By: Gemma Crane

Unemployment, be it long-term or sudden, is one of the greatest causes of anxiety and depression worldwide. Losing a job to mental health issues can be a debilitating experience that leads to overwhelming thoughts of failure and humiliation. If you lost your job or, like me, you had to leave your place of employment due to struggles with anxiety and depression, you’ll understand that returning to work is made very difficult, with fears that you will not be accepted back into the workplace and the constant worry of being unable to remain financially stable. We start to wonder… What if we could turn anxiety on its head and reposition ourselves in a world of work that we can be comfortable in to rebuild our confidence?

Well, with greater interconnectivity, growing support networks and the notion that ‘life is short’ it’s possible, by embarking on a journey to become self-employed. Inspired by my own story of suffering from mental health issues to starting up as a freelance blogger and writer, here’s how to manipulate your unemployment anxiety and become your own boss.

Consider Your Personal Achievements in the Past

We need to start with some self-evaluation. In periods of depression, it can be incredibly hard to identify any positive aspects of our lives, so it’s important to look beyond the present moment, back into the past to salvage any positive moments in our lives before we hit this dark time. Is there anything we achieved that we were immensely proud of at school, work or at home, even if we celebrated it in secret? Did you write your first whole and complete ‘novel’ aged sixteen, no matter how bad it was? Maybe you drew something your mom put up on the wall that got you into art and design? Discovering what you are good at is a great place to start to get you on the road to creating your dream job and beating unemployment anxiety because it will provide a boost to your confidence, something you will need when you go it alone.

Consider Positive and Negative Aspects of Previous Roles

Think about the job you just left and any positions you held before that. What did you learn there? Was there anything about them that you loved? What did you really hate? In the world of self-employed, you say what goes. Sure, you have to have some self-discipline, because jobs you hated getting up early for won’t necessarily go away when you start your own business, but by weeding out the positive and negative traits of a job you can see what made you feel driven and ambitious versus uncomfortable and uninspired. Once you’ve determined what you enjoyed and any transferable skills you earned, you’ll have a better idea of what you want to do and have the motivation to get behind it and beat unemployment anxiety.

What Hobbies Can You Practice in an Entrepreneurial Setting?

Stress, anxiety and depression can all soak up hobbies and activities we used to love doing, with the excuse that you didn’t have the time to keep it up and that you were bad at it anyway. Along with the fact that engaging in our hobbies can be very therapeutic and beneficial for our mindset, it also gives us the opportunity to exercise our passions, get better at them and eventually turn them into a job we want to do, all day every day. There are so many inspirational stories out there from people who were feeling just as hopeless and unmotivated as you are, so go and relive your past delights and get back into something you used to love.

Take Inspiration From Fellow Entrepreneurs

Like I said, there are tons of success stories you can take inspiration from; some of the most well-known figures in entertainment and business started out right where you are now. Many of them have opened up about their past in autobiographies and self-help books, so pick one up and give it a read. Whilst you can’t deny there are always trials in life, no matter where you stand, their stories can drive you upwards and give you a goal to work towards, as well as their offering of helpful tips in getting back on track and developing your own path.

Get Up and Get to Work

Nothing happens overnight and certainly without effort. As people battling day-to-day with a lack of energy and motivation we know this one can be difficult to put into practice, but perhaps this is the biggest contributor to succeeding at being our own boss. We’ve got to get up and carry on working for what we want. It’s all too easy to lie in bed, staring at the ceiling in a cage of self-doubt and loathing. By sitting down each morning with a vision and a dream to make even the smallest of steps, we’re steadily building our confidence back up. If your work involves conversing and dealing with other people then remember that the worst they can say is ‘no’ to something you propose or offer to them. It’s not a personal attack to make you feel like a failure – it’s a hint that you need to rethink and make improvements.

So there you go. These are some of the ways you can beat unemployment anxiety – harness it to create a job you love, one that you know you are in control of, and enjoy working to become your own boss!