anxiety at work

[___A___]

hi i've never posted anything like this before and i'm really scared to do it, but i feel so anxious about making mistakes at work. some things i thought were mistakes ended up not being mistakes, but some did and now i am constantly stressed about past mistakes coming back to bite me or that i'm on the verge of making another mistake. i feel useless at work which is a high stress clinical job and it has been impacting my sleep, my self-esteem, my motivation, and my apetite. i've been through a really bad breakup in the last few months too which has made my anxiety spiral because my main support person left my life very abruptly without giving a reason. i feel like if he was still around i could talk to him about it. 

i feel like i don't have anyone i can share my thoughts and anxieties with because i'm scared of making my friends and family sick of me and my problems like i did my ex. i'm convinced everyone is sick of my mess and that everyone will wake up and realise i'm awful and unlovable. i see a psychologist and have recently been put on meds but i'm still in a constant state of panic, dread, worry and fear. i feel like nothing is ever going to get better and my life is always going to be a mess. i don't know how to start cleaning the mess up and it's so overwhelming and scary. has anyone been through anything similar and have any advice? i'm really struggling and appreciate anyone even reading this.

[Tyson76]

Hello anxiety at work

I am experiencing exactly what you described as well.

I barely eat i barely sleep

I find work exhausting at best

I'm trying to practise meditation but 

I can't relax enough to enjoy the benefits.

I'm seeking relief too.

I don't know where to start 😞😞😞

[Richju]

Hi anxiety at work,

Congratulations on plucking up the courage to open up on the forum. You have come to the right place. So many people are frightened of making mistakes yet this the way we all learn.

You seem to be going through a lot in your personal life as well so I can understand how your anxiety is skyrocketing.

When I experienced workplace bullying, I had really bad anxiety at work, I even used to check my photocopying to make sure all the pages had gone through the machine! Now I look back, I can see how ridiculous that was but, like you, I was terrified of mistakes and thought I was totally incompetent. Not so!

When you have a little time, I wonder if you could try this exercise. Think about the hardest thing you you've been through in your life. Write down all the diiiculties you had at that time. Now make a list of all the strengths you demonstrated at that time. Keep going - this make take a few days but I bet you'll discover that you are far from useless. But once we start to worry, our minds go crazy and we imagine everything that can go wrong.

Think about Superman - he's supposed to be so bright yet he wears his underpants on the outside of his clothes. How many of us make a stupid mistake like that?

Are you able to take leave from work for a while? Perhaps your doctor could give you a certificate. I feel you would benefit from a rest and perhaps some gentle exercise and a few good soaks in the bath, if that's something you'd like to do or listen to some relaxing music and give that overworked mind of yours good rest.

I hope this has been helpful for you. Please stop being so hard on yourself and learn to love yourself as a wonderful imperfect human being.

Warmest regards,

Richju 

[zenhippie]

Hey, I’m reaching out to you because I feel these things also, not constantly but when I do it feels like the anxiety is shredding me alive and my heart beaters right out of my chest and the bloody pines in my ears. I’m so sorry about your emotional support person leaving so suddenly, it can be a real kick in the guts because your left not understanding or reasoning what the reason for them leaving you was. It’s currently my biggest fear, I’m in a new relationship of 9 months and 2 months ago we had a massive fight which caused us to nearly loose each other and I never felt such terror and anxiety in my life but we worked through it and it’s getting better I think. Try not to doubt yourself , life’s obstacles come and they go but you can make a Choi e which can be to either try your best to face them or let them crumble and crush you. I believe you are so so much stronger than that. KEEP PUSHING XO

[Mr K]

Hi there, I feel very drawn to this post myself. I’ve had a terrible run of luck these past few years with so many things going wrong and a few high points along the way. I’m terribly afraid of loosing my job myself and I know that I’m going to loose sleep and see my health suffer again. I get the not telling friends or family thing too, I’m afraid they will react badly so like you I just end up bottling the pressure inside.