From 5 Ways the Downturn Helps to 14 Tips to Survive a Layoff

If you cut through the drip drip of bad to worse news coming from the wobbly economy, you might be able to find some wisdom and even rays of light.

Lets start with 5 Ways the Economic Downturn Could Help You (Newly Corporate, October 10).

My 2 Favorite Ways from the piece:

An Opportunity to To Trim Your Own Spending.  What better time exists to learn the difference between your own needs and wants than an economic downturn?  As much as it stinks, we all can benefit from learning better budgeting, even when we have to.

A New Appreciation for What Wall Street Can’t Take Away. Sometimes, during a bull market, we get so focused on profit taking and money making we lose focus of the things that really matter.

Second is an old yet relevant story from January 2004, Down, But Not Out by Sacha E. Cohen which offers 14 practical tips to help you survive the first month after a layoff (AARP).

First suggestion of the piece is:

Vent your anger
"Immediately find a close friend, a confidante to whom you can ventilate your feelings," advises John Challenger, CEO of the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. "That is critical for your emotional recovery." Clearing the air will help you unload emotional baggage that can hamper the effectiveness of your job search, he adds."

An employer who had trouble filling its ranks is benefiting as Nancy A. Youssef proves in Economy's bust is a boon for military's recruiting effort (McClatchy, October 10).

To end on a positive note, in The Upside of an Economic Downturn? (Wisebread, October 14) Fred Lee points out that being able to spend quality time with friends and family might more than make up for the reduced income, that is if you can adjust your budget.

Thinking things through for Monday Work Etiquette #59

Previously: Drowning in Electronic Clutter? 6 Tips from the Information Overload Research Group