If you woke up this morning with an upset stomach, it could be that your already long job search shows no signs of ending.

When you started looking, you may have just been laid off or decided to make a major career change. Since you were up to the challenge, you marshaled your resources, set clear goals and began on what you believed would be a rewarding odyssey.

That was then. Now it's many months or a year later. Your resume is in its 23rd printing, your eyes hurt from reading the small print in the classifieds and your dialing finger is cramped. As you lick your 148th envelope to an employer, the scene from the sitcom 'Seinfeld,' when George's fiancee dies from licking cheap glue on wedding invitations, replays in your mind.

Most job seekers whose searches drag on become disheartened and anxious, says Marilyn Hamlin, a social worker and psychoanalyst who leads a job-search support group in New York City. Some even develop psychosomatic ailments because they feel so overwhelmed, she says.

If you're tired and discouraged, it helps to take a break and relax. After that, you can concentrate on learning what you need to do at this point to land a new position.

Success in any situation starts with understanding your predicament. Imagine riding on a train as it enters a tunnel. If you didn't know that you'd come out on the other side, you would be terrified.

To understand your job hunt, review the following tips. They also suggest ways to tap reserves that can rejuvenate you and your search:

1. Rejection doesn't equal failure. A long job search brings numerous rejections, which can be depressing. Often, candidates are rejected by "a person who's miserable in their work and who gets real pleasure from making other people miserable," says Ms. Hamlin. "People like that can do real damage to someone engaged in a long-term effort." But rejection doesn't mean you'll ultimately fail at locating a new job. It just means that you haven't found the right opportunity yet.

That's because rejection is part of the process leading to success. Consider that many music executives passed on the Beatles because they didn't think the band was good enough. Keep in mind that every 'no' you encounter becomes meaningless once you get a 'yes.'

2. Many roads lead to the same goal. Job hunters often hit dead ends and give up before reaching their goals. But there's usually another option. Consider that if you were going to grandmother's house over the river and through the woods, but the road was closed for construction, you'd find an alternate route. Eventually, you'd arrive where you wanted, possibly a little late for dinner.

"It has to do with being adaptable," says Ms. Hamlin. "Some people get stuck in the idea that there's only one way to do things and they're just going to do it that way, no matter what's available."

Elaine Ortiz of Brooklyn, N.Y., had to be adaptable to succeed at her dream of doing special-effects make-up for movies. She worked at a movie theater, designed make-up for amusement park attractions, assisted vendors at science fiction conventions and volunteered for student film-production crews. She also relocated from Brooklyn, N.Y., to Orlando, Fla., so she could take advantage of job opportunities there. By exploring every road that moved closer to her goal, Ms. Ortiz's persistence paid off with a job in her targeted field.

3. Close friends and family often are the least supportive. It's demoralizing when family and friends tell you during a prolonged job search that you don't know what you're doing. These unsupportive comrades are especially disturbing because they believe they're acting in your best interest.

"The people who are closest to us -- who love us the most -- don't want to see us hurt," says Peggy Van Pelt, Ph.D., an outplacement consultant in Woodland Hills, Calif., and co-author of "Putting Your Talent to Work" (1996, Health Communications, Inc.). "Basically, they project on to us their fear that we're going to be hurt."

Friends and family see your situation only from their perspective. They can't support your effort because they're unable to get past their fear that you'll fail. Therefore, you must remain focused on your objective. When you finally reach your goal, friends and family will be there with you.

4. Life is like a tennis match. Have you ever noticed that tennis players who throw their rackets, yell at umpires and deride themselves for missed shots often lose their matches? Afterward, these players admit they could have won the match if they hadn't lost their concentration.

You'll encounter many obstacles that can cause confusion and self-doubt during your search. Don't let this happen. Instead, remain confident in your ideas and abilities. Take control of the situation, rather than allowing it to take control of you. This will help you find creative ways to deal with any obstacles that block your path.

5. Fear is a normal emotion. If your job hunt is stalled, you may be repeating the same steps but expecting different results. The greatest potential for growth lies in unfamiliar territory. Consider alternative options that the fear of failure has prevented you from trying. Your next move is probably among them.

6. You may be standing in your way. At a recent career seminar, the speaker grew frustrated when a participant continuously countered every suggestion he gave. Another participant commented, "If she didn't want to change her situation, why did she bother coming?"

As arduous as a long-term job hunt can be, some people become so comfortable in a search mode that they're reluctant to break it. "A lot of people turn down work that they could do because they don't want to change the way their life has taken shape [while] looking for work," says Ms. Hamlin.

If you don't want to change or end the cycle of looking for work, you won't, she says.

To avoid this rut, conduct regular reality checks and brainstorming sessions with a supportive friend or members of a job club. When you meet with your support team, express apprehensions that arise as you approach different aspects of your search. Your team's support and advice will prevent you from subconsciously slowing your job hunt and prepare you for change.

7. Remain focused. In the retail industry, the key to success is location. During a job search, it's focusing on your goals and the steps you must take to reach them. The more focused your efforts, the more energy-efficient your search will be. Once again, going solo isn't a wise idea. A support team will help you stay focused and re-energize your spirits when you feel run down.

The most important thing to understand about your current situation is that it's temporary. It's bound to change if you stay confident and focused on your objective and make decisive moves toward it. The tunnel you're traveling through may seem excruciatingly long but all tunnels, no matter how long, have openings at the end. Once you reach it, you'll see the light again.

Mr. Millis is a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based producer of special events and personal-development workshops.