is what keeps you going!
In a state of turmoil, we generally tend to do things that bring instant gratifications, which is the right thing to do. But some things come with resistance and require resilience which helps you achieve your goal and eventually, happiness in life. This is where you need a routine and believe me, happy and successful people tend to follow it more.
In our case, as you might have already guessed, I am talking about coping with the anxiety and stress by having a routine in life. And here’s how I am going to help you plan your daily routine:
1) Job hunt mornings
2) Afternoon learnings
3) Fitness evenings
4) Leisure nights
Before going ahead further, it’s highly important to lay down the goals and give a rough deadline to yourself — it provides a purpose for each day. In this context, the goal is to achieve an “x” number of job offers in the role you desire.
Now, list down all the requirements that will require you to attain the above objective. For eg, you need a sound resume, cover letter, networking & maybe, upskilling tools (courses, books, etc). I shall discuss this in more detail later.
Then, plan your days over the next few weeks and schedule each required activity on a digital calendar, sticky notes, or a good old diary or a whiteboard.
I am sharing my 5-day routine for your reference.
(Shuffle it as per your convenience. And make sure you keep your precious weekends off to unwind!!)
As you can see, I have kept the structure of my day pretty simple to follow. Let’s take a deep dive, Shall we?
Job Hunt Mornings
Spending the entire day into applying for jobs on portals & LinkedIn will not land you any job offers. It will burn you out completely making you cynical about the entire process. Dedicate a part of your day solely into job hunt processes and plan the requirements accordingly.
Research — First, figure out what you want to do next — specifically the role and the nature of your next endeavor. Reflect on what you want to do. Ask these following questions -
- What are your strengths?
- What do you enjoy doing?
- What are the areas you need to work on?
- What does the market value?
Plan — After reflection, assess if you want to continue the same role or a transition would make more sense as per your broad interest. Talk to your go-to folks and friends to validate your thought process. Accordingly, plan the upskilling process such as courses, webinars, books, etc. that would be relevant in your case.
Action — Tailor your resume and the cover letter to talk about how your experience and skills can add value to the organization. Feel free to connect with people in the same role or industry or alumni group for advice and job openings. Trust me, people are always eager to help when approached appropriately. Set realistic milestones for every week to track the number of reach-outs, applications, interviews, etc. and work backwards to achieve the same.
Afternoon Learnings
After analyzing the areas of improvement and the role you want to pursue, figure out what is required to land a job. If you are going for a career switch, then you need to roll up your sleeves in this process. Consult with your friends who are working in the same role and understand the specific hard and soft skills needed. Make a list of certifications, courses, books, webinars, videos, etc and prioritize it as per their relevance [Super important!!].
A lot of ed-tech companies provide free or nominal priced online lessons, so please do thorough research before pulling out your credit card. Plan your learning calendar and set micro-goals for each week (for eg. number of modules to finish this week, books to read, etc.).
A few of the popular platforms are LinkedIn learning, Google, Coursera, Udemy, UpGrad, etc.
Moreover, you may also look for some freelancing or internship options.
Track your learning and job hunt process through a plan. It gives you a bird’s eye view on the progress and helps you achieve your daily/weekly goals.
I am sharing my plan below for your reference.
Long story short — don’t overload yourself at the beginning. Start with one form of learning at first and then slowly increase your capacity over time.
I understand it may feel overwhelming after reading the above two sections. Start with smaller goals and achieve them consistently. Designate a workplace to avoid the lethargy to creep into space. Stay away from any sort of distraction around you. Don’t spend too much time on planning and start executing on the go. It is advisable to keep taking quick breaks and avoid fatigue.
Fitness Evenings
I can’t emphasize this more — Fitness is something that’ll keep you afloat, and hence it's important to make sure you’re fit. Honestly, I look forward to this time of day.
Including an hour of exercise can boost your mind, relieve stress, and help you sleep. After a hard day of working and learning, activity and fresh air can bring a fresh perspective in life. When you sweat, your body releases endorphins & dopamine which gives you a euphoric feeling during and after the workout. A gym membership is not necessary. YouTube and many fitness apps provide great exercises that require no equipment. Opt for any sport you like and pursue it every day. A quick workout a day is an excellent antidote for the moments of paralyzing stress.
Leisure Nights
This is the relaxing part of the day which helps you to unwind with no goals or milestones to chase. I call it “me” time — I read books (mostly fiction!), watch Netflix, play a song on my guitar, or sometimes just lie down and do nothing. It’s totally okay to be lazy sometimes so don’t take this as a productivity contest. Do what you really want to do — whatever makes you feel happy.
Spend this precious time with your friends and family. Talk about your day. Go out for drinks and dinner or play any board games you like at home. Caveat — spend wisely to sustain your runway for the next few weeks.
Before you call it a day, just think through the entire day and solidify your takeaways. Prepare yourself for the next day and sleep tight.
We’re almost there. :)
We all know that luck occurs when preparation meets opportunity.
Following a routine may not guarantee you a job, but will surely increase the chances. More importantly, it helps you contain your anxiety to a healthy level and brings on a sense of accomplishment.
Remember you are not alone, so don’t isolate yourself and be there for others around you. Never hesitate to ask for any kind of help from your friends.
Ending this with my go-to song by Queen called “We Are the Champions”. Whenever I feel low, it never ceases to cheer me up. Channeling your energy into making these changes in life without being hard on yourself, is something you’ll enjoy for sure. And it’ll amaze you how it shapes up your lifestyle and career over time.
