When It All Comes Tumbling Down

So...since September things have really been shaking, and the economy has moved from the focus of a select few...to gathering the full attention of most of us.

This is a time that many people are going to find themselves thrown into the position of needing to find work. This includes many who would never have predicted they would find themselves in this situation a year ago.

So, if you are one of those who is suddenly unemployed...what do you do when it all comes tumbling down?

1. Take a deep breath - It is going to be okay. No matter how bad it feels at first, and it does feel really bad, it will get better. Remind yourself of this, get other people who can help remind you when you forget. And taking a deep breath, literally, can help.
   
2. Join a fitness program - This is high on the list, and it may be one of the best moves you can make. Make going to the gym and getting regular exercise a priority. Does that sound ridiculous? It is not. Right now you can do something you were putting off before because you did not have time. Get fit. This will do two very important things. First, you are going to look and feel better, and that will help you in your job search. Second, if you are successful here, it will give you something that is going well in your life...even when work may not be.
3. Put together a budget - Figure out what you have, what you owe, and when it is due. Wherever possible, save money and cut your expenses. Try very hard not to dive into your retirement money. Right now the market is really rough, so you would be selling low and it would be hard to recover from the loss in the near term.
   
4. Make some space in your life - Again, take advantage of the time that you have to make some improvements you could not do before. Clean it up, sort it out, consider selling things that you don't really need to have cluttering your life, throw away the junk. When your space is sorted out, your life will feel a little better. No, it won't necessarily fix everything, but you'll be surprised what a difference it can make.
5. Get your resume together - Shouldn't this be at the top of the list? It didn't need to be, 'cause you already knew it was important.
6. Volunteer - Find something you care about and donate some of your time. Again, if you are doing something that goes well, it will make a difference in your life. If you are volunteering for a worthy cause it will make a difference in other's lives. This can give you two important benefits. First, you can feel better about your life when you help others. Second, if you volunteer doing something you enjoy and are good at...you might find job opportunities that you had not known about before.
7. Network - You have heard this before...but you can't underestimate the value of connecting to other people. Most jobs are never advertised, and many positions that are advertised end up being filled through networking. Think about it...would you rather hire someone from a response to an ad, or from a recommendation from someone you trust, who knows what you need?
   
8. Consider your options - Loosing your job is rotten, terribly stressful, and often incredibly unfair. But here you are. So what if you take some time, even if it is only an hour a day, and look at what you might have as options that you could not consider when you were doing your old job? What about taking a class? Trying something different? Starting your own business? These are not idle considerations...sometimes when it is all tumbling down, you have to build something new yourself.