Starting new? What can you do to beat New Job Anxiety

Source: Photo by Yan Krukov from Pexels

It’s just 5 more days to go before I get back to my work — after a gap of 4 months ( and let me tell you, it was not sabbatical or maternity leave. It was an outcome of certain decisions we took!). 4 months is a long period to be outside the workforce. And it can make anyone nervous. Especially, if getting back to work also includes changes in certain work dimensions such as a new country, a new company, a bigger and new role and a new industry in focus. Phew! I can read a lot of ‘new’ in there. A lot of these ‘new’ changes which I never realized (up until now) are popping in my head making me question our decision in the first place!

But it’s not the first time I have switched jobs. I have been in the situation before ( of course, with less changes to worry about). There is always a sense of proud feeling of having cracked the interview and gained a role in a reputed firm. But this time, there is also a sense of uneasiness underneath this excitement. There are a lot of questions and nonsensical worries that keep my mind occupied and leave me overwhelmed:

1. What if I can’t handle the new role’s responsibilities? What will my new team members think of me?
2. Will the new work environment be friendly and welcoming as the last one?
3. What if the job turns out to be disappointing and not what I imagined? Will I get to work on things and projects I am passionate about?

Suggestions to Overcome Nervousness

In order to put an end to it, I tried talking about my situation with my partner and my family members. And I am happy that I talked to them. Because all of them had some piece of advice to offer to me to help me prepare for this new job, boost my confidence and calm down my nerves to make me feel better. (Reaching out to your close aides for help always help!)

Source: Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

Here are top three suggestions I received. I am practicing them as I write this article and I can tell, these suggestions are useful.

1. Positive self-talk: Self-talk is a great way to address any anxiety before starting something new. When we repeat to ourselves all the good things of this new job or remember the reason for being hired, strengths and capabilities, we send the signals to our mind that we are capable to take up new opportunity. We create a positive image of new work place. Even a simple prayer to thank for the opportunity and asking the divine master to guide us further can help to calm the nerves.
2. Take time to prepare for new role: Feeling prepared for new role takes away the anxiety and makes us confident. My partner suggested that even though I am good at my area of work, this will be my first role as a manager (officially!). Reading and understanding the basic traits and good practices of managing a team can help me to prepare for the new role. I can take these last 2–3 days to refresh some of the basic stuff and update myself with the latest news and developments in my area of work.
3. Practicing new routine: Since I have been on break for 4 months, getting back to work routine seems like a daunting task. For example, I haven’t spent much days in last 4 months working on laptop where my screen time has exceeded more than 2 hours. Getting back to laptop and spending an average of 7 hours on screen with focus can make me feel tired. Hence, I am trying to gradually get back to normal routine, right from sleep schedule, breakfast, lunch preparations, exercise routine to sitting in right posture for long in front of laptop. Prepping ourselves up for a change ahead of time can help minimize worry of everyday things we have to deal with.

I hope you find these suggestions useful. These suggestions may help you overcome the nervousness and prepare you to put the best foot forward.

If you have more suggestions, please share it in the comment section. Would love to hear thoughts of my fellow readers.