You need to take care of yourself physically and mentally. Stick to an exercise program. Get involved in outdoor sports. You need to be looking sharp for job interviews. Keep up with current events, especially business news. You need to know what geographic areas and economic sectors are poised to provide opportunity.

Don't spend your days laying on sofa in front of TV snacking on junk food. Whether you get a pay check or not, you need to stay productively engaged in economy. Even if chance of actually getting a job in today's economy is slim, you need to stay out there, making contacts, ready to seize opportunities.

Now is time to get more education or training. You don't have to train for a specific career. Any general business or technology training will give you an advantage. Even seemingly non-related training, like art classes, will get you off sofa and out making contacts that might result in a job.

If you don't have funds for education or training, become a volunteer. Volunteering will get you off sofa and out making contacts that might result in a job. It's not unusual for someone who starts out cleaning cages at dog pound to end up keeping books or managing dog pound, and get experience that results in a high paying job at a corporation. The secret is being reliable and willing to take on responsibility.

As contradictory as it sounds, worst part of a recession is best time to start a business. During a recession, money to start a business is cheap and available. Low cost surplus and new business equipment is available. Skilled employees are plentiful and wages are reasonable. As economy begins to pick up, established businesses are slow to gear back up to meet demand. That leaves clients looking for new sources. If you are interested in starting your own business, contact Small Business Administration for guidance.

The U.S. has lost 2.5 million net jobs since March 2001. If you are one of individuals who has been laid off, you still need to stay productively engaged in economy. While looking for a job, you can get more education or training, become a volunteer, or start your own business. Most importantly, don't spend your days laying on sofa in front of TV snacking on junk food. Take care of yourself. ---------------------------------------------------------- Resource Box: Copyright(C)2002 Bucaro TecHelp. To learn how to maintain your computer and use it more effectively to design a Web site and make money on Web visit http://bucarotechelp.com To subscribe to Bucaro TecHelp Newsletter Send a blank email to mailto:bucarotechelp-subscribe@topica.com ----------------------------------------------------------

My understanding is that we only disappear into our cave when we feel unsafe. The problem is that generally when a man lets his defenses down, first thing he feels is anger or frustration because these are safest emotions for us. At this point, woman stops listening or fights back and once again man learns feelings are not a good idea.

If a woman really wants a man that can feel and communicate his feelings, she needs to be his guide. Women have luxury of being allowed intimate female friends and upper edge when it comes to empathy and compassion. When women re-entered workforce, some men were only too happy to mentor them into management positions. I’d encourage you to mentor your man through process of emotions. The easiest way to do this is through a process that Taylor and McGee refer to as Deep Listening in their book “The New Couple”. It’s very easy and surprisingly powerful.

Set aside 20 minutes and agree that you are each going to take ten minutes to talk about your lives. When it’s your turn to talk, you can discuss anything and everything on your mind. When it’s your turn to listen, you must actively listen. This means no grunts, no head nods, and no interruptions. Ideally, you just look at speaker with ‘soft eyes’. It is important that both parties take ten minutes because you are building a safe space. There is no set agenda and it’s not a place to air grievances between two of you. It’s a space to open up to each other.

You will discover new things about your partner during deep listening sessions. Don’t expect anything too dramatic. Just remember after 15 years of therapy, I still rarely cry ‘like a girl’ and it’s my sincere belief that our kidneys just process liquid differently.