Anxiety Support
Is there anyone here who has social anxiety and is successfully dealing with it? I experience crippling anxiety, which made me shrink more and more from responsibilities; I lack the central aspects that should render my life meaningful. I'm trying to get my first job, and I may need some support. I'd like to know if you've been through this situation, how you have managed it.
Getting your first job can be one of the most anxiety provoking experience for us with social anxiety, especially if your self esteem and confidence are lacking. I know I was so anxious my first time and was lucky that the movie theater I applied for was in need and didn't really do a very strict interview. Formal interviews can be quite the trial, but the good news is there is a lot of great resources online for interview preparation, the more you practice the general questions and answers the more confident you will feel in giving the responses. I suggest applying for jobs you don't really want just so that you can get a few interviews under your belt. Easier places to interview at are fast food and entry level type jobs like grocery stores or gas stations. If you do some interviews that are not high stakes, because you don't care that you may not get hirerd, will get much needed practice in a less stressful, this anxiety provoking setting. Interviews are a necessary evil, but they can be manageable. I feel that becoming a manager and having to interview people myself helped me become more able to be on the other side. Try doing mock interviews with someone close to you like friends or family and not only be the person getting interviewed but put yourself on the side of the interviewer and ask the questions. Pretend you are the manager and think about what qualities you would look for and answers you would be impressed by. Also pay close attention to the body language of the person you interview and have them pretend to be both anxious and then run through again having them be confident this will allow you to get a visualization of the cues that will make you look bad in an interview and things you can practice and work on to make yourself look better in the moment. Just remember the person interviewing you is just a normal person like you and I, they are not any better or more deserving of respect then you are.
