Stress inevitably will be part of the job search process. Here are tips to help you deal with stress.
Write down what seems to be causing the stress - Identify the "stressors," thenthin of possible ways to handle each one. Can some demands be altered, lessened, or postponed? Can you live with any of them just as they are? Are there some that you might be able to deal with more effectively?
Set Priorities - Deal with the most pressing needs or changes first. You cannot handle everything at once.
Establish a workable schedule - When you set a schedule for yourself, make sure it is one that can be achieved. As you perform your tasks, you will feel a sense of control and accomplishment.
Reduce stress - Learn relaxation techniques, or other stress-reduction techniques. This can be as simple as sitting in a chair, closing your eyes, taking a deep breath and breathing out slowly while imagining all the tension going out with your breath. There are a number of other methods, including listening to relaxation tapes, that may help you cope with stress more effectively.
Avoid isolation - Keep in touch with your friends, even former coworkers, if you can do that comfortably. Unemployed individuals often feel a sense of isolation and loneliness. See your friends, talk with them, socialize with them. You are the same person you were before unemployment. The same goes for activities that you have enjoyed in the past. Evaluate them. Which can you afford to continue? If you find that your old hobbies or activities can't be part of your new budget, perhaps you can substitute new activities that are less costly.
Join a support group. No matter how understanding or caring your family or friends might be, they may not be able to understand all that you're going through and you might be able to find help and understanding at a support group for job seekers.
These groups consist of people who are going through the same experiences and emotions you are. Many groups also share tips on job opportunities, as well as feedback on way to deal more effectively in the job search process. National Business Employment Weekly, available at major newsstands, list support groups throughout the country. Local churches, YMCAs, YWCAs, and libraries often list (or even host) support groups. For information about self-help groups in New Jersey, call The New Jersey Self-Help Group Clearinghouse at 1-800-367-6274. It's on the Internet at www.njgroups.org.
Forty Plus is a national nonprofit organization with clubs around the country. It is an excellent source of information about issues concerning older employees and the job-search process. Both Philadelphia and Manhattan have chapters:
Philadelphia: 1218 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19107; online: www.fortyplus.org
phone: (215)923-2074
New York: 470 Seventh Ave., Suite 403; New York, NY 10018; www.fortyplus-nyc.org
phone: (212)947-4230
Clarence Coggins
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