7 Techniques for handling new job anxiety

In addition to the self-discovery, enthusiasm, and other perplexing emotions that changing careers might elicit, worry in a new job anxiety is more typical than we might imagine. In their lives, most people change occupations 12 times. We could forget what it’s like to be the new person and to balance a variety of professional duties and obligations if this event doesn’t occur frequently for certain people. In reality, many of my clients have worked for the same company for decades, so they have never had to deal with job anxiety when they were fully grown adults.

How to manage new job stress

Following a huge upheaval in their personal and professional lives, a record number of people have started writing their resignation letters, a phenomenon known as the “great resignation” (also known as the “great reshuffle”).

It has been a recurring subject for many of my job coaching clients who want to regain control over their employment decisions and stop drifting along. There has been a lot of thought about what else they may do for a living and where they could find a career that aligns with their updated objectives and beliefs.

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1. Bear in mind that they chose you for a reason. You have been selected

You were the one with what they were seeking for after dealing with the voluminous interest, CVs, interviews, and selections that a hiring manager had to make. You were chosen out of everyone. Even if you were the sole applicant in the extremely unlikely event that this happened, the business may still have ghosted you or responded, “No, thank you!” Therefore, it should seem like confirmation that you are the greatest candidate to support that team, department, and organization’s continuing success before you even start the job. Well done!

2. Control Expectations

After you’ve had a chance to bask in your magnificence, we must discuss this phenomenon known as new job anxiety. A new position might cause genuine anxiety. It will seem quite different from where you were before—horrible and unpleasant even—and there will be so much that you don’t know.

That familiar environment where you knew everyone’s name, all the acronyms, and where all the documents were kept will soon go, and a type of new job anxiety will take its place. You can experience waves of self-doubt or impostor syndrome. You can believe me; I’ve been there a few times.

The most important thing in this situation is to lower your initial self-expectations. I often advise clients who begin new positions that they are typically allowed to ask as many questions as they want during the first 90 days of their employment. More is always better.

Why does it signify that?

“Why do it this way, exactly?”

How do I accomplish that?

You have a “free hit” time right now, so simply begin swinging.

Only be conscious that expecting yourself to perform at the same level you did just a few short months ago is unreasonable. I thought I had made the incorrect choice when I made a significant professional change in 2018, going from knowing everything and everyone to knowing nothing and nobody. Although it wasn’t always the case, it felt that way.

All I could think about were the things I didn’t know, which made me anxious rather than excited to acquire a tone of brand-new information to add to and expand all of my prior knowledge. For the time being, leave your perfectionism at the door. Simply come up, ask questions, and take in how your new teammates navigate the red tape necessary to get you access to all the systems you require.

3. Bring the argument to court

How long does the fear of a new job anxiety last? There are a number of potential variations in this case. I can still see how worried one of my switches was for months. I enter a large facility every day with higher aspirations and the conviction that I was in over my head. I was seated alongside those who knew more than me and were better than me, and I was filled with fear before anything had even happened that day. I was so concerned that I would misunderstand what they were saying and get things wrong. This occurred every day up until I started pursuing legal action for my opinions.

I just questioned myself whether I could confirm or refute a concept, such as, “I’ll never get this.” Go to court for it! Naturally, such idea was fiction and not truth. What proof do you have to make such a big call? How would you ever find out, then? What you know and what other people know differ, not in a better or worse way. Furthermore, I guess that the knowledge you possess differs from that of your new teammate.

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4. Journal

The judgment-free haven is the journal. It only asks for honesty and consistency in return for the ability to take in all of your ideas and spit them out again for you to examine and better comprehend both yourself and any life events that may be taking place. It effectively reduces stress in a new job anxiety. I’m not sure why, but during one of my new jobs, I simply felt that keeping a notebook would be helpful and intriguing to keep track of what was going on in my thoughts during a huge moment of personal transformation.

I just kept track of what I did, who I sat with, and what they did for the first three days. I entered additional information about what was required of me, what the team accomplished, and who was on it. As it seemed like my safe haven—a location where I could test what I had just been told but put it in a language I could understand—I went back to it a few times. After the second week, I wrote at random about how I got to work and how the train was crowded and delayed, which caused me to pout until approximately 11 am. I hadn’t previously described my feelings in any kind of detail.

I wrote, “Feel wonderful today, optimistic,” the next day. “Hint of self-doubt” the day after; “overwhelmed” the day after that. I kept a journal of both the things I was learning about the position and my feelings about it. As the weeks and months passed, I began to discover things about myself that were equally as important as the new work. I avoided a number of bad events that may have otherwise sent me spiraling down a self-pity and humiliation rabbit hole by adopting this journaling practice.

No matter what job I have or how long I’ve had it, keeping a notebook is now a regular component of my working day. I can go back to the tactics board. It serves as a fantastic mindfulness aid as well as a place for you to record your accomplishments. Additionally, you may use it to modify your behaviors, adopt a new diet, manage your stress, etc. It can help you make better decisions and think more critically. It can also help you be calm and in control. It can also help you clean the clutter from your memory so that you can think more clearly.

5. Change the Politics

Teams occasionally welcome new members since they provide both fresh material to chew on and additional support with the effort. There could be some extremely wonderful people who want to help and get to know you and who are already familiar with the department’s culture and unspoken regulations. Their drive to make new friends and overshare their opinions with stakeholders may interfere with your natural knowledge of who is who and what needs to be done, whether intentionally or unconsciously.

If someone wants to criticize anything or someone else, I always believe it’s best to keep your mouth shut. They could only be attempting to sway you. I’ve witnessed professional gossipers handling a recruit a few times in the past. Listen to them, sure, but don’t allow them influence your perception of others before you’ve ever met them.

6. Tell the boss the truth

Your manager is responsible for settling you in. They could assign certain tasks to team members. However, it is ultimately their responsibility to bring you up to speed and make you feel a part of everything. It’s crucial that you routinely communicate what is and is not working for you so that they can make the necessary adjustments. Both of you are not mind readers, so this crucial period of getting to know one another better is important.

Keep the dialogue flowing often. Keep the dialogue flowing often. At the very least for the first several weeks, a good supervisor should be scheduling these for you. To best assist you, this should either be lengthy weekly sessions or brief daily catch-ups.

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7. Learn About the Individuals Behind the Job Titles

Making connections with your new coworkers will help you feel less anxious about your new job. Their instruction or knowledge transfer will be more proactive and thoughtful the earlier relationship and trust are established. It’s not uncommon for new employees to be perceived as a danger, especially if they’re external to the business. Even seasoned coworkers might find new information and change unsettling.

Even seasoned coworkers might find new information and change unsettling. But by getting to know them personally and being vulnerable in front of the group, you may tear through barriers and see connections swiftly grow. Every time I’ve moved professions, the topic of pets inevitably comes up. You’ll frequently learn which team members have pets, and you’ll then probably be invited to bring your dog along for a Zoom call.

If there are opportunities to go out for drinks or attend other social activities early in your position, take them since they help create group memories. We are social beings and prefer to develop community. In the first few months, you’ll probably feel overloaded with information; thus, having a few individuals who can assist you go through the less crucial material helps lessen your worry.

Final Reflections

The most important thing to remember is that everyone is rooting for you and ready to support you when you start anything new with a lot on the line. So, increase your self-awareness and let that typical new work fear to go away. Remember to share your strategy with the next person following you after you’ve established in. You can do this.