Work anxiety
Hi,
i’ve been working a new job for 6 months. The past two months I’m experiencing extreme anxiety and depression that I think are linked.
I go to work feeling nauseous and sick, always on edge that I may make a mistake. My supervisor is erratic and tbh just a mean person. I can’t sleep at night thinking I have to go in the next day. I’ve recently started working Sunday’s too so I’m working 6 days a week every 3 weeks.
I don’t know if I like this job and I spent 5 years studying it. Having such responsibility for diagnosing patients is negatively impacting me I think?
I used to take SSRIs (for about 3 years until last May when I came off them). I’m going to go to my doctor tomorrow and get some more. I need some advice.
how do I tolerate this job and take things less personally? I cant quit as I need the money and I’m paying back my student debt. I just feel so trapped and I can’t stop crying. I will leave this job maybe in March but until then I need to suck it up.
@AdaptableShade97 Hi Shade. I am sorry to hear about your situation. It must be very tough for you. I also tend to have severe anxiety whenever I start a new job, but it sounds like you also have the added stress of a mean supervisor.
You sound like you are very cognizant of what you are going through, and getting back on the SSRIs seems like a great first step. You posting here is also being active in your care, which is amazing.
I think that you are putting a lot of pressure on yourself at work, which is what I do when I start a new job as well. I actually perform so much worse just because of how anxious I get on a new job. It might help to know that there are other people who experience the same thing. There are other people who are just starting to learn and making mistakes, and many of them have anxiety about their work to some degrees. So maybe put things in perspective for yourself, like 'I am only starting and it is normal to make mistakes and not know some things. That's how I learn and improve. This is how everyone learns and improves!'
You mentioned making diagnoses, so your field probably is very critical of mistakes, but that's why you have supervisors. They are there to take responsibility for your work while you are learning on the new job. Also, if you are more of a logos person, think of this: worrying about making mistakes and putting too much pressure on yourself actually may worsen your symptoms in many cases. Now, I know we can make this a whole cycle of worrying about worrying too much and making things worse, but hopefully you may be able to cut the cycle by taking some time to properly rest and take care of yourself. When you feel like you have to "just do stuff," you can justify taking a break by reminding yourself that self care is also a part of being better at your job.
Other resources like anxiety guide and group chats are available on 7 Cups, and I encourage you to check them out. With that note, I hope you feel better soon and feel free to message me any time!