First of all, know that I can completely empathize with those who have lost their jobs having been laid off myself during the recession of the early 90s.  I struggled to find the upside right after it happened. But over time, I saw how one loss led to many gains.

With that long caveat, here's the good news from a new survey from careerbuilder.com.  People who find themselves out of work are using more of their free time to spend with family.  They are also using their non-employment search time to fix up their house, work out, volunteer or go back to school. For more info, check out the study results here.  And if you are in this position, let us know how you are using your time.