Depression Clouds Everything

Depression Clouds Everything A bit of a ramble about a serious topic something that Ive been wanting to write about for a while but not quite sure how to write about it. I dont consider myself emotionally unhealthy. In fact, with the exception of dealing with a big car accident when I was 17, I feel like Ive either been in control of my life, or very comfortable with what has happening. I dont think that I have suffered from anxiety or depression or similar things, although Im close to people who have and know that its real and serious. I have a high locus of control, which means I believe I have a significant impact on things that happen to me (career success, family success, etc.). But, when I started my job search there were two major things going on. First, I was managing and coordinating all of the logistics that go into a job search. There are a ton from getting a resume together to getting it out, prepping for interviews, dressing right, networking, researching, etc. These are all mechanical things, things that you can get coached on from the do these 10 things and youll land a job lists. In fact, they are so mechanical that you can easily define what needs to be done, how to do it, and figure out what tweaks are required because of your needs. You can come up with checklists and plans, and its all good or it would seem to be all good. This is all good news for someone with a high locus of control. The second thing that was happening all of the emotional stuff happening. You see, I was on top of the world I was the general manager of my company, on the board of directors, accomplished in school and feeling pretty good about myself. And then I became a job seeker. This is the person that wont get a call back, or an e-mail reply, from anyone. The job seeker is the person who tries to get interviews so that you can see just how great they are, and what value theyll bring to your company but they get nowhere. The job seeker is the guy who lost an income, but still has bills to pay. When I first lost my job I remember reading an article on MSN it was about a guy in Korea that lost his job, went to the zoo, entered an animals area, and climbed a tree and wouldnt come down. Can you imagine what it takes for a professional to end up in a tree at the zoo, and then on international news? At least, I thought, Im not there. But day after day, the rejection, the self-doubt, all the bad stuff that happens when your world is turned upside down, the emotions where clouding things. Judgment was clouded, because I was desperate. Performance was clouded because I was scared. I certainly wasnt used to dealing with these emotions, especially week after week. It was also somewhat depressing to go to network meetings with professionals in transition who were going through similar things. I was pretty amazed that I met people who were in the same laid-off boat I was, who were much more accomplished than me. Would this never end?? I didnt want to be in this situation regularly! I dealt with it (by ignoring it). But I knew that others werent dealing with it there. A few weeks ago I was at lunch with a good friend that I met during my job search. He had a very similar story to mine, a fast-paced career, good money, big titles and responsibility, and then he got cut out because of lame corporate politics. We got on the subject of emotions, and I said that this was the most surprising aspect of a job search for me, and I asked him if he dealt with negative emotions. Since I had met him I knew him to be composed I didnt imagine that he dealt with them. His reply was shocking: Jason, it got to the point where I asked myself if it was the wrists or the neck. For those of you who havent been jobless yet, thinking that you give 110% to your company and theyll take care of you, mark my words, the emotional aspect of a job search, no matter what your locus of control is, may be the most surprising, derailing thing you have to deal with in your job search. Im not sure if Ill get comments on this post or not but it is a serious issue. If you have anything you feel comfortable sharing, leave a comment. Depression Clouds Everything A bit of a ramble about a serious topic something that Ive been wanting to write about for a while but not quite sure how to write about it. I dont consider myself emotionally unhealthy. In fact, with the exception of dealing with a big car accident when I was 17, I feel like Ive either been in control of my life, or very comfortable with what has happening. I dont think that I have suffered from anxiety or depression or similar things, although Im close to people who have and know that its real and serious. I have a high locus of control, which means I believe I have a significant impact on things that happen to me (career success, family success, etc.). But, when I started my job search there were two major things going on. First, I was managing and coordinating all of the logistics that go into a job search. There are a ton from getting a resume together to getting it out, prepping for interviews, dressing right, networking, researching, etc. These are all mechanical things, things that you can get coached on from the do these 10 things and youll land a job lists. In fact, they are so mechanical that you can easily define what needs to be done, how to do it, and figure out what tweaks are required because of your needs. You can come up with checklists and plans, and its all good or it would seem to be all good. This is all good news for someone with a high locus of control. The second thing that was happening all of the emotional stuff happening. You see, I was on top of the world I was the general manager of my company, on the board of directors, accomplished in school and feeling pretty good about myself. And then I became a job seeker. This is the person that wont get a call back, or an e-mail reply, from anyone. The job seeker is the person who tries to get interviews so that you can see just how great they are, and what value theyll bring to your company but they get nowhere. The job seeker is the guy who lost an income, but still has bills to pay. When I first lost my job I remember reading an article on MSN it was about a guy in Korea that lost his job, went to the zoo, entered an animals area, and climbed a tree and wouldnt come down. Can you imagine what it takes for a professional to end up in a tree at the zoo, and then on international news? At least, I thought, Im not there. But day after day, the rejection, the self-doubt, all the bad stuff that happens when your world is turned upside down, the emotions where clouding things. Judgment was clouded, because I was desperate. Performance was clouded because I was scared. I certainly wasnt used to dealing with these emotions, especially week after week. It was also somewhat depressing to go to network