This is one of the simplest tips I can give: exercise every day. Sitting in front of a computer looking for jobs, updating resumes, and stalking people on LinkedIn is no way to spend an entire day. Trust me.
I got a gym membership for the first time last fall when I was already several months deep into the unemployed life. I was a skeptic at first. I wondered whether the $30 per month plus the yearly fee was worth it or whether I felt comfortable working out next to guys (and ladies) who could bench press me if they so desired. I’m also not a fan of locker rooms, even though Trump-style “locker-room talk” has been appreciably absent. I was the type of kid who never showered after gym class no matter how sweaty and smelly I became—a shy member of the first generation of American students who were not required to do so. Most seriously, I’m not a fan of the pop music that every corporate gym feels the need to blast as if it’s the only thing pumping us up enough to do one more lifting set or keeping us running full speed on the treadmill. Hearing contemporary music makes me want to run out of the gym entirely. It reminds me why my radio dial is always set to the oldies or a news show.
The point is if I can withstand the indignity of being a nerd—listening to NPR podcasts and The Beatles—among contemporary-pop-music-loving meatheads at the gym, anyone (with the budget for it) should be able to follow. And if you can’t afford to spend money on exercise, go to the park. Don’t forget your bike if it’s a big park. You might also have a community pool or aquatic center in your neighborhood. Swimming is excellent exercise, and if you don’t know how to do it yet, now is the time.
If it’s cold, go to the mall. My grandmother used to go to the mall just to walk the loop when it was cold outside. I used to think she was nuts, but now that I’ve gotten older and seem to gain five pounds whenever I eat one donut, I understand the logic. It’s even harder to stay fit when you’re stress-eating because you don’t have a job or boredom-eating because—wait for it—you don’t have a job. Keep up the daily fitness routine no matter what.
But there is far more to exercise than losing weight or physical fitness. The mental health benefits are enormous, and I can’t stress enough how much more potent I feel after a rigorous workout. It’s far better (and safer) than drugs, alcohol, or risky sex (nothing is better than safe, meaningful sex, and it’s also great physical exercise) in that regard, but you experience a lot of the same feelings of euphoria and invincibility. This, of course, does not happen every time you exercise. As with sex, you will have moments when you wish you had just rolled over and gone to sleep instead of embarrassing yourself, but there are other moments when you push yourself to the max and rise to the challenge. This is what working a meaningful and challenging job did for me in the past, and I’m sure others can relate.
Thus, rigorous exercise is perhaps the best substitute for working. I suggest you try it early and often.
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Previous posts in this series:
Unemployed? Don’t Feel Bad for Feelin’ Bad
Don’t Need a Job to Need a Partner
Being Unemployed Doesn’t Make You Less of a Man
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