If you have been bitten recently by the unemployment snake, I hope that you find solace and motivation from the following ideas on adjusting to your new situation.  As a Marriage and Family Therapist, I have been hearing more and more tragic stories of folks who have lost their jobs.  After the shock and grief associated with this loss, it's time to get back up and prepare for your next career.  I'll offer a couple of tips for today, and add to them over time. 

My challenge as a therapist is to re-frame the end of the world thinking by these intelligent, talented persons, who turn to me for inspiration and advice. I would like to share with you some of the ideas that have come up in sessions where we work collaboratively to stare down this stress monster.
These ideas are practical, and do not ask you to re-invent yourself, although some clients have taken their misfortune to try something new for work. There is no sugar-coating how bad things are in the workplace, but unbridled anxiety is not going to help your situation.

1) The Importance of Saying “Yes”

In this economy you have to think about all opportunities to connect with others. You’ll have to be nimble and aggressive in building your network, and the biggest piece of that is to say “yes” to all kinds of invitations.
Whether it’s a community meeting to discuss how to allocate space for parks, or coffee with a former co-worker, or attending business networking events like Biznik, or other business networking groups, it’s imperative to get out there and interact. From Parade Magazine (Page 13, January 2009), actress Kerri Russell summed it up best: “Opportunities can be wildly different from what you perceived they were going to be. If you have your eye on just one thing, you might miss something better. I realize that, in life, new experiences are the only things that matter. If you way ‘no’ to everything, what do you have?”

2) Make hard choices between needs and wants

This is as straightforward and pragmatic as it sounds. You don’t really need that latte every morning from Starbucks (sorry, Mr. Schultz)! Make coffee at home, and save $100/month. Examine all of your recurring expenses like cell phone bills, cable TV bills, utilities, health clubs, magazines, and decide where to cut. Of course when things get back to normal, you can slowly add these things back to your life. For now, batten down the hatches and eliminate all “wants” expenses.