Anxiety, work and career change. Advice?

[VMvm]

Hey!

Hope you all are well!

I'm going through a difficult time and I thought it could help me to read some advice/thoughts from different people and backgrounds.

I'm 32, an optimist and positive guy, and for the first time in my life, I'm struggling from some anxiety and (maybe) depression. I quitted my sales corporate job a couple of years ago, promising myself I would never go back to it, and I travelled for nearly those two whole years. After my trip, I got back to Melbourne and guess what... I got back to the same industry and corporate job as a salesperson.

It took me nearly 3 months to get the job and lots of rejection from interview processes. That job hunting started to make me feel useless, nervous, anxious and quite self-conscious. But anyway, I got a job. It's been two months in the new company and those feeling are just increasing, I don't feel ready to tackle my role (even though it's what I have been doing for 10 years) and when I meet my customers I get quite nervous and anxious. That situation makes my brain go blank, I don't ask the right questions, I don't say the right things and therefore, I get in trouble with my management. I know I don't want to be doing this job, but I have no idea what I can do with my life. The only thing that keeps me going to the office every day is the good salary. Still, I don't think I can handle anymore because I'm suffering and I hate that feeling.

Since I finished high school I have been working in sales, so unfortunately I don't feel I have any other skill I can use to find another good job. So my question here, have any of you gone through something similar? How did you handle your career change?

Thanks!

[Croix]

Dear VMvm~

Welcome here to the Forum. I can see you are having a particularly hard time, both in doing your new job, and in deciding what you should be doing.

First lets acknowledge that job hunting is a terrible thing to have to do, with umpteen applications, sometimes interviews if lucky, and competing against so many others for too few jobs.

This will not have helped your overall anxiety, and will in fact make your current job seem imperative to keep, no matter what , not surprisingly affecting your performance.

If one also takes into account the fact that you a 10 year employee, resigned promising yourself would never go back, then the fact you are back simply means all the things that made you quit are still present, added to by all the above.

So what can you do? Well several things perhaps:

Firstly if you are not already under medical treatment then please go see your GP and in a long consultation explain your situation and the effect it is having on you.

Secondly, cast your mind around to see if there are things you do enjoy -then do them, be it listening to music, sport, reading or whatever. Give yourself something to look forward to each day.

Consider, in addition to your employment, volunteering in any organization that you think you might enjoy. This will take some of your focus off your present job.

Write down a script for what to ask and say when talking to clients and refer to that in interviews.

Seek another job in a different area, while trying to continue in your present position, that way you will at least have hope.

May I ask if you have anyone in your life to give you support and encouragement? A partner, family member or friend perhaps? It can make a real difference as I've found talking frankly wiht my partner really helps lift the load.

I would like to know what you think of these suggestions

Croix

[romantic_thi3f]

Hey VMvm!

Welcome to the forums and thank you for joining us!

I'm gathering from your post that you keep going back to your job as a salesperson but are looking for a career change -I'm curious; do you think the career change is because it's something you really want to do, or is it something that feels necessary given that you are struggling in your job?

If your job is something that you're struggling with but deep down it feels like that's where you want to be - then there are workarounds. Croix mentioned a script - but really anything that helps you manage your moods will rollover into how easy or hard your job feels.

If however you're sure that a change is what you like; I don't think your history of only being a salesperson is going to 'let you down' so to speak. You can 'roll over' a lot of your skills into the next job; whether that's customer service, negotiation, meeting KPI's, being results driven, motivated - or even your loyalty to the company.

I'm not sure if this is good advice, but I hope that this helps! I wish you the best of luck with whatever you decide.

RT