Today I started my first job, and I suffer from social anxiety. What are some ways to help me while I'm working to not be so nervous and panic? I was left alone for over an hour and thought I was going to have an attack because I was worried a guest would come in to ask for something (I haven't been trained much). Also, every time I screwed up I hated myself for it and got really embarrassed. I know many people mess up their first day, but it's hard to reassure myself. -Cas13
Hi love,
First I want to start off saying that I’m so proud of you for getting a job! Congrats :) This is a huge accomplishment! Especially since you have social anxiety, which can make your first job a lot tougher than normal. I have social anxiety as well, so I can relate a bit. Here are my tips for you on how to cope with your social anxiety and your new job:
Time and practice. This is the best way that you will overcome your social anxiety. It takes a while, but it will happen. I know that in the beginning of all my jobs, I am also anxious and beat myself up for any little mistake. But then as time goes on, I feel myself getting better and more confident. After a month at a job, I can guarantee that you will be ten times better then when you first started. You will feel more confident, and your anxiety won’t be nearly as bad! It took me about two - three jobs to realize this pattern. So now, when I get a new job, I just keep telling myself, “In a month or so it will be better” and that kind of helps me get through the initial anxiety-riddled stages.
Could you ask your boss for more training? Maybe explain to them that you don’t feel comfortable helping guests yet and you’d like a little more training. Maybe see if you could work with somebody - like a manager - for a few days to get the hang of things! Or maybe ask one of your co-workers if you can kind of shadow them for a while, or if they could help you out.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help! Write down any questions you have so that you remember to ask them later. When in doubt, ask, ask, ask! That’s one of the best skills you can ever learn in life. Even if you think its a silly question, it’s better to ask and get help then to try and do it on your own and mess up!
When you feel yourself getting anxiety riddled, take a quick ten minute break. Say you need to go to the bathroom, or take your lunch break, or what have you. Find somewhere nice and quite and try to focus on your breathing. In through your nose slowly 1-2-3-4 and out through your mouth slowly 1-2-3-4. Close your eyes and imagine your dream vacation spot, somewhere peaceful. Doing this for a while should help the anxiety melt away! Or maybe bring your ipod and listen to a relaxing / calming song for a minute or two. Whatever helps you best.
Remember, nobody is perfect. Even people that have been at their job for years make mistakes. No matter how good somebody is at something, they are going to make mistakes and mess up their first day. Hopefully that can relieve some of the pressure off your shoulders a bit!
Check out some of these websites for some more tips:
http://psychcentral.com/lib/6-ways-to-overcome-social-anxiety/
http://socialanxietydisorder.about.com/od/sadandworkschool/a/workplace.htm
http://www.helpguide.org/articles/anxiety/social-anxiety-disorder-and-social-phobia.htm
Hope this helps,
<3 Jen