FAQ

Find answers to some of the more frequently asked questions on the Forums.

Forums guidelines

Our guidelines keep the Forums a safe place for people to share and learn information.

Anxiety and worries

Lize
Community Member

Hi all, 

I have been out for a long time from my profession and just recently decided to go back. I am having lots of anxiety and worries since I started my training. I saw how everyone is fast and able to do their task on time. I got so scared that I might not be able to cope with fast pace of the job.  I am thinking that I won’t be able to catch up and learn how it works. I am worried that I will make a huge mistake. Next week they will give me task that is making me more anxious. Thinking that I should give up this profession.

4 Replies 4

50WV
Community Member

hi just wanted to say your story sounds familiar. I’ve been in your shoes even as we speak I am again in a similar position starting literally back at an old work place after an 8 yr absence. It sounds like you are a bit like me with the whole fear of failure mixed with a touch of imposter syndrome. You are not alone in this and I am sure you will do fine ( or at least way better than your negative  rain is currently telling you). Perfection is the enemy of progress and I am sure your boss is not expecting you to be be perfect so just chill out and remember your brain can be a liar some times. I’m sure if you’re anything like me you doubt yourself but then surprise yourself with how much you actually know or are capable of achieving. Worst case scenario you find an alternative position in a complimentary industry which might even pay better or be a better fit in the long run. Now to take my own advice and stop listening to my own little liar in my head haha! 

Lize
Community Member

Hi 50WV, you are right that I afraid of failure. It stress me out if I made some mistakes. I thought I am alone with this kind of situation. I am trying to face my fears and anxiety. I hope I will be able to do it and tell myself one day “ well done, you made it”

Flowergirl97
Community Member

Hello, 

I hope you are doing ok at the moment and not being too hard on yourself. Going back to your profession must have been a difficult decision but it sounds like you were enthusiastic about it before you started your training.

 

Try to remind yourself of all the reasons why you want to go back to the profession and how you used to cope with the day-to-day of the work. What are helpful ways you can cope now that you have used before? Most of all try to focus on your accomplishments and not on your mistakes when you are training. It is going to take time to get good at something and you are back at the beginning which is the hardest and sometimes best place to be because you have a lot to look forward to doing and you will be constantly improving. 

Why are you worried about how other people are performing in the profession? If you are trying to improve at something it is best to only try to improve your own performance. If you goal is the be the best at the profession and do the job better than anyone else then you might want to find another reason to be doing what your doing. Aim to be better than you were yesterday, last week, last month, or last year but don’t aim to be better than other people. All you can do is be the best at being yourself and doing your best. 

And maybe if you get to know people in your profession better you might see how they struggle to cope sometimes too. 

But if your current workplace is too stressful, it may not be the profession you are in that is the problem, it may just be the wrong place for you to work.

 

See how you feel after working there a bit longer and if they are not supportive you may be better off finding a different place to work. But also, starting a new job is never easy and it might take a few months to feel confident again 

I agree with flowergirl, give it a few months. I have a feeling things will get better. 😀