5 Tips to Stay Sane During the Job Search

The job search is tough. It can be long, frustrating, and disheartening. And forget about not being able to pay rent or not knowing if you’ll be able to afford your next meal – the worst part is feeling unproductive!

So, as an expert in unemployment, I feel uniquely qualified to share my tips to stay sane during the job search. These 5 tips have helped me keep my head above water – not financially, of course – and have allowed me to endure months and months and months of rejection after rejection.

#1 Drink Water

It may seem like a no-brainer, but drinking water is probably the most important thing you can do during the job search!

When you sit down at your laptop, staring bleary-eyed at yet another job application you’re more-than-qualified for, make sure you have a nice tall glass of water by your side. 

Apart from being vital sustenance to continue your life, drinking water also helps you stay more productive on your search! Your eyes are less apt to dry out as you stare at your laptop for hours on end. An increase in water intake also encourages taking short breaks to the bathroom to empty your bladder, but be sure to take the long way to the bathroom, too, because it’s important to get your steps in!

And fellow unemployed, be sure to check out my water recipe that’s perfect for the waning months of summer!

#2 Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your health, and it’s no different during the job search. 

Believe me, I want to be as productive as possible, but getting sleep is a non-negotiable. I’ll give you an example on how I incorporate sleep into my job search.

After a hard day’s work of sitting hunched over at my laptop, instead of cozying up with a book to lull me to sleep (my eyes are tired!) I make my way over to the medicine cabinet for a little night cap. Now, your dosage and routine may vary, but I’ve found I get my best sleep when I take two 200mg Advil PMs, a dissolvable melatonin tablet (store brand is fine), a sleep-aid gel (again, store brand is perfectly fine), and then I crush up a little Vicodin and rub it on the inside of my lip! This little cocktail eases my aches and pains, and carries me sweetly and swiftly to sleep – perfect for when I’ve had a particularly grueling day.

#3 Live in a State of Delusion

Sometimes referred to as “optimism,” I think there’s no harm in participating in a bout of delusion every now and then!

From rejection one to rejection one hundred, the most common thing I hear is “Oh, then it just wasn’t the right job for you! Don’t worry, you’ll end up where you’re meant to be.” I used to resent this. What do they know? I mean, clearly I just wasn’t good enough, right? But after some time and reflection, I think they have a point – let me explain.

The 2022 World Cup, hosted in Qatar, was a beautiful show of soccer – or fútbol, if it pleases. And the grand stadium and living quarters that hosted these matches and players were feats of construction, glorious to behold. And who erected these wondrous buildings you ask? Migrant slaves of course!

But don’t feel bad, these fine workers ended up where they were supposed to be, right? Whatever goals or ambitions these folks had, well, it just must not have been right for them! And while the world cheered for their favorite players and boo’d their adversaries, the builders, the ones who lived, anyway, can feel pride in the fact that they ended up just where the universe wanted them!

#4 It’s OK to Spiral

But sometimes, blind optimism can only get you so far in your job search! And my therapist once told me that I need to let myself feel my feelings, which brings us to tip 4: spiraling!

At its core, spiraling is really just the act of digging deep into your own psyche. In fact, it’s honestly just a form of critical thinking: you take the events of the day, and analyze how those both shape who you are, as well as shape the future! I’ll give you an example of how I spiral.

After getting rejected from yet another job, I like to think about how it reflects on me and my character. “They hated me,” I tell myself. “I’m stupid, my work sucks, I’m worthless.” These are all perfectly normal thoughts to have, but let’s dig deeper.

This feeling of worthlessness seeps from my individual job search and superimposes itself on the job market as a whole! “There’s never going to be more jobs. The competition is going to get tighter as more people graduate college. Entry level positions are going to be taken up by mid-level creatives who have been laid off for months, and because they have more experience than I do, of course they’re going to get the job, and because employers will see that they can pay overqualified employees less money, they’re going to raise the requirements for entry level positions and I’ll be locked out of a job forever!” See how fun that is?

Spiraling has done wonders for me on the job search. I have such low hopes of ever doing anything besides flip burgers, that even one interview gets my hopes up, and the rush of adrenaline that comes with that cannot be matched!

#5 Give Up

If you don’t see a change in your job search after implementing all these tips into your daily routine, your next best bet is just to give up!

It’s a tough world out there, and as Naomi Smalls once said, life’s not fair. And the odds of it being fair to you are astronomical! So give up!

When you let yourself give up, you take out any uncertainty. Now you know you’ll never be able to have your dream job. You know you won’t be able to afford a house. You know your life is pointless. And there’s a certain comfort that comes with that kind of clarity.

And, it means fewer people competing for jobs, so you’re actually helping others as well!

Conclusion

In all seriousness, the market sucks. There are few jobs, and even fewer well paying ones. Whether you’ve been unemployed for weeks or for months, it’s important to keep your head up.

As the economy and market ebb and flow, so too does the availability of fulfilling jobs, but you must carry on. You have no choice, really. It’s either that, or bust out the guillotines.

And I don’t hate the latter.