Bit anxious today

[PurpleShade]

I'm feeling nervous and anxious as I start a new job today, its casual and only for an afternoon but its the first time in years since I've worked for someone else.  Previously I was self employed and studying so I ran my own show abit.

I'm kind of posting cause I wonder if there are others who have felt this way too especially after a depressive cycle, I'm just starting to rise again and feel I can put my foot back into life but very nervous that I might not do so well, trying to be positive about it and roll with it..

My stomach is going crazy and my heart might jump out of my chest 😛  I'm feeling positive about today just quiet nervous.  I'm heading off on my morning jog in hope it might help release some of these butterflies.

[Zeal]

Hi Purple Shade,

Good luck with your new job! It's natural to be a little nervous or anxious before starting something new like this. However, your nerves are more intense because of your situation. Going for a run is a great idea - that could really help to clear your mind, allow you to focus on something else for a while, and will also produce endorphins.

It's a good idea to leave your house a bit earlier, so that you know you won't be late. It's great that you're excited about the new job- this is really positive! If you feel yourself getting overly anxious, notice your breathing, and aim to breathe from your stomach, and not your chest. I tend to chest-breathe, which is caused by stress and anxiety - if this is done for an extended period, it can lead to tiredness, and sometimes shortness of breath.

You may get anxious for the first few days or week of this new job, as it can take time to adjust to the new setting and new people. Perhaps lay out your clothes and pack your briefcase/bag the night before each work day, so that you are more organised in the morning. Eating a healthy breakfast is also vital - porridge or wholegrain cereal like Weet-Bix are great for long-lasting energy. This may sound obvious, but you'd be surprised how many people neglect the basics, to their detriment.

Good luck with this new job,

SM

[PurpleShade]

Hi SM,

Thank you for your post, its helpful to know this is normal and that there are ways to prepare,  Your suggestions are awesome.  I chest breathe as well and do need to remember to take deeper breaths.  My jog was helpful, feeling good, eating breakfast now and relaxing a little before I get organised. I realised while on my jog that I can be quite sensitive so I have a tendency to set my own expectations high and if I don't achieve them, I get very hard on myself so I'm mindful to keep an eye on my how high I'm aiming and remember to take the little steps, one at a time.

So far so good, here goes my day 🙂

[Neil_1]

Hi there Purple Shade

Jogging is great;  eating healthy is also very good, even getting the right amount of relaxation but also sleep at night as well.  And as SM provided you with such an awesome response, I’m just here now wanting to see how you went in your new job?

The sleep part also can be helped, again by what SM suggested in that you prepare for your day that night, so get your clothes out and ready;  perhaps make up your lunch and put it in the fridge – even put a little sticker on your car keys to “not forget to take lunch out of fridge”.  🙂

The goal setting and aiming for is as you’ve even suggested – possibly you may have been having too big a target in sight, which in turn could lead you to not achieving and then being hard and critical on yourself.

Just little goals – sure you can have the biggies as well, but create little ones, so you can tick those off on the journey towards the larger ones.

Hope to hear back from you soon.

Kind regards

Neil

[PurpleShade]

Hi Neil,

Thanks for checking in 😄

I prepared myself as best as I could but I did have a little hick up as a result of nerves. I wasn't wearing one part of my uniform, it was a misunderstanding on my part and I nearly had to go home and miss the shift but I was really lucky that my partner was able to bring me what I needed.  The big thing about this, is I didn't panic like I would have in the past, I tried to ride through it and roll with the wave lol and I did, I got through  the shift and felt very buzzed to be back in work.  I love being busy, admittedly I was stuffed the next day 😛 and was lucky I could spend the day recovering.  

It is taking time to get back into work which is why I have little shifts so I can take these baby steps.

Sleep is my biggest challenge at the moment, I'm not falling into a deep sleep for very long and keep waking up on and off all night.  I was playing classical music quietly in the background but its stopped working, I need to find something different, perhaps some meditation music. I do enough in the day to tire my body, it might just be that my mind is not mentally overworked like it used to be.  Since taking medication, the mind is quieter so I don't feel so bombed out.

Anyway thanks for asking how I'm going 🙂

[Neil_1]

Hi there Purple Shade

Did I comment already, great name and lovely pic.

Thanx so much for sharing that return to work experience.  And I don’t know you, but I was so proud of you when I read the part, where you misunderstood about the need to have another part of your uniform, and you didn’t panic from it, but you dug deep and rolled with the wave AND you got through.  Absolutely awesome.  And even more so that you felt a buzz for being back and great that you enjoyed being busy.

If this can happen more, then it could also go some way towards assisting you with your sleeping.

But try not to stress that aspect (I know it’s easy for me to write), but so many of us have problems with sleep – maybe we could learn something from dolphins who don’t actually sleep as such, but just cruise along very slowly with their heart-rate down and doing very little.  I mean when they ‘come to’ again, they’re up and leaping out of the water!

I’m also sorry to hear that your classical music isn’t working anymore – is it a matter of changing the batteries in your machine or perhaps it’s something to do with the wiring in the back end of the system?

Kind regards

Neil

Ps:  the comment about the classical music thing was a bit of an attempt at some weak humour, as I knew what you meant in your original posting.  🙂