Looking for a job is always a stressful experience. Looking for a job while the economy and politics are also in upheaval is doubly challenging.
Here are some strategies to take a beat, whether your priority is to bring down your tension and panic right now or to distract for just a little while before returning to your applications. You'll notice that a lot of the resources in this post nod to childhood. This is because play can help to effectively break the stress cycle in ways that more serious-minded options may not. Plus, life is already serious and heavy enough when looking for work. Our stress relief doesn't need to be, too.
If you have kids and are feeling stressed, your kids might be feeling that stress, too. By using techniques that can include your child rather than techniques that require a silent room where you're alone (a rare option for most parents anyways), you can both lower stress while reinforcing your positive parent-child connection.
Stress management tools
Breathing techniques won't fix your problems, but they can calm your heart rate and breathing when you're feeling especially panicked.
- This video from Indiana University School of Medicine is especially good if you have a kiddo who might like to do the exercise with you.
- The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has a mindful breathing script for those of you who prefer the written word to the recorded one.
Connecting with your creativity and body can also really help to bring your stress levels to a manageable place. Here are some easy options:
- Grab some scrap paper and a pen/pencil/marker/crayon and get to drawing. Making art, even just doodles, can help de-stress in a big way.
- Put on some music and wiggle around the room. The stranger your movements, the better. Some people on the internet have found some pretty silly movement solutions. This one where you flop around like Magikarp works even if you can't bring yourself to get out of bed (though my personal recommendation is to make the movements even wigglier, and maybe a little less head-bangy).
- Get outside if you can. If it's raining, find the deepest/biggest puddle and toss a pebble in to see the splash. If it's spring, count how many unexpected places you find growth. If it's hot, think about how nice it will be to splash cool water on your face when you're back inside. If it's cold, make clouds out of your breath. If it's fall, make as much noise crunching leaves as you can. Let yourself really experience the colors and smells and sounds and sensations.
- Do something that gets you around other people. You could meet up with a friend or go to your local library branch for a program!
These may sound silly, but silly is good. It helps shock your system out of its habit of stress, at least for a little while. The one thing to keep in mind for these silly suggestions? Try to leave your phone or other devices out of it as much as you can.
Distraction options
I filled 2 lists with audiobooks, e-books, and physical books that have helped me through challenging times and brought be some combination of comfort and perspective.
Leave your own go-to stress-relief reads in the comments! I'd love to see other people's versions of these lists.
- The "Slice of Escapism" list contains stories that can transport you to a different world. With these, you can find somewhere else to be for a little while when your own life feels like a little too much.
- The "Thotful Spot" list has books that let me plug back in to curiosity and think about people other than myself when feeling disconnected and stuck. Hopefully something on here works for you, too.
During challenging moments in life, sometimes what we need most is a different world to escape into. Here are the ones that have worked for me.
Winnie the Pooh has a "thotful spot" where he likes to sit and "think, think, think." These are the books that help me pause and reflect—just like Pooh Bear.
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