Workplace Anxiety

[greatoutdoors123]

Hi everyone,

This is my first time posting here. I am a 28 year female, working as a lawyer. I have recently started a new job in a new field. I struggle with feelings of shame and guilt (imposter syndrome) type feelings almost daily at work and find I am very susceptible to having 'bad days' here.

I am an anxious person, and I think I do have a sort of generalised anxiety disorder. I have a mental health care plan from a GP, but haven't used it yet - I think I am just hesitant to for some reason even though I know it will help me. A big trigger for me appears to be work.

I feel shame most days about myself. Shame that I am not smart enough, didn't do very well at uni and am constantly making mistakes at work. I had a bad work experience a few years ago where I was bullied by a supervisor, and I think this has left me with a quite a bit of workplace anxiety. If I hear my boss talk to my other supervising colleague I automatically think they are talking about me. If I hear them close the door of one of their offices to chat I get very nervous. I also find it hard to concentrate some days.

I know I need to go and see a psych about this (and my other anxiety related thought patterns). I just wanted to know if anyone has experienced something similar?

I hope I have explained my situation clearly. Thanks for reading if you have gotten this far!

[roundowl]

Hey greatoutdoors123, I understand where you're coming from. I'm struggling with anxiety which is also largely work-related. It sounds like you're pretty hard on yourself too. Maybe it would help if you asked your boss for some feedback on how you're doing? I know the thought of doing it can be daunting, but I've found it helps if you look at it as a chance to find out what you do well and if there's anything you could improve on. It can also put your mind at ease when you realise you're doing a lot better than you thought.

I think using the mental health care plan would be a great start. It can be a huge relief to have a neutral party to talk to about how you're feeling, and they can help you find ways to manage how you feel. A psychologist gave me a useful strategy to try when I start to feel panicky at work and it literally only looks like I'm fiddling with a pen.

[greatoutdoors123]

Thank you roundowl, your message is very helpful!