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From my seat on the couch (in my pajamas), I’m also here to tell you that there’s a real difference between needing to take a time out for a weekend and needing to take time out with a professional.
Experiencing job market fatigue is normal. The job market is not a party—there’s a reason people are looking to get out of the application madness and into a job. Aside from the paycheck, people are looking to get away from the stress and pressures of job applications, resumes, interviews, and follow-up proceedings (and I’m sure you can see why). They want to talk to their loved ones about something other than where they are in the job search, and they’d like to look at their bank accounts without feeling afraid.
But there comes a time when you have to ask yourself if you’ve moved a step past job market fatigue.
How much time are you spending focusing on the worst case scenario? When something unexpected happens, do you find yourself going down a rabbit hole of what could come next?
Have you noticed moments where you’re overwhelmed—when everything you need to do feels like too much? Do you start to sweat, does your heart rate go up at the thought of what you’re going to need to do?
Have you started losing sleep? Can you sleep through the night at all, or do you keep waking up? Do you find yourself staying up until three in the morning, and then dragging through the rest of your day?
When was the last time you really talked to someone you’re close to? Not sniping over frustrations, or talking about scheduling for the kids, or listening to them talk about something that matters to them. Do you want to talk, but you can’t quite find the words? Or do you not have the energy and motivation to care about getting the words out at all?
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Experiencing job market fatigue is normal. The job market is not a party—there’s a reason people are looking to get out of the application madness and into a job.