Have you ever gone through a whole night worrying about your new job, tossing and turning while your over-worked mind broods over a million things all at once: how well will you perform in your new job or if the new colleagues will respond to you well or are you good enough for the job.
It’s pretty scary stuff- walking through the double-sliding doors on your first day, and there it is- that shrinking fear clouding your mind from thinking clearly and positively.
But it’s normal to feel high levels of anxiety in situations like this because 1) your about to enter a whole new territory bursting with new energies that you’re not yet familiar with, and 2) the work dynamics probably may not be compatible with your old job. And that’s sometimes a lot of information to digest overnight.
new-job
But the sooner you can banish those fears, the sooner you can start to be successful in achieving your goals, and let that boss of yours see you shine like the bright star you are. Here are some few useful tips and tricks to help you reinvent your confidence in a new job role and nip that fear in the bud for good.
Breathe
Breathing is the most important tool for your mind, body and soul. Your body’s a great mirror for how your mind operates, and if your minds not doing so good, it will be reflected in your body. It’s as simple as that.
So when you walk through them double-sliding doors stop and take a minute to inhale deeply and exhale. Keep doing this for at least a good few minutes, till you feel the tension drain from your body. Not only will paying attention to your breathing effectively loosen up tight muscles, but this new sense of calmness will help you overcome the mental blocks standing in the way of your success. It’ll be tough at first but if you hang in there and commit yourself to practising these steps, you’ll have a friend in need for life.
Remember whenever life gets a tad too stressful, all you have to is breath.
Turn to the people you love
Sometimes all you need is a few words of encouragement. Support from family and friends can truly help combat your worries about a new job, and also restore your confidence back. Confide your worries and fears with them, pinpointing exactly what it is about the new job that is making you feel this way. This exercise will be useful in dealing with the true nature of your worry and will also help you come to peace with it. Every so often accepting the thousand things that we don’t like or make us feel scared can help us move forward and become stronger, both in the mind and heart.
And fear is healthy. “Fear doesn’t shut you down, it wakes you up” Veronica Roth.
Don’t forget the dream
The horror of starting a brand new job in an unknown location, full of strange-looking people can make you forget what you’re doing there in the first place. So it’s helpful to get in tune with some of those good feelings that help you remember why your there.
Make a list of questions, such as, why am I here, what will this new job bring me, is this the path that I want to pursue etc.., and answer them honestly, taking your time with each question. Do this exercise in the morning before you start out for the first day at your new job, then repeat it again in the evening, but this time write down the first thing that pops into your head. Compare the answers and see what’s different about each of them. This will help you realise what’s important and what isn’t.
The knitty gritty side of starting any new job can often keep you from knowing what’s really important- and that is your goal. Once you aware of what that is, the anxiety will slip away some place for itself.
Self-talk
Self-talk is a great healer. Believe it or not, it helps you sort through all the clutter in your head and teaches you how to dispose of mental waste- which grinds you to death- safely and quickly. Self-talk is especially helpful in stressful situations like starting a new job, for example.
Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you should be roaming the many communal areas of your work place talking to the air and drawing unwanted attention. It’s just means that before you grab your brief-case, lock your front door, and chase the street for the bus your about to miss, remind yourself of all the wonderful things that make you the person you are and the many great talents you possess, and if that doesn’t help, ask yourself this- why your boss cherry-picked you, among all the hundreds of applicants.
Remember you’re a super-star and don’t forget to remind yourself once in a while.
Trust the universe
Ever hear that expression ‘we live at the mercy of fate’. Believe it or not, you weren’t given the job you spent endless nights dreaming about because your luck suddenly changed or because the universe decided it was time you got your big break. You got this job because you have what it takes and your new boss knows it.
In any new role, it’s normal to be swept away by the pressure to perform, whether that means getting everything right, impressing all the right people, or learning the ropes from when the boss says the word ‘go’.
But perhaps you don’t need to know all the answers straight away. Remember a new job is sort of like a baby walking for the first time. You don’t want to rush it, it’s all about taking your time and learning at the pace that suits you. At the end of the day, your here to progress and evolve, and these processes can sometimes take longer than we expect them to. But that isn’t always a bad thing. In any case, it’s a good thing because it prevents you from making sloppy mistakes that you wouldn’t normally make.
The key to any new job- is to develop trust in your abilities and allow yourself the patience and grace to navigate uncharted waters.
Normalise the new
Simply put, new is scary. That’s just how it should be. If it wasn’t scary, it would mean you were no stranger to fear and you wouldn’t get that adrenaline rush you get when facing fear and then kicking it out of your life. I mean, where would the fun be in that?
Your brain lights up like a Christmas tree when you’re in new situations where the outcome is uncertain, so the shrinking fear you feel when starting a new job is just another one of those things your brain is supposed to do. Reassure yourself that feeling anxious and scared is nothing to feel alarmed about, as it is perfectly normal for your brain to behave abnormally.
Of course you’re going to find tons of new information heading your way, and being the eager bunny you are, revving up your brain, and expecting too much in too little time won’t do you any favours. At least not good ones, anyway.
So here’s a tip to ease you into your new role- instead of driving your mind into a frenzy, put the world on pause for a second, reassure yourself that you’ve made it this far and that you’re not going to die, and normalise your new fear.
I promise, like the last of autumn leaves fall away, so will your fear.