I don’t know if this is the right place for this, but I figured you guys could maybe relate.
So I ended up leaving my job in late 2019, turns out that was a bad time to be looking for better work. I’ve been unemployed since then. Late last year it was time that I needed to start trying to go back, and I have been searching ever since then. The issue is, with so much time away from the 40 hour grind, it’s HARD to go back to it. In the last couple years I’ve seen friends and family more than ever, lost a ton of weight, taught myself new skills and hobbies, and have generally overall had a vastly better quality of life. Now that I need to go back, just the thought of getting back into that grind has been mentally overwhelming at times. It doesn’t help that all of the work within a reasonable distance of me is low paying, so it doesn’t even feel like I’d be making enough to justify the lifestyle changes that come with the 40 hour work week.
Now I know this might sound like I’m just being lazy, but I genuinely do want to get a (good) job. I’ve been spending almost all of my time lately applying. I’ve yet to hear back from most, or have gotten a canned rejection email from the rest, and between that and the feeling I’ve been describing it’s hard to get myself to keep looking (even though I HAVE to).
So what do I do guys? Is there any advice for getting back into the work mindset after a long gap? And do you think I should just take whatever minimum wage job I can get and deal with it, or should I keep trying to find that “ideal” job? Anything is appreciated, thanks for taking the time to read.