Work anxiety again

[bananarbabe]

I've been waking up again feeling very anxious about work and I don't know how to stop this. It's realy bothering me because at the end of the week I find that its nothing to worry about but then again come monday or tuesday I get the symptoms and everything. Any advice?

[Keep going]

Personally, i would re-evaluate your work situation. by asking yourself do i enjoy my job? if you do, what aspect of your work makes you anxious and tell somebody, if possible. and resolve that anxious situation that you get. the other option is, it may be time to move on, may be look for different work.

stu

[cattttt]

I get this sometimes, I like my job, but still feel anxious on the first day of the week. I think about all the things I did in the previous week that I might get into trouble for and wait for the manager to summon me when I arrive. It has happened a couple of times, but not for ages. By the end of the week, I'm feeling relaxed and sometimes sad when the week ends because I'm almost enjoying myself!!!!!!!!
Don't know if I have any advice, just know that you are not alone.
Try and remind yourself how you feel at the end of the week and that there really is nothing to worry about. (Wish I could take my own advice).

[jacq]

hi, i had exactly the same problem when i worked untill one day i got within 2 minutes of work and realised i couldnt go in, i then spent the next 12 months having endless sick days or sitting at work in terror, i was totally confused because i had worked there for nearly 10 years since leaving school i got on great with the people i worked with and wasnt under any pressure at all. one day on the way to work i realised i was also dreading going into my usual corner shop to get a paper before work and before long i started to feel the same standing at the bus stop outside my house and i associated it all with going to work. Luckily for me (i thought) i got pregnant and had to leave and i became a full time mum, i felt great and the panic went for about a month then i had to catch the bus one day as my mom was at work and all the old feelings came flooding back i couldnt believe it as i had associated the panic with work AND I WASNT EVEN THERE ANYMORE!!!!. That was 13 years ago and i havent worked since but it has taken me that long to realise that it wasnt work or the shop or the bus that was making me anxious it could have been anything the doctors, dentist, hairdressers, school, supermarkets, motorways, being alone at home (and daily is) the problem was i was scared of feeling anxious and that doesnt go away you just convince yourself that it is easier when you leave the situation and feel instant relief this just reinforces the idea that it is work related and doesnt last and is soon replaced by some other fear. im afraid i dont know how you can change this fear other than to say dont give up your job if you truly like it, as it is the worst thing i ever did - not finding some sort of part time work to make me have to go out. i carry my i pod with relaxation tracks on that helps to take my mind of the situation, but i try not to leave the situation unless I choose to calmly and without any guilt not running and crying out of the shops in fear ( this has happened:blush: and my husband was mortified ) you have to be in control of your fear not the other way round or it will just be chasing right behind you as you run out the door.

Jacq x

[Daniel S]

My adivce is get up everyday and go to work. Write down what it is you are afraid of and at the end of the day write down what actually happened (the two are always very different). When things are written down they seem a lot more real and overtime that should help you beat the anxiety.

Dan.

[neptuno]

Daniel thats really good advice. I always keep a diary like this. I take it with me if a have a doctors appointment because it gives factual info of how you feel on any given day - not how you think you feel.
Also without exception, the anticipation of what you think are scary events is much worse than the actual... seeing it in writing is really empowering.
Whatever your fears, be kind to yourself

[angiebaby]

I must admit the thought of not going to work is very appealling to me, am looking for another job at the moment, but Wednesday's are my day off and today i have had a lie in. And everytime i am off work and have a lie in, take things easier as it were, my symptoms seem worse. My stomach has been flipping all morning, very anxious even though i know there is nothing to be afraid of!! When i get up for work i agree i am the same, but because you are busy and keep going it eventually goes off, or at least lessens some. Yesterday i kept having the waves coming over me of impending doom and anxiety and just kept going the best i could with gritted teeth. I know this is not a good idea as it is creating more bad vibes but that is how i keep walking or get up out of a seat etc, etc. So obviously keeping busy is the key but saying that i think i still need a different job, something that is not exposing me to so much illness, perhaps. Hope it helps to know that you are definatly not alone in this and i am certain that most of us experience this most days.x

[3faces]

Hi there!

I really can sympathise with what your talking about and I am living proof of the hell 'work anxiety' can cause. After staying at home for what seemed like an eternity bringing up my three boys, I tried to go back to work. With my first new job, on the second day, I got as far as the car park and had my first major panic attack. That was about 7 years ago and in that 7 years, I have been offered more jobs than I care to remember; I have either gone in for one or two days then run away or I haven't made it in at all....:weep:

I am in the middle of a really awful situation because I was suppose to start a new job at the beginning of this month. I didn't make it in the first day, only made it in the second because the lady I would be working with met me in a cafe first to walk in together! Yes, I am a grown woman who feels like a complete baby...To cut a long story short, I've only got this week to try and go back in or they have to re-advertise the job. I have tried twice to go in this week with the help of some Diazepam (that I've never tried before) and I can only get within 5 minutes of the office and I start to panic. The Diazepam is great for making your body nice and relaxed but seems to do nothing to quiet the mind, which is my problem.

Sorry for the long post about me but the reason I went into so much detail is to let others now how important it is to NEVER start running away from a situation like this. Once you start running you are teaching yourself that is the way to react to those anxiety symptoms. I am worried about going to work because I have very low self-esteem and am scared of getting things wrong; we all have our different reasons, I guess. I suppose it is the fear of the unknown when we go into situations (with other people watching).

I really hope you can fight these symptoms you're feeling and as you say, at the end of the week, you don't really know why you're worrying (your naughty brain is playing tricks on you and you musn't listen to that little voice if it starts to say 'run away'!!!)

Lots of love to you and I hope you stay strong....

[PITITA]

Hi bananarbabe!

I totally understand your post and can relate to your work anxiety 100%!
With me it is the fact that the office is quiet so my anxious thoughts all seem amplified.I work and share the office with 4 men and none has anxiety, so they all seem to be very confident and self-assured, whereas I always feel so low about myself, I become so shy as well, that sometimes it is hard to speak. Then I project my own insecure thoughts onto everyone around me eg I start telling myself they all think I'm too shy, too timid, too you name it, and it must be really off-putting for them. Like I always imagine how they probably would enjoy much more working with a very outgoing, confident woman who they can actually find engaging and fun, not me who is always so quiet and nervous etc. :(
Now if I think about it I do realize that these thoughts are NOT theirs, they are my own projection, but nevertheless it still goes around in my head and makes it so much harder to feel part of the office environment.
The amount of times I felt like just jumping up and running out of the office and the building all the way home without looking back is endless, but still as someone mentioned above I get up in the morning and pull through the day somehow with gritted teeth. Sure I wish it would go away or get better though!

I just wanted you to know that your NOT alone feeling like this, and I'm actually quite relieved that I AM NOT ALONE either ;)

xxx