Have Unemployment Depression? Here’s How to Care for Your Mental Health During Your Job Search

Losing a job doesn’t just have an impact on our finances. Often our self-confidence and mood take a hit after a job loss as well.

It’s common to get discouraged when you’re unemployed. But if you’re feeling more than a little blue, you might be facing unemployment depression.

When you’re looking for a new job, you probably put a lot of care into preparing job applications and getting ready for interviews. But caring for yourself and your mental health is often more important for your long-term well-being—and for a successful career.

Can’t find a job and feeling depressed? We have some tips to help you care for your mental health while searching for a new job.

What Is Unemployment Depression?

Unemployment depression or job-loss depression aren’t official medical diagnoses but typically refer to feeling down or depressed due to job loss or long-term unemployment.

Depression is a mood disorder that goes beyond feeling sad. The feelings are more intense, present for most of the time, and have a stronger impact on different areas of your life, including your concentration, decision-making, energy levels, sleep, and eating patterns.

These are some typical symptoms of depression:

• feeling very sad
• inability to enjoy things that used to bring happiness
• trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
• low energy level
• eating too much or too little
• trouble with memory, focus, or decision-making
• physical symptoms, such as stomach pains or headache
• thoughts of self-harm or suicide

The Connection Between Unemployment and Mental Health

There is a clear link between unemployment and mental health. Most people experience stress after losing a job. And depression is about three times higher among the unemployed than the employed, according to a CDC study. Some people experience job loss similarly to grief, going through the stages of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

Why can job loss lead to depression? There are several factors at play here: Losing a job can result in less social contact and, of course, less income, which can make paying for rent, groceries, car loans, and healthcare bills more difficult. In U.S. culture, it’s also common to attach our status and identity to our job titles, which means losing a job can make us feel less valuable.

While you may be depressed as a result of losing a job, people can also lose a job because they’re depressed. If this happened to you, you may have a legal case against your employer if they knew you were depressed. This is because depression is considered a disability and is protected under the American with Disabilities Acts (ADA).

If your unemployment depression is having such a big impact on your mood that you’re struggling to apply to jobs and think you’re not ready to get back to work, contact the Social Security Administration to see if you qualify for temporary disability benefits due to depression.

Have Unemployment Depression? Do This First

If you’re feeling down because you lost your job, it’s important to see a doctor or mental health professional to determine if you’re temporarily feeling more stressed than usual or if you’re suffering from depression. Depression is usually treated with therapy, medication, or a combination of both.

If you don’t have health insurance or if your co-pay or out-of-pocket expenses are too high, look into alternatives for reduced costs or free services, such as sliding scale sessions, local mental health centers, non-profits, or reputable online therapy services.

How to Manage Stress While You’re Unemployed

While it’s likely that you’ll need professional treatment to treat unemployment depression, there are steps you can take to take care of yourself, improve your mood, and reduce your stress after a job loss. You can use these techniques even if you don’t have a depression diagnosis.

• Practice mindfulness. Start with meditation, reflection, or journaling.
• Learn to identify and challenge negative thoughts and cognitive distortions.
• Practice stress-relief techniques such as meditation or deep breathing.
• Do physical exercise like walking outside or yoga on a regular basis.
• Listen to a mental health podcast, like “The Happiness Lab,” or read a helpful book, such as “Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy,” written by psychiatrist Dr. David Burns.
• Join an unemployment support group.
• Take time for hobbies and activities you enjoy. This can boost your mood and even make your job search more fruitful long-term.

Tips for Job Searching While You’re Depressed

While you should make sure to find professional help to treat clinical depression, there are small steps you can take to make your job search more manageable while you’re coping with job loss. These are some examples:

1. Create a Schedule

Sticking to a daily routine with scheduled breaks can help increase productivity and bring stability to your life. It can also help decrease stress by creating clear boundaries between work time (looking for a job can easily take as much time as a full-time job) and free time. Find a routine that works for you; maybe you need a break in the middle of the day for a long walk, or some time for self-care in the morning before you start your job search.

2. Customize Your Job Applications

Customize your job applications to increase your chances of finding a job sooner. When you’re unemployed, it’s easy to get caught in the habit of sending out as many applications as possible, but it’s more important to send out high-quality applications. Pay attention to the company’s website, job ad, and social media. By showing the employer that you have done the research and want to work for them, you’re more likely to get a job interview.

3. Set Small Goals

Set realistic, manageable goals that keep your job search moving forward without stressing you out, for example a certain number of job applications to submit each day, when to follow up on each application, and when to follow up after an interview.

Break your goals into even smaller goals if you feel overwhelmed. Spend an hour customizing your resume to a job ad, take the next hour to write a rough draft of a cover letter, and then edit your cover letter in the afternoon after your lunch break.

4. Mentally Prepare for Interviews

Use stress-relief exercises to calm your anxiety before a job interview. Verbal peptalk and visualizations can increase your self-esteem, while deep breathing can help you relax.

5. Don’t Forget About Networking

Make time for indirect methods to find a job, such as networking. If your depression is limiting your ability to network in person, connect with and stay in touch with people over email or LinkedIn.

6. Talk It Out With a Mentor

Find a mentor to discuss specific job-search challenges not directly related to your depression. A mentor can help you with career advice such as how to best present yourself at an interview, but you should refrain from using your mentor as a replacement for a therapist.

7. Seek Out Career Resources

Find out if there are job skills training programs in your state. Resources available for people who are unemployed can help you build new skills to make you more competitive on the job market. A good starting point is the state department responsible for unemployment benefits.

Keeping Things in Perspective When You're Facing Job-Loss Depression

Everyone wants to do well professionally, but you’ll want to be careful about associating your self-worth with your job (or lack of a job). It’s important to focus on your strengths in life outside of work while you’re job searching while depressed.

Having realistic expectations when it comes to your job search can also help put things into perspective. On average, employers receive over 100 applications for a job opening, so if you don’t get called for an interview, don’t take it personally. Just maximize your chances by having a strong job application and applying to every job you find interesting.

Studies also show that it usually takes a few months and many job applications before you land a job. While this can seem discouraging, keeping it in mind can help you realize that finding a new job is difficult for everyone and that you’re not alone. Losing a job can also be the start of a new journey. You may find that you end up at a company or in a career that you enjoy more.

Get Help With Your Job Search on Monster

Going through unemployment depression is challenging. But Monster can help make your job search easier. Create a profile to get regular job search advice in your inbox and use your profile to upload your resume and apply to new jobs that interest you. You’ll make it through, and you’ll be on to bigger and better things in no time!

This article is for informational purposes only. It’s not intended to be a substitute for professional advice. Seek out a mental health professional for diagnosis and treatment of depression. If you are facing a mental health crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1800-273-8255 to talk to a counselor.