meetings with professionals in transition who were going through similar things. I was pretty amazed that I met people who were in the same laid-off boat I was, who were much more accomplished than me. Would this never end?? I didnt want to be in this situation regularly! I dealt with it (by ignoring it). But I knew that others werent dealing with it there. A few weeks ago I was at lunch with a good friend that I met during my job search. He had a very similar story to mine, a fast-paced career, good money, big titles and responsibility, and then he got cut out because of lame corporate politics. We got on the subject of emotions, and I said that this was the most surprising aspect of a job search for me, and I asked him if he dealt with negative emotions. Since I had met him I knew him to be composed I didnt imagine that he dealt with them. His reply was shocking: Jason, it got to the point where I asked myself if it was the wrists or the neck. For those of you who havent been jobless yet, thinking that you give 110% to your company and theyll take care of you, mark my words, the emotional aspect of a job search, no matter what your locus of control is, may be the most surprising, derailing thing you have to deal with in your job search. Im not sure if Ill get comments on this post or not but it is a serious issue. If you have anything you feel comfortable sharing, leave a comment. Depression Clouds Everything A bit of a ramble about a serious topic something that Ive been wanting to write about for a while but not quite sure how to write about it. I dont consider myself emotionally unhealthy. In fact, with the exception of dealing with a big car accident when I was 17, I feel like Ive either been in control of my life, or very comfortable with what has happening. I dont think that I have suffered from anxiety or depression or similar things, although Im close to people who have and know that its real and serious. I have a high locus of control, which means I believe I have a significant impact on things that happen to me (career success, family success, etc.). But, when I started my job search there were two major things going on. First, I was managing and coordinating all of the logistics that go into a job search. There are a ton from getting a resume together to getting it out, prepping for interviews, dressing right, networking, researching, etc. These are all mechanical things, things that you can get coached on from the do these 10 things and youll land a job lists. In fact, they are so mechanical that you can easily define what needs to be done, how to do it, and figure out what tweaks are required because of your needs. You can come up with checklists and plans, and its all good or it would seem to be all good. This is all good news for someone with a high locus of control. The second thing that was happening all of the emotional stuff happening. You see, I was on top of the world I was the general manager of my company, on the board of directors, accomplished in school and feeling pretty good about myself. And then I became a job seeker. This is the person that wont get a call back, or an e-mail reply, from anyone. The job seeker is the person who tries to get interviews so that you can see just how great they are, and what value theyll bring to your company but they get nowhere. The job seeker is the guy who lost an income, but still has bills to pay. When I first lost my job I remember reading an article on MSN it was about a guy in Korea that lost his job, went to the zoo, entered an animals area, and climbed a tree and wouldnt come down. Can you imagine what it takes for a professional to end up in a tree at the zoo, and then on international news? At least, I thought, Im not there. But day after day, the rejection, the self-doubt, all the bad stuff that happens when your world is turned upside down, the emotions where clouding things. Judgment was clouded, because I was desperate. Performance was clouded because I was scared. I certainly wasnt used to dealing with these emotions, especially week after week. It was also somewhat depressing to go to network meetings with professionals in transition who were going through similar things. I was pretty amazed that I met people who were in the same laid-off boat I was, who were much more accomplished than me. Would this never end?? I didnt want to be in this situation regularly! I dealt with it (by ignoring it). But I knew that others werent dealing with it there. A few weeks ago I was at lunch with a good friend that I met during my job search. He had a very similar story to mine, a fast-paced career, good money, big titles and responsibility, and then he got cut out because of lame corporate politics. We got on the subject of emotions, and I said that this was the most surprising aspect of a job search for me, and I asked him if he dealt with negative emotions. Since I had met him I knew him to be composed I didnt imagine that he dealt with them. His reply was shocking: Jason, it got to the point where I asked myself if it was the wrists or the neck. For those of you who havent been jobless yet, thinking that you give 110% to your company and theyll take care of you, mark my words, the emotional aspect of a job search, no matter what your locus of control is, may be the most surprising, derailing thing you have to deal with in your job search. Im not sure if Ill get comments on this post or not but it is a serious issue. If you have anything you feel comfortable sharing, leave a comment. Depression Clouds Everything A bit of a ramble about a serious topic something that Ive been wanting to write about for a while but not quite sure how to write about it. I dont consider myself emotionally unhealthy. In fact, with the exception of dealing with a big car accident when I was 17, I feel like Ive either been in control of my life, or very comfortable with what has happening. I dont think that I have suffered from anxiety or depression or similar things, although Im close to people who have and know that its real and serious. I have a high locus of control, which means I believe I have a significant impact on things that happen to me (career success, family success, etc.). But, when I started my job search there were two major things going on. First, I was managing and coordinating all of the logistics that go into a job search. There are a ton from getting a resume together to getting it out, prepping for interviews, dressing right, networking, researching, etc. These are all mechanical things, things that you can get coached on from the do these 10 things and youll land a job lists. In fact, they are so mechanical that you can easily define what needs to be done, how to do it, and figure out what tweaks are required because of your needs. You can come up with checklists and plans, and its all good or it would seem to be all good. This is