How do you balance career pressure with actually having a social life? I’m currently working a minimum-wage job, but I’m trying to get a job in the field I actually studied and have experience in. I haven’t managed to get a job in my field yet, and for a long time I’ve felt like I should be putting more effort into applications, improving my skills and trying to move my career forward. I’ve actually been trying for quite some time, but after so many applications and not getting anywhere, I’ve started feeling like nobody wants me even for a single job. I’ve reached a point where I’ve barely been working on applications at all because I’ve become so discouraged and have almost given up. At the same time, I have limited time left in the UK, and there’s a social event this weekend that I’m considering going to. The thing is, I haven’t really made much effort to socialise since I’ve been here. I literally only have two friends in the city and have mostly kept to myself. Part of me thinks I should finally start putting myself out there, meeting people and having some experiences while I still have the opportunity. But then I feel guilty because I know I need to get my career moving. I keep thinking that I should be spending my free time applying for jobs and working on my skills instead of going out. Lately I’ve also been feeling really lonely and insecure about myself. I’m a bigger guy, although I’ve lost around 9 kg, most of it over the last couple of months. I’ve barely wanted to eat and have started feeling like I hate food. I’m constantly tired and anxious, and honestly quite depressed. I’m also worried because I feel like I’m forgetting a lot of the skills I learned during my Master’s. I’m scared that I’m never going to get to a point where I have a stable career and a stable life, and I think being isolated has made all of these thoughts worse. Would you still make an effort to socialise in this situation, or would you focus almost entirely on getting your career back on track? And for people who have been through a period where they felt completely stuck professionally, how did you get yourself moving again? This is a genuine situation, not a hypothetical or made-up story. I’ve edited the wording with ChatGPT because I’m struggling to put everything into words. submitted by /u/No_Young5522
Originally posted by u/No_Young5522 on r/AskMen