A couple of weeks ago, a young man in his thirties, jumped to his death from a 45-story Manhattan office building. He lost his job from Solomon Brothers and was out of work a whole year.

He had a day pass to a spa on the roof of the building that also houses other finance giants like Credit Suisse. Off he went, following the only solution he felt at the moment, would assuage his pain. How ironic that he chose a spa as life’s exit door.

How very sad this is to me as a job search assistant in a non profit employment and training agency. This gentleman could have had access to a number of support clubs for camaraderie, free debt counseling and consolidation and so much more, including a National Emergency Grant up to $12,500. for displaced financial workers, to upgrade and augment job skills for his field or acquire new ones for career change…

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It is easy to have one’s sanity tested when you are in between jobs. For me one of the biggest challenges are the nightmares. I know it is just the subconscious at work, however it gets a bit tedious waking up in a cold sweat and running to the kitchen at 4:00AM to get a glass of water. I am fortunate to have company in my job search as many other individuals lost their jobs when my employer closed shop in New York. I decided to make a list of things that help me keep my mental footing stable during these challenging times. Here is my sanity list:

1): I write (a lot). For me, writing helps me work out problems. Maybe it is because my problems do not seem as daunting when they are on paper. Maybe it is just because I like to write and I enjoy seeing my work in print. In any case, writing for the 405 club has been a godsend because it provides me with an audience where I can express my feelings, it forces me to keep a schedule, and when I have finished writing a piece it almost feels as good as payday!

2): Spending time on my favorite hobbies. I have two favorite hobbies. The first is composing music. I received my first musical instrument (an acoustic guitar) as a teenager. Since that time I learned how to read music, play saxophone and piano. Composing music relaxes me. One might argue that my other pastime might contribute to insanity instead. I love to work on computers, specifically desktop computers. For many years I wanted to build my own PC, however my wife tells me she is afraid that once I start, she may never see me again. Of course, I tell her that there is nothing to worry about and she can feel free to stop me at any time…as long as she wears a protective wrist-strap!

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