Top 5 Best & Worst of Being Unemployed

This isn't exactly craft-related, but it's been on my mind. Today I was doing some thinking about the whole state of being unemployed...in between job applications, of course. I know so many people right now who have been affected by layoffs or other kinds of downsizing. It just seems to be getting worse :( On the whole, I feel pretty positive, but this is still not an easy situation.

So here are my thoughts about the:

Top 5 crappy things about being unemployed

1) Money worries and guilt. Highly miserable, regardless of your financial situation.
2) Feeling isolated and disconnected socially at times. This is strange because I have lots of plans with friends--but few with mere acquaintances, folks I don't know well, or new people. There's not as much opportunity for this, unless you seek it out.
3) Magnifying other areas of your life that aren't going ideally. Spending lots of time by yourself has a way of doing that...and now you don't have the excuse of work or "no time" to hide behind for why you haven't fixed things.
4) The waiting game.  The whole job search process is slow and it's just not much fun.
5) Feeling unproductive/like you're wasting time. Not that I didn't waste tons of time on the weekends before...but now it comes with FREE automatic guilt since you're not getting paid!

However, there are also the

Top 5 awesome things about being unemployed

1) Less stress! Seriously. And not as many migraines :) Huge.
2) Time for myself--for crafting, for seeing friends, volunteering, reading books and blogs, taking care of long-overdue errands, spending time with my pets, and CLEANING MY HOUSE. I've been oddly busy--I have plans to get out and do something pretty much every day.
3) Did I mention that my house has never been cleaner?
4) Being able to help out friends. Some of my friends needed a babysitter for a few hours...others needed rides from the airport, company/moral support during unpleasant errands, or a pet-sitter. It's nice to be able to say, "Sure, I'd love to help!" instead of "I can't, I don't have time."
5) Getting in shape--ok so I haven't met my goal yet, but I feel at least 85% healthier. And yes, I clearly got that percentage in a scientific manner. Actually, most of my friends have commented on how much better I look now that I'm not stressed out and working too many hours.

In general, it's been a great time to get my life in order. So it sucks sometimes, and it ain't vacation...but it's not all bad.

Some good lists and columns from others:

Top 5 Benefits of Being Unemployed

The Unemployment Blues

Unemployment Blues (another one)

24 Ways to Beat the Unemployment Blues

7 Myths About Being Unemployed

100 Motivational Blog Posts for the Unemployed

100 Tips, Tools, and Resources to Help You Survive Without a Job

Ten Fun Ways to Kill Time When You're Unemployed