hikinrock, there was a time I was trying to find a new job and make a career change and was pretty depressed. I made it a "must" that I do at least one thing each day to help me find a job. It couldn't be something passive like surfing the web for job opportunities. It had to somehow involve another person, such as contacting a colleague or acquaintance to bounce ideas off of or to ask to introduce me to someone he/she knew, etc. I had to call the person or email or meet in person. Or apply for a job. That counted too. Just one thing a day seemed hard but doable. And then I could check off each day that I had done something.

I'm pretty shy, so the hardest thing is networking and talking to others and asking for their help or advice, especially when I don't know them that well. But I just had to force myself. People are often very interested in sharing their expertise with you, and advice, and their contacts. People often like to be helpful. I took a job search class about a year ago and one thing they said was to look upon everyone as a possible source of a good lead or new direction. Not just the people in that field or your contacts. But everyone. The mailman. Your dogsitter. The grocery store checkout clerk. The person you sit next to on the bus. You never know who knows who or has exactly the contact you need to get your foot in the door at a company you have never even heard of that is perfect for you. In the course they talked about casting a very wide net in one's networking efforts. The bigger the circle of people who know about you and your job search, the better your chances of finding a job.

Best of luck!