It can be quite a slog to keep going when everything seems against you – when even the chance of being able to send out a CV seems unlikely given the jobs on offer, when opportunities are few and far between to get bits and pieces of work, when sickness or other demands on your time throw you out of the loop.

Being unemployed and going nowhere can be totally demoralising.

Unfortunately this is one of the times when a lack of job and being demoralised go hand in hand in a vicious downward spiral. Any initial feelings of freedom and being in control of your own destiny after redundancy can come in for quite a battering if you haven’t been able to make a chance to your circumstances.

Well folks, if this is you, it stops here.

Get out of your routine, make some new challenges, take some time to exercise, listen to your favourite music and lose yourself in it, or make plans to relax with friends. You just need to recharge your batteries somehow, take a breather.

Having a job isn’t the be-all and end-all of this life. Whatever it is you do with your life, if you feel stuck and downtrodden, then stop for a while. It’ll make a change. Do it and then get on with making the life you want.

The idea of reviewing your life can seem like a scary proposition when you have recently been made redundant – but it is essential.

Even if you were lucky enough to have been happy in your previous role, it still pays to spend some time asking some questions of yourself.  And if you weren’t happy in your job then it is essential that you spend the time for a review.

There are numerous self-help books in the marketplace that expound as many different ways of reviewing your life.  Some come with a tonne of charts and forms to print-out, others take a spiritual route, while some focus purely on the career side of your life.

I prefer to just focus on three questions – it becomes quite easy, once you have confirmed your answers to these questions, to work out what you want to do.  And having spent the time thinking about these issues does help to stick the answers at the forefront of your thinking.

So let’s kick things off with: Where are you?

I am not talking GPS location here, but your overall phsyical, emotional, financial, etc.  position.  So not only do you need to think about your financial position (income, outgoings, savings, benefits, etc.) but also how you yourself feel about your position.  I know I went through a number of emotions after being made redundant.  At the time it was a little numbness, followed by relief at the freedom.  Then came the loss, by which I mean the loss of a focus.  How do you feel at the moment?

Also include your partner and family – you may discover that the time since your redundancy has affected them as well, sometimes in unexpected ways.

When you have a good idea of how you are feeling about things you can move onto: What do you want to do?

When you get past the crazy ideas (apparently there are very few combined bed & videogame tester roles out there) you probably have a list of jobs that you would like to spend your time on.  Choose the one that made you smile – we are of course looking at what you will be spending your precious time on, it has to work for you, not just be a compromise.  Think about what you would need to do it.  What skills and experience – if it is truly out of grasp then move onto the next best idea.

If you need to do some research then do it – don’t dismiss your idea, this is your future after all!

If you have a grasp of what you want then you also need to compare it to:  What do you need?

This ties in with “Where Are you?” as knowing what is going on in your life today gives you a firm understanding of what you need tomorrow.  So what do you need in terms of travel, in terms of challenge, stress, advancement, freedom and of course recompense.

Weigh everything up.  If you have always dreamed of being a writer then not only should you be using your time now to do that, but you might be able to alter your situation and get a job that is less of a commute, or less hours.  If your young family has really enjoyed you being around then think what home business you could start.

I, for one, know that now is my time to break-out of the daily grind, and into my desired life.

So why not spend some of this time travelling and exploring. Now I don’t mean going over to Thailand to find yourself, or France to brood and eat cheese, I am talking about getting to know your local area – and exercising!

The other day I dug out a pedometer – one of those devices that counts the number of steps you take, usually bought during a health kick and quickly relegated to a dusty drawer. I put it on – and got a shock.

The general advice is that between 10,000 and 12,500 steps a day is being active. That Saturday I wore it I didn’t even manage 2,000…. And that was a day that I had had three meals, one of which was fish and chips! No wonder I’m beginning to look more pregnant than my actually pregnant fiancé!

So I’ve made it part of my daily routine to get out and about in the local area, to have a walk, preferably with a goal in mind, but at the very least with some thought or other to occupy me.

Whether it is a new idea, a job goal or some wild dream – I take the thought with me to mull over. And who knows what might give me inspiration as I walk around, but something might.

And at least I can hope that I use up a few more calories!

So get out and see what the locale has to offer – whether it’s new ideas, a bit of weight loss or just a new chippie!