I had to quit my last job due to the extreme amounts of anxiety and stress it caused. I attributed the anxiety to the center of my job which was dealing with people. I have since found new employment which deals very little with people (only the ones that I happen to pass in the hallways) and even then there is no conversation, I pretty much just have to look at them for the brief second it takes for us to pass. With that being said, there is still a trigger that is causing me to get anxious and panicky thus missing more work. I have been at this new job for about a month and don't think I've successfully completed a full work week.

Can anyone offer any insight as to what might be the problem or can anyone relate to this?

Thanks in advance!

[Little Lulu]

I can relate because I quit a job many years ago due to anxiety I didn't understand how to manage. Dealing with work and all it entails is frequently an issue for people who are anxious.

You don't say what the 'trigger' is that is causing the anxiety in your new job or if you even know what it is. Do you think it might have something to do with self-esteem and/or self-confidence? I say this because that was my issue - I had just come out of grad school and hired into a new position that I felt totally unprepared for. I was terrified my incompetence would be 'found out'. Of course, none of my thinking was true ... I was actually performing very well for the level of knowledge I had but I couldn't convince my brain of that at the time!

Fast forward 14 years. I went back to work and with help (counseling, support group) I eventually settled in.

Thanks Lulu. I'm actually not sure what the trigger is. I thought I had it with the rude and aggressive people I used to deal with it, but that's apparently not the only one and I can't quite pinpoint what else might be causing this. I am seeing a therapist and hopefully with more time that will uncover what's really going on.

Thanks for your insight!

[CosmicRose]

Wow what job do you have? It sounds perfect to me. I still haven't found a job that doesn't totally freak me out because of my anxiety in dealing with other people, whether its clients or coworkers. Maybe you could try getting up extra early like two hours before your job starts and spending more time before going into work, by yourself, to do the things you want to do. I heard this helps. Someone once said they get up at 5 AM and have the next three hours to do whatever they want around the house and that helps them before going into work.

I work in a warehouse, picking orders. I feel like getting up early makes me more anxious because I have more time to sit with me, myself and I and I'm my own worst enemy...I'm just trying to give myself more time to just deal with it until I can pursue what I really want, like medical coding or perhaps starting school again.

Got fired from the job, oh well, hopefully this means something better is around the immediate corner...

Update: I just scheduled an interview for this Friday - fingers crossed

[Mikeyboy]

Sorry you got fired. But yeah, now that opens the door for a better opportunity elsewhere! Good luck on your interview.