Practice these stress-zappers during your job search
If there was ever a time to manage stress during your job search, this would be the right time. Feeling stressed over the present as well as the future can create all kinds of reactions, namely being apprehensive. Recognize this is a challenging time, but one you can work to manage.
Stress is not all bad; in fact, some can be good for you in keeping you safe by you being extra cautious and aware of your surroundings. The stress that keeps you up at night and worried during the day is unproductive and turns into bad stress, the kind that zaps your energy and motivation.
Avoiding stress is impossible, but you can learn how you respond to it. Managing stress often means letting go and recognizing the symptoms when they start.
Everyone is going through a season of stress, and job searching can often magnify the stress of a traumatic event. There are some things you can do during this time like building a good strategy for moving forward, such as networking.
Keeping social distance is a wise decision, but that doesn’t affect your ability to talk with people. Some of the best networking discussions are taking place right now over the phone while most are staying home. Communicating is a great way to cut stress and replace it with hope that things will get better.
Here are some stress-zappers to use for your job search:
• Know the difference between worrying and solving problems. Stress associated with the “unknown” can keep you in a useless state of worry.
• Give yourself a mental break. Don’t skip breakfast or lunch. It’s important to nourish your mind as well as your physical body.
• Let go of your desire to control the uncontrollable during your search. This calls for accepting things you can control and those things you need to let go of.
• Tap into your strengths that have helped your overcome challenges in the past and put things into perspective. You can manage problems one at a time.
• Communicate when you are feeling overwhelmed.
Create a virtual support group to meet for coffee and share coping ideas. Be creative in finding ways to recharge your energy. Don’t isolate yourself emotionally; you aren’t alone in dealing with stress.
• Take time to breathe. When you are stressed, your breathing is often shallow and not as deep as the calming effect of deep breathing.
• Avoid making big career decisions even though you are actively job searching. During times of stress, it can be difficult to make good career decisions. Reach out to family and friends to bounce ideas off of and ask for feedback. Stress often changes how you weigh risks and rewards. You tend to focus more on the up side rather than considering the consequences.
• Procrastination feeds stress, so prioritize your tasks. Finish the projects you dread the most first and you will feel more productive, less pressured and good about accomplishing a goal.