This is a guest post by Jemima Lopez from Zen College life. To guest post on this blog, check guest post page.

For most people, the worst part of being unemployed isn’t the absence of income.  Rather, the most unbearable thing about not having a job is the feeling of worthlessness and purposelessness that quickly builds as the job search draws out.

It’s easy to take the unresponsiveness of an employer as an insult or let your success at obtaining a job define your success or failure as a person.  Still, it is important to remain positive, no matter how trying the situation might be.

In addition to changing your perspective of your job search, and keeping you from the dark thoughts that actually work against you, interviewers have reported that how positive a person is has a direct impact on their performance in the interview.

Keeping your head up when everything else seems down is certainly easier said than done, but here are a few ways you can stay positive while you look for work:

1. Volunteer

You won’t get a paycheck at the end of the day, but volunteering pays you back in more fulfilling ways than a full time job ever could.  There is little in the world more satisfying than helping others, and you might find a new passion in a field you never knew you loved.  Or, if you volunteer in your field, you will have opportunities to sharpen your skill set, learn new skills and even make useful contacts that could help you get a job.  Furthermore, volunteering is a great way to fill the employment gap, and will definitely be a powerful conversation piece during an interview.

2. Explore your hobbies

Often we get sidetracked by our jobs and lose sight of the things we really enjoy doing (unless you are one of the few and far between people who holds a job doing what you really love).  While you are between jobs, why not get back into sailing, painting, writing, cooking, carpentry, crafts, or whatever else you might be passionate about?  Besides being personally satisfying, you might even find that there is a business opportunity waiting to be discovered in your hobby.  Love to play piano? Teach others to play.  Make furniture and sell it.  Use the time between jobs to rediscover what you love — you might be surprised where it could take you.

3. Start an exercise program

As we get comfortable in our jobs and our lives, fitness is frequently the first thing to go out the window.  Make it a point to exercise when you are job-hunting — you’ll find that you’ll feel better about yourself (which is due in part to the endorphins exercise releases) and also start looking better to, which is always a nice confidence and spirit booster.

The “in-between” time is never easy to cope with, but if you apply yourself and keep moving, you might discover a deeper happiness than any job could provide.

About the author : Jemima Lopez is a freelance blogger and writer who writes for Zen College Life, the directory of higher education, distance learning, and best online colleges

Photo credit : Flickr