7 ways to survive a long, lonely unemployment period

7 ways to survive a long, lonely unemployment period7 ways to survive a long, lonely unemployment periodYou spend all day at home trying to figure out your next career move,while visions of your friends stacking their latest paychecks sky-high flood your psyche.Welcome to a long, lonely stretch of unemployment. While part of you might feel like youlost your identitywhen you lost your job, there are things you can do to help navigate such an emotionally draining time.Do more than stare at your computer all dayDoing this until your eyes glaze over isnt healthy.Instead, give your eyes a rest andtake breaks outside. Research has found that spending time in greenery outside (as opposed to a concrete jungle) can make you feel better about yourself when youre at work. But this doesnt mean you have to be employed to enjoy natures benefits.Of course, you also should do your best to avoid getting hooked on your smartphone - dont overdo it. Luckily, there are ways to break your addiction.Look for jobs in different placesIn other words, get off the couch and get moving.Head to a local library or coffee shop to break things up while you work. After all, it can be really difficult to search for jobs when you have a bad case of cabin fever.Have a mentor who can help you brainstorm? Reach out and see if they can meet to talk, as well as others in your professional network.Keep your spaces as clutter-free as possibleIf you havent done your spring cleaning yet, now would be a pretty good time to start. So get rid of everything you dont need in both your closet and home workspace - old clothes, shoes, files, papers, electronics and more.Also, back up your computer onto your hard drive and delete what you dont need anymore.Focus on your healthIts so easy to use feeling upset during unemployment as a reason to pack on the comfort food, but you should resistthe urge to binge on unhealthy snacks and drinks.Instead, you should continue to prepare different types of healthy foodsfor the week, go on long walks, hit the gym, and indulge yourself once in a while.See your friends when you canThis might be difficult, but its better to get a real dose of perspective on how everyone else is doing than sit at home all week, pining for better days.Remember, all that glitters Going out will help you remember thatwork shouldnt be your everything, anyway.Be careful with your cashIn the saatkorn vein, youll want to save as much money as you canwithout depriving yourself of socializing. If you had no time for friendshipsback when you were working full-time, you definitely do now, so take advantage of this time.Cut unnecessary spending where you can and figure out ways to earn more cash.Keeping this in mind, this is where a side hustle could come in handy as you look for something full-time again pick something that will both excite you and help pay your bills as you wait to hear back from employers.Do some volunteer workHelping others is a valuable use of time - whether you re unemployed or not - because there will always be someone in need.Doing volunteer work is also a great way to meet other people who have charitable spirits, and to get out of your own head. Whether youre volunteering at a soup kitchen, helping tutor local students or mentoring someone, youll always have your hands full while learning something new.