How to Make it Through the Stress of Job Hunting in This Tough Market

The stress of looking for work takes a toll emotionally, as well as physically. An extended stint of unemployment can be expected in these hard times, with almost 15 million Americans currently on the hunt for work. How do you keep your chin up and your focus strong during the emotional rollercoaster that comes with unemployment?

Let us battle the beastly stress one step at a time.

1) Stay in shape.

Battling laziness is hard to do when you start worrying if that interview call back will ever come. Too many times, people start to lose self-esteem from hearing the word "NO" over and over again until they are so bogged down that the sofa and the soap operas become their daily routine.

Keeping an active workout schedule can keep your body and mind motivated to battle another day of active job searching. Keeping your body moving will keep your endorphins levels high and your self esteem steadier.

2) Don't lose focus.

Have you ever done something for so long that you forgot why you started? How about fought with someone, or just not spoken to them for so long you can't remember the reason you began fighting or stopped speaking?

The same thing can be said for the avid job searcher.

Sure, you remember why you need work. Those motivations are always present and usually constantly staring you in the face.

However, a lot of us lose focus of what made us the desirable employee, or our "ace in the hole" qualities that should make us a shoe in.

The self esteem drops and the stress mounts as we lose sight of how valuable we truly are. For this I took a tip from an article sent to me from theladders.com. Author Dan Coughlin suggested taking a piece of paper and making a block of headings. These headings are as follows.

• Values
• Strengths
• Passions
• Knowledge
• Skills
• Experience.

Under each of those headlines describe what you bring to a potential employer. Then think of an example that supports why you feel you bring that characteristic.

Use this list as a selling point. Businesses sell services or products, job seekers sell themselves and their qualities to prospective employers.

If you have troubles with this ask others for help. Take several sheets and hand them to those in your life that know you best. Have friends, family members, and old co-workers if they would be willing to put something under each heading that fits how they see you.

Nothing boosts the self esteem like being told in writing how valuable you are.

3) Have a plan of action.

Job hunting should not be an all day every day routine. You'll end up burning out long before you get started.

Map out a plan of action. What kind of job do you want? Do you have a second and third choice? Let's be honest very few of us land that dream job even in a good economy. Make sure you have more than one option. And research, research, research. Don't go after a profession, or into an interview knowing little or nothing about the company, or the position.

Schedule your week with time for other things. All job seeking all the time can accelerate the depression and stress that come with rejection. Make time for training. Learning a new skill can be fun, fulfilling, and beneficial to you in your hunt.

Make time for a hobby. Giving yourself an hour or two a week that you can escape the pressure and stress will keep you relaxed for another go at the job market.

4) Never Give Up!

Nothing is impossible. There will be a job out there with your name written all over it.

Keep your chin up and keep on keeping on. Your determination can be a positive aspect to a potential employer.

No one wants to hire a quitter. And you don't want an employer who won't admire your willingness to keep going even after a setback.

These four tips are not life changing but they are meant to help you keep going. Motivation is half the battle. In this market it's a chore to drag yourself out of bed and face interview after interview. Tomorrow is another day. Your new job is waiting. The path to a new career is not a cake walk, but a journey of self discovery. Embrace it.