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View Full Version : Unemployment and Job Interview Anxiety.



yellowbelliedganoot
04-05-09, 15:59
Hello all. I'm new to the forum and was wondering if anyone could offer me any advise as I just don't know what to do :weep: .

My situation feels kind of strange as my anxiety and fear of panic has only really come on in the last 3 weeks or so (i think its job related). Before then I only had one or two attacks before Christmas which I thought were circumstantial. I feel like a completely different person now and I'm really afraid that I will never be back to my old self. It upsets and scares me so much as I have never felt so low before. I thought I'd try and explain where I think it has all originated from. Sorry if it seems too long :(

My issue really began when I had to move back in with my mum and give up my job in the city I went to uni to (evil housemate issues) last september. I really didn't want to leave but felt I didn't have much choice so I gave up what I felt was my home and job. The people I had been living with then caused further issues for me because they hadn't been paying their rent which brought up some pretty serious problems that dragged on into the new year (unfortunately for me I paid the price for their stupidity). Luckily it was sorted out but it seriously diminished my trust in the world and my self confidence. I had several panic attacks during this time which meant that I had to leave the job I had found in my hometown. It was so upsetting.

I've been unemployed since Christmas and until now thought the panic attacks were linked to what happened at that time. However, recently the anxiety has resurfaced and is even worse now in some ways. I'm under so much pressure to find a job and somewhere to live again and am really out of the habit of doing things alone and going to work. I've had no luck finding anything over the last two months and it feels the longer it gets the worse I feel about myself and the harder it will be to get back into work. I just feel like everything has gone down hill since I graduated!

Every morning I've been waking up early with the shakes, worrying about these feelings and its a real effort not to let it escalate into full panic. I'm absolutely petrified over what will happen if I have to go to a job interview or start a routine with these feelings to overcome. They feel really debilitating and I lie in bed feeling weak, that I can't walk or that I'll faint if I have to leave the house alone. My doctor has put me on one 20mg citalopram which I'm supposed to take at night (only been on it a week so its not really done anything).

I'm just so scared that if I can't get over these feelings I'll ruin my chances of getting back to normal if I can't get through this and get/hold down a job. I'm so lost and just don't know why I can't stop it. I just want my confidence back. I just see all my peers getting on with life and work after uni and I don't understand why I'm finding it so difficult. I'm scared this is something I'm going to have to live with forever.

Please help. Vic x

NoPoet
04-05-09, 20:04
Hi, you just told my story ;)

This is exactly how my problems started 2 months ago, although a lot of bad things also happened at the same time as I lost my job.

You need to speak to someone about this as you have a specific set of causes for your problems and you need to deal with these. Don't leave it as long as I did. Go back to your doctor as soon as possible and request counselling. Also do not hesitate to phone Samaritans when you feel bad, particularly when your anxiety is at its worst. Discusssing your problems will be tough at first but you need to face it now before it really takes hold. You need to get these feelings out of your head via the medium of your gob.

It's been two hard months but I pulled myself back from feeling the way you do. I left it so late to fight back -- I might never have fallen so far if I'd started talking about my problems sooner.

Good luck and let us know how you get on!