Thank you in advance to whomever shall do this reading.  Currently, I feel absolutely stuck in my life.  I have no job, two grown children, a husband I adore, and a totally empty feeling.  No motivation whatsoever.  I guess what I really want to know is "where am I headed."  My BD is January 2, 1960.  Thanks again.

Having personally experienced the soul destroying effects of chronic unemployment first hand, but mercifully without the financial pressures I sense that you are presently under, I strongly empathise with and feel deeply for you and your family. Lack of motivation is a common symptom of having a serious case of the blues, and the spiritual emptiness which you mentioned you felt mainly comes about because we are frequently defined by the job we do. As you are currently without one, it is almost as if you have become an invalid person effectively overnight. You may often wonder if you have somehow become invisible, as people often start a conversation by asking this question and would knowing that you are unemployed feel uncomfortable bringing up the subject.

While it might not seem much of a consolation to some single people who are also out of a job, the fact that you have two grown children of whom you and your husband can justifiably be proud of plus having a man who loves you almost more than life itself is surely a distinct advantage in your case, and should become an endless source of hope and strength you can draw upon to help get you through these difficult times. You must be doing something right to have a family like yours is, and it makes your unspoken belief that you have never made a good decision in your entire life look like total nonsense (as the evidence to the opposite is staring you squarely in the face).

But your reading is telling me that you will frequently do what you feel is in the best interests of your husband and children at the sacrifice of getting your own equally important needs met. If you continue to do this then you will soon scatter and exhaust any motivation or energies which could have otherwise been used to improve your current circumstances with regards to working for an honest living. In addition you could easily come to resent the very people you most love in this world (and whom love you dearly in return) because you are only doing all this for them. While the reading is not telling you to ignore their very real needs and to only take care of yourself in the future, it is advising more balance in getting your own needs satisfied at the same time.

One of your greatest personal needs I feel at present is to take good care of yourself and your health, and to consult a qualified doctor as soon as possible if there are any symptoms which give you reason for concern. Your entire immune system feels the emotional pain you are going through, and responds accordingly (not particularly well). I am probably preaching to the converted when I tell you that often the best form of positive therapy for an unemployed person is to get back into the workforce in any job as soon as you practically can. Once you are no longer out of work prospective employers will treat you much better when it comes to you attending interviews. The mistaken assumption is that if you are long term unemployed there must necessarily be something terribly wrong with you (totally illogical reasoning), and it is therefore too risky in the current job environment to take you on as a trainee.

Beyond doing whatever you reasonably can to get another job (which you are already doing) and seeking a qualified job counsellor in your local area who can advise you about the relative availability of the type of job you are looking for, doing whatever you can in addition to satisfy your own personal needs and taking good care of yourself and your health and doing activities which will boost your self confidence are possibly the best ways of increasing your chances of becoming a successful job applicant, sooner rather than later.

Also do not forget your spiritual beliefs and practices (both alone and with others to support you) are even more important to you now than they would have been in making you an even stronger person, as a direct result of having gone through the experience (uncomfortable as it was). If you can work upon some of the ideas I have given you, and can keep your sense of humour intact, then I predict that your chances of getting a job within the next six months are fairly high, and definitely are well above the level expected by chance.

Love, Light and Peace,

eye_of_tiger  

Thank you EOT.  I appreciate your time and encouraging words.  I know I am not alone in saying that these are tough times for many.  So again, thank you for listening and responding.