Of course, there are many people who become depressed when they lost their jobs. The reason for this is they tend to rely solely on their jobs as source of income. However, since life is a matter of choices, you can control your life instead of letting the global economic crisis control you.

Here’s some advice on how you can become less dependent on your employment and survive, crisis or no crisis, as suggested by Robert M. Hochheiser, author of If You Want Guarantees, Buy a Toaster.

1. Start looking for other jobs before your lose the one you have.  Always be on the lookout for a new and better job. Take a few minutes a day to scan the want ads. At the least, this will keep you up to date. You may see jobs you want to apply for.

2. Find fulfillment outside of work. Find hobbies and projects that interest and satisfy you, and you will be better able to cope if you lose your job. Are you good at writing, drawing, gardening, blogging, teaching, designing, jewelry making, making pottery, programming computers or designing a webpage? Consider joining an organization you find interesting to make new friends, network with other like-minded people, or attend skills training workshops to learn new marketable skills.

3. Maintain a source of income outside of your job. Turn your hobbies into a small business – you can sell items you make or do free-lance work. If you don’t have a hobby that’s a potential money-maker, go to your local library where you will find plenty of books listing small businesses you can start for a few hundred dollars or less, or you can search the internet.

4. Develop social network outside of your co-workers. When you socialize with your fellow workers, you tend to talk about the office. If co-workers are your only social outlet, you life centers more and more around your job, and you will be crushed if you lose it. So, diversify your contacts.

Losing your job doesn’t have to be a disaster. You can control your life by planning ahead, and the time to plan is now, before you lose your job.