Losing your job is a frightening experience, especially during economic times like these. I lost my job soon after 9-11, the last time there was a huge spike in layoffs, and when they first started extending unemployment benefits longer than the normal length of time.

Before 9-11, any time I was in the job market, it was an employee's market to pick and choose from offers. I was not prepared for the climate that I faced at that time.

My heart goes out to each of you in that situation now, I know how uncertain everything feels. One thing that helped me through was having ONE thing that I looked forward to each week as my "reward" for my new job (professional job hunter) each week. For me, that was doing a weekly outing with Canine Assistants, the organization that I volunteer with. It was a moment away from the job hunt, out of the house, and being with other people and the animals.

Find something to give you some mental time away from the search during this time, at least once a week - be it a long walk in the park, if you enjoy the outdoors, hanging out with friends, whatever allows you to de-compress for a few hours.

My thoughts and prayers are with each of you! I know that the right job will present itself to each of you!