COVID-19 has hit humanity badly, especially in terms of jobs. This has led to a lot of depression and generalized anxiety among people and the mental health of those already suffering has also gotten worse.

Job gives a sense of security, but we are surrounded by insecurities. What should we do about it? We can’t let it escalate. We can’t suppress it; we can’t sit idle. Then what can we do about it? We need to detach ourselves from the idea of counting our self-worth through a job. Just imagine a place where you have no luxuries or amenities and are given two options: to die or to survive. What will you choose? We have the survival instinct because we are human beings; we don’t want to die, even though we may have suicidal ideations or hopelessness.

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The following measures are suggested to deal with this kind of anxiety because even upgrading your skills or developing new skills during this period can be stressful:

1. Sit down and relax—try to ground yourself in this very moment. You haven’t lost anything. It is just a matter of time. It is not your fault. Treat yourself with warmth and kindness at this time. You are not going to get benefits from feeling anxious and troubled.
2. Meditate on the good things in life. Think about the previous achievements you have made in the past, wherein you were so patient and calm. Past victories are a reminder of how far we have come.
3. Normalise the problem. Understand that unemployment is part and parcel of your life. Don’t keep holding on to the problem; otherwise, it will keep staying with you and do more harm than good.
4. Bring the focus to yourself. Try to rejuvenate your hobbies.
5. Develop a daily plan of action.
6. Volunteer: Work to make yourself happy in this phase. E.g., volunteer for children, the underprivileged, etc. Spend time with these people, and you will find so much peace.
7. Don’t stress too much about looking for new jobs.
8. In case you don’t get responses from new recruiters, do not feel bad. Self-criticism is going to make the problem worse.
9. Join a community. Don't let yourself stay isolated. Join online or offline communities like professional organisations, political interest groups, environmental and spiritual groups, etc. Such communities broaden our horizons and give us a greater meaning of life.
10. When you do the above activities, you will realise that you are much more than just a job. You are alive. You are a survivor. You are a person who can give hope to others by coming out of this problem.