I have been so slow in reading and catching up on posts (not very fun seeing cool outfits when I hate my work uniform but that's my issue) and I am glad I stumbled on your post to read.

For the first few months after my job ended last December I felt the same way. Later, I realized with some help of family and smart friends that I was indeed depressed. It's normal when we see ourselves as a certain person to feel the loss when that persona changes.

It's hard to kick it - looking forward to something each day helps. My daily walks around the neighborhood helped a lot. Not kicking myself was good - it's easy to lose our self esteem when we don't get those responses we expect from job applications, etc.
It's not you really!! You are not your job. Your relationships are the most important thing to take care of - starting with the one you have with yourself.
Take care of you!

Hope some of that makes sense. Keep your chin up

oh kari -- what a sucky situation to be in. i remember being stuck at home and unable to work for more than a month, waiting for my visa to go through, and it made me such a wreck. i was unmotivated to do anything, i rarely went out, and i spent many a sleepless night wondering what i would do if my visa didn't come through at all!

i know you will pull through because you are thoroughly fabulous, and i have to tell you that you are FAR more stylish and put together than i was when i went through it!

the others have given you some wonderful suggestions, and i echo the ones for a fresh haircut and an accessories cull in particular. do you have anyone to go thrifting with? that's an inexpensive and fun way to refresh a wardrobe. or what about some easy DIYs? i'm no seamstress, but a dye job or some well-placed buttons or ribbon can do wonders to refresh tired old things otherwise destined for goodwill.

or perhaps another YLF challenge is in order?

yay, Hanna, challenge time!

Anne, that book sounds great! I always appreciate good read recommendations, and I'm making note of the title so I can see if our library has a copy. Thank you.

Angie, I am feeling a bit better, especially since we've had some activities scheduled this weekend that got me out of the house. Thanks for the motivation. I'm thinking ahead about small, achievable goals to set for the coming week. And I set up a haircut appointment for Tuesday.

Marianne, I'm in the same boat - much more flexibility after Sept. 13. Maybe a September swap or meetup could work?

Chris, thanks so much for the reminder and encouragement. I am so sorry that you went through the same struggles earlier this year, but very glad that your friends offered support and were able to help you through it. It's disorienting to have so much time on hand, but I'm trying to think positively.

Hanna, I agree with Vani. I'm always up for a new challenge! (I missed the last few when I was out of town - perhaps I should catch up.) I wish I had friends in the area who are experienced thrifters, but we're all in the same boat - not really sure where to go or which places are good to scout out. But it would be fun to try.

I love the goal monitoring idea, Angie! I think feeling productive and in charge of your life directly influences your fashion choices!

I hope it's ok for a total newbie to reply...

I just wanted to second the idea of getting out of the house each and every day. Maybe set a time - you have to 'go out' by 10:00am. Bookstore, coffee shop, grocery store, pick up the paper - whatever. But up, dressed and out the door Monday to Friday by 10:00am. Any other stuff can wait until you get back home. You'll feel much better for it.

Velvety Chocolate, of course it is okay!

I think I'm going to take you up on your challenge. At the very least, I'm going to try to get out of the house to either go to the gym or run, but I can't just sit around in gear all day if I'm not exercising. That will give me some motivation to get dressed in real clothes.

I'm sure missing my heels, though, and wore them yesterday to a party just because I could!

Kari, I don't know how I missed this thread but I just wanted to add that it's great to see you back. I'm sorry to hear about your troubles but I admire you for taking action. I wish I had more to add but it sounds like you've already gotten excellent advice. Just remember that your YLF family is here for you and sending lots of love and support your way.

I know it is not the same situation, but when I was on maternity leave with DD1, I would plan my day around tasks (cleaning the bathroom, paying bills in town) and rewards ( a reward of a cup of tea and biscuit for cleaning the bathroom or a bubble bath for the two mile walk paying the bills endured). I'm glad to see you have found new motivation after reading the posts, but I think you should also remember to reward yourself for your efforts.

With regards to shopping on a budget, I now have a small total spend of £30.00 per month for rebuilding my wardrobe and I have come to see this as a challenge rather a hindrance. I have to heavily research each purchase, I thrift, shop at outlets and online sales to find the best quality at my price. This approach may sound a little 'Type A' but it suits my methodical nature down to the ground.

Kari, I'm sorry I missed this thread in the last week. Work and my social life have been absolutely mental.

You definitely need to set yourself some goals and I think with the C25K program, you'll have some sort of structure in your life, motivating yourself to leave the house and get fitter. Would you consider also signing up for a class maybe, like yoga or even a skills class like writing or photography or enter a doggie skills class with Shadow?

In university, I generally have very few structured hours of lectures and tutorials so much of my time is time that I have to decide what to do... and I find that this frequently leaves me in a major funk, especially as I like to study at home rather than in a library. So last semester, I set myself the goal (you ladies are going to laugh at this) to actually leave the house for something other than food once a day, even if it was a five minutes walk to the library to return a book... Yep, that's how bad I was.

So maybe you need to set yourself a goal like this: Do something everyday...

Actually, would you consider volunteering? I'm sure there are plenty of charities that need your time and skills.

Sending lots of love and hugs your way!