In that case, it’s important to remember that healthcare providers and counselors are always there to listen and help you through this difficult time. But, if you’re not quite ready to seek professional assistance, there are some things that you can do on your end that have the potential to help you get to a better place mentally and emotionally.

• Take a long walk with your dogs and follow it up with a warm bath and a good book.
• Maybe your career has helped shape your sense of self for several years, or you’re searching for an entry-level role and unsure how to define yourself now that you’re no longer a student.
• It’s important to keep a positive outlook and to create small, specific goals for yourself so that you can see measured progress over time.
• Talking to a close friend about your frustrations, or pursuing therapy if that’s available to you, can give you another perspective that may change the way you look at the job hunt.

By reaching out, you’ll keep your name top of mind and you’ll help do some of the heavy lifting for the hiring manager. Send follow-ups to any jobs you’ve applied to or have interviewed with.

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I write actionable interview, career and salary advice. The blog also helped him network, and it led to job prospects. Other unemployed executives found his blog and contacted him. They became friends and got together on a weekly basis for lunch or via conference call. Manansingh says the CIOs he met through his blog became a powerful support network. Alba recommends doing volunteering work—not necessarily with a nonprofit, but with a for-profit company.

• This can also be an opportunity to explore hobbies that you were too busy to nurture and probably won’t have time for once you land a job, Dr. Maidenberg said.
• Your toolbox for getting through depressive episodes may include exercising every day, maintaining a schedule, or ensuring you get a set number of hours of sleep every night.
• “You’d be surprised at what honesty and an optimistic view toward the future will get you,” Heath says.
• Instead, surround yourself with a positive community of like-minded people where you can share honest experiences and learn trade secrets.
• Do you have what it takes to be a Transformative CIO?

The lessons learned from falling down will help pick you up in the future. We’ve all learned the hard way that life is fragile and fleeting. We have short, precious time here and it could all go in an instant. Take time to reacquaint with your spouse, children, extended family, friends, high school and college buddies and former co-workers. This is a perfect time and excuse to connect with people that you haven’t seen in awhile. It will improve your mood to see a long-lost relative or childhood friend on a Zoom or FaceTime chat. You can’t—and shouldn’t—benchmark yourself against what you’ve done pre-Covid-19.

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Dozens of résumés are emailed in response to job postings. Hours are spent completing annoying, glitchy applications. You keep calling friends, former co-workers and others in your network, in the hopes of obtaining a solid job lead. To make matters worse, there’s a lack of feedback and you’re routinely ghosted by companies. When people lose their jobs, they also lose a significant component of their identity, along with their daily routines and financial security.

job search depression and family can be great resources to talk to as you work through your depression and your job search, and they can also serve as the much needed reminder that you aren’t alone in any of it. They are your shoulder to lean on, but also your distraction from the overwhelming parts of this process.

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These support systems will probably do what they can to help you through job search depression. Because anything that takes your mind off your job search depression is a healthy use of time. During the pandemic, many older workers have been forced out of jobs and into an early retirement, prematurely living off their retirement assets. Those still on the job hunt, however, are experiencing rejection from employers looking to hire younger applicants. Younger workers entering the job force have lower salary expectations due to their fewer years of experience, and have the tech competency that requires less on-the-job training. Carlson School of Management at University of Minnesota recently sponsored a study that examines how job loss and the hunt for a new job impact the job-seeker’s mental health and well-being. Unfortunately, job searches can be grueling—even without the added challenge of dealing with depression.

You can add these new or updated skills to your resume, which will also help you stand out as a well-qualified candidate. Track where/when you applied, whether you’ve heard back, and the results.