Changes fill us with so much uncertainty no matter how big they are. Change cars, change residence, change hairstyle, change shoe style, change couple, change of schedules, changes, changes, changes... Things cease to be, they cease to be and that overwhelms; Changes often involve this: resignations. If we are so used to the presence of something in our life it is much more difficult to give it up; get used to our work entry and exit times, get used to co-workers (for example, their personality and to their abilities), feeling capable in the tasks of a current job add factors to feed the fear of changing a job. This is why it is so necessary to take time to go through this often inevitable phase in our lives and in this Psychology-Online article we explain how to overcome the fear of changing jobs.
Index
- I want to change jobs but it scares me
- Nerves and anxiety about a job change
- Fear of not knowing how to do my job
- How to cope with changes at work
I want to change jobs but it scares me.
Changes are inescapable in our life. And although these eight words seem to hold a lot of truth, they do not bring relief at all, phrases like These are often expressed by the people to whom we comment on our fear of changing our job. We feel that people brutally confront us with these words but their altruistic intentions underlie them: to make us feel better.
The intention to make ourselves feel better often fails due to the same intense need to help, it is something like the intentions overflowing make the desired function impossible: they rush us to feel relatively well again, although the opposite happens, and we perceive our fear as something irrational and exaggerated (where before there was fear, now there is also anxiety and excessive feelings of guilt).
In this way, we address everything that many companies want to avoid in their hired personnel: people without emotions. These companies place as a hiring requirement "easy adaptation" and on this they require "ability to work on time schedules rotating ", and of course we can do it, there are many people who begin to do it but with great silent anguish, a very high cost. Pretending adaptation (for example, constant jokes and talkativeness) is the most used strategy and the one that attracts the least benefits, since the performance in work, family, social and personal activities will be poor since that fear is still present but hidden.
Wanting to change jobs but being afraid it is something very frequent, especially in people who want to start working, also in those who for a long time have worked in the same place and where they have had little experience in areas in which they aspire to work. Being a very frequent reaction in most people does not mean that discomfort is minimized, but rather, being aware that any process of change requires time for its gradual adaptation and so in this period allow expression and experiencing the feelings and thoughts present.
Nerves and anxiety about a job change.
If fear makes us incapable of accepting that new job offer, also feeling some of the following symptoms, surely fear is no longer the only emotion involved, here there may also be characteristic symptoms of anxiety and depression:
- Excessive guilt (sometimes guilt for being indecisive).
- Physical symptoms (for example, stomach pain and discomfort, nausea or vomiting, headache, dizziness).
- Deep emotional emptiness.
- Feeling of a lack of meaning in life.
- Constant self-reproaches.
- Easy crying.
- Insomnia.
- Hopelessness
- Thoughts of professional catastrophe that are amplified to other areas of life (for example, if I decline this offer I will surely ruin everything in my life).
- Lack of concentration.
- Excessive sweating
- Low libido.
These symptoms may arise as a result of poor learning of psychological skills for emotional expression, and in this case a poor ability to recognize and express fear. Here you will find guidelines for the managing emotions.
When some of these symptoms or others similar to these are present, the need to approach it with a professional since a pathology could be prodromically alerting us serious. But we can also start with someone who, in addition to inspiring confidence, also knows how to listen to us in order to pay attention to our discomfort.
Fear of not knowing how to do my job.
The fear of not knowing how to do a certain job often ends up disabling us long before we start working on it. This fear of not knowing how to do a job can be caused by the following reasons:
- Lack of experience. He has never had any experience in the area of work that he aspires to work for.
- Bad experiences. He had frustrating experiences in former jobs where he was not allowed to learn or perform his responsibilities with ease (for example, former employer pressed him to do everything the way he expected - maybe perfect - or was most of the time criticizing his work or disavowing it for his realization).
- Absence of adaptation period. It is known that there is no process or period of training or preparation.
- Lack of security. Because of bad experiences, where you were made to feel that you did not have skills or abilities.
Be aware that in any new activity we do (for example, a sport, practicing a musical instrument, painting, talking in public, attending, selling) it will be difficult for us at the beginning, but perhaps with constant practice it can be done much more easily.
How to deal with changes at work.
Any process of habituation and per se of a withdrawal requires many times that it be something gradual, that is, that the things that were done before the new activities are changing or accommodating in a way progressive, for example, it can happen and can be dealt with in the following ways:
1. Maintain possible routines
When starting a new job (with new schedules and new responsibilities) it is advisable to continue with the practice some pleasant activities (such as a sport, going out for coffee with friends, reading, walks in the late). The important thing is that in the face of the discomfort that the new job may produce, there are always activities that allow us to balance it.
2. Learn every day
If new practices or techniques are required at work for which there is no knowledge, it is essential to train either self-taught or with the help of someone who know about the topic. In the same way, it is important to mention that all learning has a progressive nature, that is, it begins with the foundations in order to improve little by little.
3. Share concerns
Talking about the feelings experienced before the changes will help the discernment of our decisions. Although many do not have someone to whom they can express their emotions, they should also consider the times alone, where they can meditate and take care of themselves.
4. Practice relaxation techniques
To manage nervous and anxiety symptoms, it is helpful to practice relaxation techniques, such as diaphragmatic breathing wave progressive muscle relaxation.
5. Work self-esteem
Sometimes, the worries about the execution of the tasks of a job are excessive and unreal due to the lack of security in oneself or in oneself. In this case, working towards a more realistic and healthy self-image, self-concept, and self-esteem can be very beneficial. This article discusses how to improve self esteem.
If this fear is generalized to all the changes and new experiences in your life, you may be interested in reading this article about how to overcome the fear of the new.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to How to overcome the fear of changing jobs, we recommend that you enter our category of Emotions.
Bibliography
- Aguilar, M. (2002). Professional development to improve staff performance. Editorial Paidos.
