I quite often receive emails from people who are anxious about going back to the heady world of employment after extensive gaps. We all know the powerful reasons behind this: bringing up children, emotional life experiences, Mental Health issues, and everything in between.
It is then a bit of a shock to the system when we are faced with the overwhelming task of applying for a job when everything’s changed. Technology is a huge instance of the way our working lives are evolving – one minute we’re using typewriters, and before you know it, we’re roaming all over the place carrying “tablets” and “tethering” to our mobile phones. Whatever that means. It’s been explained to me but I’m still not sure I understand!
But also what changes, is us. Life experiences in all their glory, lead us to conclusions regarding decisions we make for ourselves – and that’s often a good place to start – what would work for you?
First of all, don’t rush into anything. It’s important not to stress out with your eyes swimming in front of the vacancy ads on Seek/CareerOne etc.
Sit quietly, with a cuppa, and list your skills as you know them, both past and present. Get someone you trust to list what they think about your skills, too. You may not be kind enough to yourself.
Consider what what would make you feel fulfilled – are you a Carer by nature? Do you like repetition, or prefer thinking “outside the square”?
Would you like to re-skill in something or simply update skills you already have.
Can you involve passions or hobbies?
Of course, when you’re anxious and feeling out of the Loop, it’s difficult to put that first foot forward. Perhaps you can’t really answer some of these questions right now. And that’s OK. Having Career Guidance help can often lead to something “leaping out”, but it’s only one of the steps you may take.
Anxiety in itself is a Distractor and can throw you off course. I sometimes call it “Axe-iety, because it has a habit of chopping our ideas/actions up into little pieces. But that’s all part of the avoidance behaviour associated with Anxiety and Depression in general. We don’t think we can “do it”. But we can.
Try to stay on track by reminding yourself of what your goals are, whether it’s returning to work, or focussing on your well-being. I personally found that I had to spend quite some time discovering who I was again before venturing down the employment track. Or rather, who I had become.
Attempt to put one thought into action – maybe looking up a class or course you’d like to do. Don’t choose one unless it’s something you’d REALLY like to do. No “this’ll do’s”. They frequently act as what they are: fill-ins.
The next step might be enquiring – you may want to write down a list of questions before you speak on the phone. There is some comfort in doing that regarding a sense of preparation and therefore less panic.
One good exercise is to pay attention to your life as it is lived hour by hour. What can we do better in that hour? How can we be more productive and fulfilled in that hour? Living in the moment can be satisfying, but that is frequently said by people who can afford to do so, in my opinion. For instance, most people would agree that keeping a house going financially takes planning. Or looking after children – the “moments” can have a routine built into them!
Oh, I digress, but you get the picture, I hope. By the way, I used some of my “moments” over Easter eating way too much chocolate, and broke a chair at the Meadows Bakery! (it WAS plastic!).
I’ve made this month’s goal to eat less chocolate and sweet things in general. What’s yours going to be?
