Unemployed
I've been unemployed for a week now. For the first time in my adult life, I have no authority that tells me how to occupy my days.
This wasn't by choice. It's all Donald Trump's fault, to be honest. If not for this regime, I would be living in a different city right now working on something in science policy. Then things got even worse, and due to continued pressure, my advisor can no longer fund me.
I'm kind of in a honeymoon phase because I can get by this month thanks to my last paycheck. But the reality is that the job market here sucks, and I'm geographically restricted until spring. I probably won't find a job for a couple more months.
So what to do in the meantime?
Try to not feel bad about myself. Never in my life did I expect to have to file for unemployment shortly after finishing a doctorate, but such is life. It's hard to not blame myself though.
I try to remind myself that I've been fairly efficient in my twenties. My PhD took a bit longer to finish than expected, but besides that, I took no meaningful breaks beyond the occasional summer preparing for another phase of school. And even then I usually worked some type of job.
I'm trying to embrace the idea of unemployment despite my financial circumstances. I had a really stressful period recently with little time for my hobbies or relaxation, so at least I have more time for those. I'm also pouring more energy into my relationships: seeing my best friend more, even trying new things like dating in the short term.
I'm someone who takes her hobbies very seriously, almost to a fault. So, naturally, I'm not one to enjoy taking breaks.
So, I'm viewing this as a lesson in taking a break to rediscover myself and dabble in new things. I hope I can find a decent job soon.