12 Depression Busters for the Unemployed

Unemployed? Keep Depression at Bay

The unemployment rate has skyrocketed to approximately 10 percent, and it is forecasted to stay above 9.5 percent for the rest of 2010. For the first time in American history, more women are working than men because close to 80 percent of the people laid off in the recent recession were men.

According to a recent study published in the "International Journal of Epidemiology," unemployment is a major risk factor for depression, even in people without previous vulnerability. Because my husband is an architect whose work has slowed down substantially with the collapse of the housing market, I have a vested interest in this topic and wanted to know what I could do to help him stay physically and emotionally healthy, since, theoretically, one of us should be. Here, then, are 12 steps to bust your depression when you're unemployed.

Therese J. Borchard writes the Beyond Blue blog on Beliefnet. Her new book, also called Beyond Blue, has just been published.

Get to Work!

Before you get too cozy in your robe and slippers and watch too many episodes of "Oprah," there's this piece of advice: Get to work! Just because you don't have a nice sum of money being deposited into your bank account every other week does not mean you don't have a job. You have several, actually, and the sooner you start, the easier they will be: 1. Polish the resume. Like, for example, take out the part where you said you were class president of your freshman class in high school. 2. Network. That's easy today with Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. You've got tons of contacts right there at your finger tips. 3. Evaluate your career. Maybe it's the wrong time to ask the question "Is this really what I want to be doing?" But it could also be the right time, if there ever was a right time. If you really hated your job, entertain the possibility of doing something totally different!

Shift Your Self-Esteem

Most of us get our self-esteem from our jobs, because we subscribe to a Calvinistic work ethic, which dictates that hard work is central to a person's calling. We Americans are a tad obsessed with work. Men's self-definition, especially, is wrapped up in their job, so any demotion or pink slip is a major blow to their ego and self-esteem. David Burns describes three levels of self-esteem in his book, "10 Days to Self-Esteem:" conditional, unconditional, and "non-existent self-esteem." The last is reserved for evolved souls like Mother Teresa and Gandhi. But if we can work toward a place where our self-esteem isn't as dependent on people, places, and things (and especially our work), we experience a kind of unmatched freedom.

Develop Some Hobbies (Or, Shape Up!)

This is a perfect time to find out what you like to do, aside from working and sleeping. Leisure isn't a luxury for the rich and lazy. Active leisure--where you do more than control the remote--has many health benefits. There was a recent study by social scientist Salvatore Maddi that showed how active leisure (for four to six hours a week) protected people from experiencing stress and developing depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, and overeating. If you do nothing else with your time away from the cubicle, at least begin a health plan and start working out. You will benefit enormously from the antidepressant effects of exercise alone.