Keeping your job search moving during the holidays is a smart move, but it can add an extra measure of stress to the season. It’s a balancing act of enjoying family and holiday activities while staying motivated to land that job.
Staying enthusiastic about your search takes energy, and it can be challenging to keep a positive attitude when job-related numbers keep wavering.
Keep in mind that a job search can be described as a marathon rather than a sprint, and staying with it is really a mental exercise that involves maintaining a healthy stress level.
Holidays bring an enormous number of expectations, many of which involve a constant stream of shopping ads and endless lists of gifts. Add these holiday expectations to the uncertainty of the job market, and if you’re not careful, stress can put a damper on your festivities.
It helps to recognize what can cause holiday-related stress. You can find it in family traditions, wishful thinking, disrupted schedules, financial pressures, having the perfectly decorated house and the pressures of family gatherings.
There are a number of strategies you can use to stay enthusiastic about your job search during this time of year so you can enjoy the holidays while taking care of your employment goals.
The key to managing stress is to take care of such priorities as your health and keeping family communication open.
Ways to manage holiday stress:
• Keep your job search active, and spend time on it every day.
• Get outside. Walking is a great change of pace.
• Listen to soothing music. Give your mind a break and relax.
• Plan a budget and stick to it to prevent unnecessary expenses.
• Keep a healthy perspective on the holidays and on your job search.
• If you don’t have a job-search plan, make one. If you do have one, keep working it. Planning reduces stress, and it gives your efforts direction.
Enjoying the holidays during your job search requires a determined focus and the ability to live in the present while planning for the future. Managing your stress will make the next few weeks more enjoyable and memorable.
