You may have been laid off, just started retirement, transitioned to a stay-at-home parent role, or, if you’re like me, have recently immigrated to a new country and are not allowed to work until you’ve been granted a work permit (still waiting months later…). Regardless of the reason why, you’re not currently working. Sure it was nice the first couple of weeks or months to get some initial projects done, sleep in, lounge on the couch binge watching Netflix, but by this point, you may feel like you’re close to losing your damn mind.

For the past year I’ve struggled to keep myself sane during this long period of unemployment. I’ve also learned that not having purpose or personal goals is a major cause of depression. I don’t feel depressed, but I have definitely gone through periods of discontent, boredom, lonliness, and frustration over the past year. Here’s what I’ve been trying to do to keep myself busy in a healthy, productive way: [Read more…]