Starting new job soon & feeling anxious as hell

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so I finally got a job, which is great in itself.

problem is, I get so stressed just thinking about going there on Monday, it's driving me insane. I'm not really anxious about the people there so much- it's an IT company and the people I already met were very "aspiesh", so I'm pretty sure I'll get along well.

the thing is- I don't think I deserve this job. I don't think I can be good at it. I feel that I'm just massively underqualified and that the fact that they even hired me is a mistake, that I am bound to fail.

of course I'm trying to reason with this anxiety and I know that realistically speaking there is a chance that I might just turn out to be perfect for the job. but I'm already so stressed about it that I won't be able to focus on anything (in school I only ever passed tests that I wasn't worried about, regardless of how much I knew... when I got anxious I couldn't even understand the questions).

so basically what I'm even more afraid of is that my anxiety will make me useless and I won't be able to concentrate on nothing or do the things I'm supposed to. I'm scared that I've just started a spiral of a self-fulfilling prophecy, but I have a hard time reasoning with this.

does anybody have any ideas how I can get rid of this anxiety? I've already pulled out half of my eyebrows

So if you do fail and you suck at your job what then?

Will you still be alive at the end of the day?

Try to avoid excessive intake of sugar, caffeine, alcohol, or any other types of stimulants. I found this to be very effective. Exercising and getting a decent sleep also helps.

I don't think you have anything to worry about. It's perfectly normal to feel this way when starting a new job. If you start pulling off more than the eyebrows then I would be very concerned.

One thing that you could try to focus on is to find inspirational mentors within the company. Being around good people will make things a lot easier. Keep yourself occupied with learning and don't be afraid to make mistakes.

btw, congrats.

Exercise helps in decreasing anxiety (clinically proven) and so can a simple thing - notice what you are telling yourself.

You don't have to necessarily change what you are saying to yourself, but notice what you are saying. If you frequently tell yourself that you're going to fail that can increase anxiety and lead to panic episodes, etc.

Also, a lot of people learn on the job, so you probably aren't expected to know everything first day.

Z

All I can say anna-banana is good luck, and just wait until you're settled into your job, maybe a week or two. I bet you by then your nerves would have calmed down, and you will be in the swing of things. I'm sure you will prove to be just right for your job. I wish you well....

thanks guys, yeah I'm trying to occupy my mind with other things and relax a bit. I know I'm being unreasonable about it, but I can't help it :p the stress is really pulling some nasty tricks on my brain.

I guess the thing that worries me the most is that I'm going to be the only person doing the job that I was hired to do, so that excludes the "mentor" part. the fact that they've existed for a few years without anyone doing it also makes me kinda worry that they will decide they were better off before and that they don't need anyone on that position...

and in general I guess the change and not knowing what it will look like just makes me want to run and hide.

one4one I actually thought that red wine and chocolate cake could help as for decent sleep- I'm pretty sure that's out of the question now.

cool avatar btw.

I don't know Bogan, I've had to many fails recently.

The tiny bit I know you, I'm sure you do a great job, Anna. You're a smart person and please don't worry too much. You can do it. Do not doubt(?) yourself too much. Nobody expects you to run the business after the first week and you'll have time to grow into it. You can do this and I'll bet you, you'll be proud of yourself and will feel at ease after a short while.

Congratulations and good luck.

My dr prescribes klonopin for anxiety and I can take it when I need it. When I used to work, I'd have to stay on klonopin to get through the day.

Another thing you can do is try to develop routines early of what you're going to do on your job. There is security for us in having routines.

Congrats by the way!

This thread is a good reason to hire you, unlike the average employee you are actually contentious.

Everything will go horrible, the job will be a mess, I will suck at it - they will hate me... I WILL get yelled at, and I suck at what I do.

I go to a job with that in mind, that way when someone gives me a compliment I have a great day.

ok I'm not sure what you mean by that

whitetiger does klonopin not make your concentration worse?

I mean you actually care about being good at your job - that fact that you have made a thread worrying about how well you will do shows this. Lots of employees are only bothered about getting their pay check. That alone makes you better than the average employee.

ah ok, yeah, the perfectionism. my job would actually be getting others to work and fix things. so yeah, maybe the right person in the right place after all

Not even the perfectionism, the fact you care at all is something tbh.

Yeah I know what you mean, the real world can knock you a bit.

Anyway the worst thing that could happen is that you lose your job and you will be in the same place you are now. So if you think of it that way you don't have much to lose, so can't fail.

Anna think positively and make the most of the opportunity you are given. Don't go down without a fight.