Job-seekers: take some time to seek happiness

The last boss I had in the corporate sector was born the same day as Hitler. So maybe it wasn't so bad when I got laid off 15 or so years ago. That's when I started my own business.

Finding yourself unemployed can be serious business. Do take extra measures during this time to stay happy. Here are my top happiness tips for today's job seekers:

1. Surround yourself with supportive friends and family. Plan time for socializing and avoid isolating yourself. Get a best friend if you don’t have one and hang with them.

2. Set new goals for yourself. Plan your job search, update your resume, and let your friends and acquaintances know what you’re looking for and what you have to offer. Accomplish something toward your goal every day.

3. Make a gratitude list to help lift your spirits. Do you have your health? The support of friends and family? A set of marketable skills? A comfortable home to live in? Food on the table three times a day? Keep it going, and create a practice for yourself daily to remind yourself of what you have.

4. Educate yourself on which industries are hiring and which jobs are in demand: nursing, physicians, accountants, green energy, oil and gas, health care managers, and IT jobs are in demand. Is there a way you can easily retool? For example, if you are in construction, how can you retool yourself for green construction where the jobs are?

5. Surround yourself with positive activities and avoid negative ones. Listen to uplifting music and turn off the economic news. Watch comedies instead of tearjerkers. Meet with hopeful friends and avoid negative people.

6. If you need to, scale down. Eat at Subway instead of Morton’s. Turn the thermostat lower in winter and higher in summer. Postpone purchases. Meet people at coffee places instead of lunch places. Trade with people instead of paying cash.

7. To counter #4, have fun that’s free. Go to the library to check out books, see a $1 movie, take a walk in the park, or have friends come over to chat.

8. Volunteer to help someone who is more in need than you. This is important to keep your perspective and your spirits up.

9. When you’re ready, debrief your layoff and try to be realistic. If you lack a skill most companies need or have a behavior problem that has gotten in the way, fix it. Get schooling or coaching or both.

10. Participate in stress-reducing activities such as exercise, sports, meditation (but not if you’re clinically depressed), and yoga.

11. Listen carefully to the people you trust for advice right now.

12. If you do find yourself slipping into a depression, get professional help. Find a psychologist, psychiatrist, or ask your family doctor for help. In many cases, drug therapy and cognitive-based therapy together make the most potent recovery.