Mental Health Month

6 Tips to Protect Your Mental Health as a Jobseeker  

Lots of parts of looking for a job can be hard on your mental health. The struggle to stay sharp and motivated as you send application after application, the pre-interview anxiety, the frustration and self-doubt that increases with every rejection letter you receive, or the stress of being out of a job and financially unstable, it all adds up. 

Even the thought of eventually starting a new job and unfamiliar new tasks, meeting new colleagues, and a brand new work environment can really weigh you down.

We understand and know that the job hunting struggle is very real and, since May is Mental Health Month, we’re sharing 6 tips on how to care for your mental health and well-being while searching for a job:

1.Get organized 

Being a job hunter isn’t really a lifestyle many people want to commit to. Because of this, people rarely take the time to really get their processes organized. Funnily enough, getting your job search well-organized is more likely to make the process more pleasant and efficient. 

This could mean a number of things:

• Organize your surroundings. Get your desk organized, wear something that makes you feel good, put on some music you like, light a scented candle and sit somewhere with lots of natural light if you can.
• Schedule your day and break things down into subtasks. You’re not just “looking for a job”, you’re “updating resume”, “checking job boards”, “networking on LinkedIn” and so on. 
• Be sure to include achievable goals in your schedule to give yourself many little wins throughout the day.
• Feel like you did your best to prepare, say by doing a practice interview? 

2.Prioritize self-care

In your schedule, add some me-time. Schedule breaks and things that make you happy and help keep your body, mind, and soul in good shape. Exercise, something artsy/creative, playing an instrument, or learning something new (¿ hola?). 

Be sure to include the basics like eating good meals, drinking enough water, and getting sufficient sleep too.

3.Develop a rejection ritual

Every rejection email feels like a kick in the teeth and, unfortunately, you’re probably going to receive a few of them before you get hired. One way to overcome the pain of it all is to try out Rejection Therapy (we fully encourage you to send us your best rejection emails!). 

Another great way to safeguard your mental health every time you receive a “Dear candidate” email is to create your own rejection ritual (something we discovered here). In a nutshell, this could be any action to help you change your frame of mind, reaffirm your purpose, and generally make you feel better. Amy’s ritual involves compiling the information in a Google Sheet and dancing to Jefferson Starship’s Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now.

4.Put the hunt on hold

Sometimes, the best thing you can do to avoid job-hunt burnout is to just stop and take a step back for a while. The break can revitalize and refresh you. This also helps you reassess and prioritize your search. Are you applying for the positions you REALLY want? Or have you lowered your standards without realizing it?

5.It’s OK to have bad days

Some days you receive a particularly tough rejection or you start to question your self-worth and nothing feels like it’s going your way and you can’t seem to snap out of it. Don’t add to your stress by trying to force yourself to feel better if it’s just not working. Sometimes you just need to allow yourself some time to feel a bit low and care for yourself in the process.

6.Seek out the power of community

Nobody is an island. Humans are social beings and we need each other for support from time to time. Meet up with friends and family and share your grievances with them… or don’t! Whatever makes you feel better. 

You can also ask people you trust for advice. They can have a look at your resumes or cover letters or even help you practice for interviews.

There are also online communities where people share job hunting horror stories and give each other advice. These could be Reddit communities, Facebook groups, or forums. You can also find a number of social media accounts that share such stories, give advice and just generally put a funny twist on the whole thing!  

If the latter sounds interesting, check out our Instagram account for some of the funniest job hunting memes around.

How do you safeguard your mental health during your job hunt?
Let us know – email, or send us a message