So it’s no secret that dealing with stress whilst hunting for work isn’t easy. Aside from the obvious issues when hunting for work, dealing with stress and staying motivated can be a really difficult balance. I’ve been struggling to stay motivated in the last few weeks of my job hunt, and have found writing for myself more difficult than usual as well. However, I’ve been using a couple of methods to help combat stress and not give up, and since I’m currently in the middle of a major job hunt, I think this makes me a good source of this info. It’s worth noting that a couple of months ago I did have a period of giving up and not being motivated at all during my search for work, but these methods helped.
Running
One of my favourite ways to deal with stress is also one of the simplest. For ages, I didn’t know why running helped me deal with stress, especially when I wasn’t feeling motivated, but research on this topic informed me that running can release endocannabinoids, a substance that can help you feel less stressed (and yes, that’s endoccanabinoid like cannabis). But seriously, running can be a really easy and accessible way to deal with stress if you’re feeling unmotivated. It’s been giving me time to think about my own writing and served as an escape that lowers my stress and reminds me of what I want to do with my life long-term.
Stress Less Cards
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Stress Less Cards from Gift Republic are a lifesaver when it comes to dealing with stress (this is not sponsored, I just think that they’re really good and everybody should get them). But the other great thing about Stress Less Cards is that they don’t just deal with stress, they can help me stay motivated even at my lowest points. Even if they just have a short message reading ‘You’re stronger than you know’, it can keep me motivated, even after my 80th job application (I’ve sent much more than that now).
There are lots of different types of Stress Less Cards, and to help you cope with the stress of finding a set for yourself here’s a search engine result for them.
Yoga and/or Tai-Chi
I’m not a yoga pro, nor am I a master of tai-chi, but I’ve been finding both of them really great at dealing with stress. Yoga can help you relax and reduce stress in a gentle way. The other good thing about yoga is that you don’t HAVE to do a long lesson to get some of the benefits, such as reducing stress. There are numerous follow-along yoga for stress relief videos on YouTube and they can be as long as half an hour or even less. But like the other techniques I’ve listed here, yoga can also keep me motivated to hunt for work, and to be my best self.
Tai-chi, like yoga, also helps deal with stress through gentle exercise. Unlike yoga Tai-chi involves a lot of constant, slow movement, but it can still reduce stress and help you stay motivated when you’re looking for work. Again, you can find lots of useful videos to follow online for stress-reducing tai-chi, ranging from ten minutes to twenty minutes. There are also longer lessons, as is the same for yoga, but if you’re looking for something to even try in the middle of job hunting, these short lessons can help reduce stress when you’re feeling especially demotivated.
Reading
It might sound odd, but I’ve been reading a bit more than usual, and I’ve found myself feeling less stressed about my job hunting. Some research indicates that reading can reduce stress, and anecdotally speaking, I can confirm this. You might be surprised by it, but reading could help you stress less and stay motivated when you’re searching for work, or in general. You don’t need to pick a specific book or have a particular ritual, but try reading most days, even if it’s just for a few minutes, and see if you feel less stressed. You may find that you’re still motivated to search for work afterwards, too.
Slowing down
This is probably the oddest thing I’ve been doing recently, but just taking things a little bit slower has been great for dealing with stress, from a personal standpoint. One of my Stress Less Cards suggested something along the lines of ‘Take Things Slowly, Don’t Always Be In a Rush’, and It’s modified my outlook. I’m always trying to follow the Stress Less Cards as well as I can, but this one has been particularly useful at keeping me motivated. Just slowing down a bit, not even taking a step back, has kept me motivated and even encouraged me to keep searching for work. I know it might not necessarily be coming tomorrow, next week, or next month, but some work will come along eventually, and I’m not going to let myself get too stressed about it.
There are many other ways to help reduce stress and keep motivated, some of which can be found here and here (this also has some really useful motivation techniques), but these methods I’ve listed were especially helpful for a chaotic person like me. They’ve even managed to keep me writing.
Do you have any other ways to combat stress whilst looking for work? What keeps you motivated, work-wise and in general? I’d love to hear all about them!
Until next time,
Conrad 🙂
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