I had a period of time earlier then this year, in between dropping out of uni and starting a job, when I had nothing to do.
I dropped out of uni due to personal problems, but mainly stopped going to lectures etc by about February. (I attended a few more until the end of March, my official drop-out date, but was effectively not doing much anyway.)
I didn't leave my uni city until the end of July.
So, in all those months, I had nothing to do.
My confidence hit rock-bottom, my weight hit an all time high, and I had nothing to fill my days with. I spent a lot of time on the internet or watching TV. The high point of my week was a counselling session every Monday morning, simply because it was something to get up for. Ditto with an Eating Disorders support group once a month, which I wished was more often. There were also quite a lot of days when I didn't even get out of bed.
Towards the end, I managed to motivate myself a bit. I worked out, I cooked healthy meals, I went to church. For the last few weeks, staying at a friend's while she was away, I did all her laundry, just for something to do.
I've now moved back in with my parents, and have a job to keep me occupied, but I do remember what it was like to have those long, empty days stretching out ahead of me. Having nothing to do can seem relaxing for a few days if you've been rushed off your feet, but I hated having months of that! I felt like I had no purpose, and what was the point of anything?
I had this huge feeling of not having accomplished anything. Another day would go by, and what had I achieved? Nothing, I'd just sat in front of the TV/computer. That's why I started cooking, doing laundry and baking. I felt that at least that gave me something tangible that I could look at and say I'd done. (My friends appreciated the cake, too!)
I'd say the best thing to do is to get out the house at least once a day, even if it's just to go for a walk around the block. I know during my time without a job/uni, I spent a lot of time vegetating in the house.
It also helps to get into some sort of routine, so you still get up in the mornings. I don't know, like having laundry in the machine at a certain time, or something like that.
Also,
get dressed every morning. I spent too many days in my PJs, simply because I felt that if I wasn't going out, what was the point of getting dressed? It's all too easy if you're staying home all day, to not bother getting up, making yourself decent, etc etc.
In the last couple of months while I was unemployed, I also set myself challenges. Like, how much of a DVD workout could I get through before I got too exhausted to carry on? I ended up doing that workout at least several days a week, and could feel myself getting fitter.
Are you an unemployed chick?
