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Well-Being

6 Things to Do When You’re Unemployed

Posted October 25, 2008

To reiterate the obvious: You’re going to get fired sometime. Maybe it’s already happened or you can see the handwriting on the wall. If you’re lucky, it won’t happen this year or even next. But, trust The Whiner: The ax will fall, maybe even more than once, during your worklife.

That’s why you need a game plan for things to do when you’re out of work. Start with these six activities:

1. Don’t blame yourself. What The Whiner really recommends is: Blame someone else. Maybe you’re not the kind of person who likes to point fingers but, hey, that’s a really big mistake these days. After all, the economy stinks, your employer didn’t plan ahead when times were good, those politicians in Washington can’t manage to come up with a bailout plan that actually works, and — see what we mean? There’s plenty of blame to go around. If you let yourself get hung up on the thought that you’re somehow responsible for your job woes, you’ll send yourself into a guilt-ridden, morose, confused, and self-paralyzed stupor. How are you going to find another job that way?

2. Have some fun. Remember fun? That’s what you never had any time for when you were working all the time at that job you never really liked anyhow. This is your big chance to figure out whatever it is that you always wanted to do and do it. You’ll even have time to do it again.

3. Exercise every single day. Odds are pretty good that exercise is another activity you never had time for. So go for it now. As they say in all those health magazines that The Whiner can’t afford to subscribe to anymore, just 20 minutes a day will boost your mood as well as your fitness level. One point to keep in mind, though: Since you are out of work, you don’t want to go hog-wild and join a gym or start stocking up on exercise DVDs, or buy a new pair of cross-trainers or a pedometer, or — okay, you get the idea. Try running around the block a few times.

4. Make a really big list of all your options. The operative word here is “big.” Of course you’ll want to job-hunt in every possible way that makes sense, given your skills, work background, and personal contacts. But the job market is just plain lousy. So, none of those strategies may work (yes, this is the moment to pause for an anxiety attack and then return to strategy #1: play the blame game until you feel better). When you go back to your list, add more ideas relating to ways that you can earn money by freelancing, consulting, or starting some other kind of business.

5. Expand your options. Don’t lie to The Whiner. No matter how much time you’re spending exercising, having fun, and working on your job-hunting list, you’ve got a hell of a lot of time left over. Use it to start learning some new skills that could help you get your next job or successfully transition to life as an entrepreneur.

6. Visit econowhiner.com each and every day. You know you want to. And if this isn’t a good time to whine, what is?

Are you out of work? Do you have other ideas to add to this list?

Reader Comments

  1. CMP

    Whining is great therapy, it’s true. I have friends who are “between jobs” as they like to think of it–either I’m not as optimistic, or they’re speaking in euphemisms. In this climate it does feel more tenuous and playing the blame game seems like a good way to stave off a funk.

  2. JayPea

    Having been a freelancer for the past 18 years, I made a promise to myself at the beginning, that to survive the inevitable down times in my brilliant career, I would have to learn three things: how to handle stress, how to pull in the belt and live on less when needed, and how to make the best use of the extra time with free (or incredibly cheap) indulgences. My favorites: bubble baths, trashy novels, long walks in the nearby woods, and learning something new every day — I am currently studying Russian with a free set of CDs from the library, and practicing guitar, which I had not touched in several years.

  3. Jeannette

    A few additional things that have kept me sane and even happy:
    – Discover the public library — unlimited FREE books at your fingertips!
    – Volunteer. There are opportunities in every field for any level of time commitment. Builds job skills, keeps social skills from completely atrophying.
    – See a movie every couple of weeks, or catch up on the ones you missed through overwork (the library again — free movies too!)

  4. ri

    I find times without work are a great opportunity to reorganize and learn new skills. I’m in my 40’s now, and it seems like I have changed careers every 15 years or so, usually due to a layoff or a dissatisfaction with an industry.

    Learning new skills while having free time is a blessing.

  5. Sissy B

    Rediscover your church / faith community. On the weekend I was always so burned out from a week slaving for my tempermental boss that I would not / could not get going on Sunday morning and take a shower, dress, worship and socialize. Now that I spend the week worrying I really gain something from the tranquil setting and organ music, plus I now understand what my mother meant by “Sunday go to meeting clothes.” I like dressing up on Sunday. I don’t have to wear “business attire” so I am rediscovering clothes that were going ignored.

    Don’t worry about praying during church. You’re doing that constantly now that you’re unemployed anyway, aren’t you? Use it as a chance to people watch.

    And speaking of clothes, arrange your closet according to the colors of the spectrum from red to indigo. It won’t take long and you will always have a place for something old or new and know where to find things. Plus, you’ll have mastered something despite the chaos everywhere else and will have done something for yourself that you never had time for when you were staying late.

    Happy hunting. (I sure hope you don’t work in my field.)

  6. njslattery

    The exercise every day idea is GREAT. But don’t get in a gym rat rut. I would strongly suggest that walking, or hiking, is much better than the treadmill. Being outdoors is invigorating, refreshing to soul and body. Plus, if you get a walking partner, it can offer companionship that you might be missing sans an office. But even better, if you walk alone, it can be a great way to do creative thinking. How often are we alone with our thoughts for an hour or so. So many screens, so little time to think!

    So Walk and Think and you might come up with more options for No. 4.

  7. gina

    I’m laid off and volunteering at a non-profit spay/neuter clinic for dogs and cats. Working with animals is incredibly rewarding, and cuddling them before and after surgery is the best ever!
    And hey, I’ve got an interview on monday! w

  8. Jennifer Rabuchin

    Construction has been one of the hardest hit industries. I’ve been a carpenter for 25 years, and haven’t had a full time job for 2 years.
    Broke up a concrete slab in our backyard 2 days ago to make more room to plant an even bigger garden than last year’s, we shared food with our friends and neighbors. Even thinking about getting a couple of chickens! We live in a suburb of LA, and found out it’s legal here.
    Had more time to help daughter with her Geometry etc, and have no excuse not to exercise. This is changing the way we look at our culture and lives, which isn’t altogether a bad thing.

  9. John Donohue

    Thanks I am starting to whine already!

  10. krissy

    For the 1st time in my life I was fired. Yes I was the first to get the axe at my company. My boss called me a dyke about a month earlier and I think that it was a calculated effort to get me to quit… I reported it to supervisors and went to work everyday ignoring the bs as best as I could. My partner had lost her job several months earlier after being exposed to a cdc reportable disease on the job- q fever. Both situations there was an element of retaliation to the firings. But it just goes to show you people are doing illegal stuff regardless but the victims are the first to get fired in an economic crisis. I’m going to try to enjoy some free concerts before I move to a trailer in the middle of obscurity to save cash. I almost feel like my television is a sitting duck waiting to get stolen in the middle of a city now. Never felt that way before…

  11. haley

    Thanks. I feel much better. I’ve had a good cry while reading all of this…I needed it. I haven’t told ANYONE…not even my family(husband got laid off and I am a freelance writer who makes very little) what we are going through. I just can’t bring myself to talk about it. Needless to say I’ve been feeling very isolated. So thanks…it’s nice to feel not quite so alone.