Do you remember when you defended your master’s thesis? Everyone greeted you with “Congratulations”. It felt like greatness was within arm’s reach. Nobody said the other sentence: – “Welcome to the world of unemployment!”
As easy as student times may seem to you now, they also had their fair share of pressure and nervousness. You had to deal with examinations, group projects and constant deadlines to keep up with the assignments. However, once the exam was over, the pressure was lifted and you would think of a way to celebrate!
Real world anxiety
Unfortunately, in the real world ‘adult life’ doesn’t offer an exit once you start looking for a job. When you get your diploma, you start sending out application after application. And every time you click the ‘SEND’ button your anxiety does not go away, just the opposite – it increases.
The moment you apply for a job, many questions start popping into your head: “What if they call for an interview?”, “What if no-one calls me at all?”, “Did I include everything relevant?” and so on and so on.
Because of the uncertainty, the situation goes on daily until your mind eventually gets blocked and you fall into the ‘loop of unemployment’ – the loop of worried, fearful, relentless thoughts. As a result, the feeling of constant stress is incorporated into your mind and daily activities, which include finding a job.
The message is BREAK THE LOOP of insecure and unfinished thoughts!
Know your enemy
You can do that by working on clearing your mind and identifying the real cause of your anxiety.
When you know your enemy, it is much easier to defeat! There are plenty of ways to break the loop. You can do it by using the help of a career specialist, joining a mentoring program, talking to a friend who has been there, or you can try on your own – any practice that works for you, be it yoga, mindfulness or simply five minutes of thinking about nothing, staring out of the window.
Maintaining a positive attitude is critical to your chances of successfully finding a job.
The way to do it is to break the loop!