all good news for someone with a high locus of control. The second thing that was happening all of the emotional stuff happening. You see, I was on top of the world I was the general manager of my company, on the board of directors, accomplished in school and feeling pretty good about myself. And then I became a job seeker. This is the person that wont get a call back, or an e-mail reply, from anyone. The job seeker is the person who tries to get interviews so that you can see just how great they are, and what value theyll bring to your company but they get nowhere. The job seeker is the guy who lost an income, but still has bills to pay. When I first lost my job I remember reading an article on MSN it was about a guy in Korea that lost his job, went to the zoo, entered an animals area, and climbed a tree and wouldnt come down. Can you imagine what it takes for a professional to end up in a tree at the zoo, and then on international news? At least, I thought, Im not there. But day after day, the rejection, the self-doubt, all the bad stuff that happens when your world is turned upside down, the emotions where clouding things. Judgment was clouded, because I was desperate. Performance was clouded because I was scared. I certainly wasnt used to dealing with these emotions, especially week after week. It was also somewhat depressing to go to network meetings with professionals in transition who were going through similar things. I was pretty amazed that I met people who were in the same laid-off boat I was, who were much more accomplished than me. Would this never end?? I didnt want to be in this situation regularly! I dealt with it (by ignoring it). But I knew that others werent dealing with it there. A few weeks ago I was at lunch with a good friend that I met during my job search. He had a very similar story to mine, a fast-paced career, good money, big titles and responsibility, and then he got cut out because of lame corporate politics. We got on the subject of emotions, and I said that this was the most surprising aspect of a job search for me, and I asked him if he dealt with negative emotions. Since I had met him I knew him to be composed I didnt imagine that he dealt with them. His reply was shocking: Jason, it got to the point where I asked myself if it was the wrists or the neck. For those of you who havent been jobless yet, thinking that you give 110% to your company and theyll take care of you, mark my words, the emotional aspect of a job search, no matter what your locus of control is, may be the most surprising, derailing thing you have to deal with in your job search. Im not sure if Ill get comments on this post or not but it is a serious issue. If you have anything you feel comfortable sharing, leave a comment. Depression Clouds Everything A bit of a ramble about a serious topic something that Ive been wanting to write about for a while but not quite sure how to write about it. I dont consider myself emotionally unhealthy. In fact, with the exception of dealing with a big car accident when I was 17, I feel like Ive either been in control of my life, or very comfortable with what has happening. I dont think that I have suffered from anxiety or depression or similar things, although Im close to people who have and know that its real and serious. I have a high locus of control, which means I believe I have a significant impact on things that happen to me (career success, family success, etc.). But, when I started my job search there were two major things going on. First, I was managing and coordinating all of the logistics that go into a job search. There are a ton from getting a resume together to getting it out, prepping for interviews, dressing right, networking, researching, etc. These are all mechanical things, things that you can get coached on from the do these 10 things and youll land a job lists. In fact, they are so mechanical that you can easily define what needs to be done, how to do it, and figure out what tweaks are required because of your needs. You can come up with checklists and plans, and its all good or it would seem to be all good. This is all good news for someone with a high locus of control. The second thing that was happening all of the emotional stuff happening. You see, I was on top of the world I was the general manager of my company, on the board of directors, accomplished in school and feeling pretty good about myself. And then I became a job seeker. This is the person that wont get a call back, or an e-mail reply, from anyone. The job seeker is the person who tries to get interviews so that you can see just how great they are, and what value theyll bring to your company but they get nowhere. The job seeker is the guy who lost an income, but still has bills to pay. When I first lost my job I remember reading an article on MSN it was about a guy in Korea that lost his job, went to the zoo, entered an animals area, and climbed a tree and wouldnt come down. Can you imagine what it takes for a professional to end up in a tree at the zoo, and then on international news? At least, I thought, Im not there. But day after day, the rejection, the self-doubt, all the bad stuff that happens when your world is turned upside down, the emotions where clouding things. Judgment was clouded, because I was desperate. Performance was clouded because I was scared. I certainly wasnt used to dealing with these emotions, especially week after week. It was also somewhat depressing to go to network meetings with professionals in transition who were going through similar things. I was pretty amazed that I met people who were in the same laid-off boat I was, who were much more accomplished than me. Would this never end?? I didnt want to be in this situation regularly! I dealt with it (by ignoring it). But I knew that others werent dealing with it there. A few weeks ago I was at lunch with a good friend that I met during my job search. He had a very similar story to mine, a fast-paced career, good money, big titles and responsibility, and then he got cut out because of lame corporate politics. We got on the subject of emotions, and I said that this was the most surprising aspect of a job search for me, and I asked him if he dealt with negative emotions. Since I had met him I knew him to be composed I didnt imagine that he dealt with them. His reply was shocking: Jason, it got to the point where I asked myself if it was the wrists or the neck. For those of you who havent been jobless yet, thinking that you give 110% to your company and theyll take care of you, mark my words, the emotional aspect of a job search, no matter what your locus of control is, may be the most surprising, derailing thing you have to deal with in your job search. Im not sure if Ill get comments on this post or not but it is a serious issue. If you have anything you feel comfortable sharing, leave a comment.