I feel anxious at my new job and want to quit

Should I ask my employer to reduce my schedule time even after 1 week inside the company?I just started a 42h job and I already feel anxious and like I should quit. I don't know if is too soon to throw in the towel and ask for 24h instead. I feel bad
Asked by Ali
Answered
11/09/2022

Hi! Thank you for reaching out for help! I know that it can be challenging to navigate anxiety in the workplace. Sometimes there are added pressures from co-workers, employers and sometimes even family to live up to certain expectations at work. There are a few things that I would consider when exploring anxiety at work. Anxiety often times is acting as an alarm system in our body. Anxiety is not always a bad thing. It often is highlighting something that we need to be more mindful of, or something we might need to explore within ourselves. So I would begin by asking yourself if there is something this anxiety might be highlighting? Is there something specific at work that feels overwhelming? Are the people you work with contributing? Would communicating with your boss or coworkers more effectively help the anxiety decrease? 

Something else I would explore would be what does your self care look like outside of work? For many people, self care is simply making sure they are spending enough alone time with themselves doing something they think helps them relax. I like to explain to my clients that self care is something so much bigger and better than simply relaxing. Self care should help you grow your capacity to handle stress. Self care is the thing or the things we do that help our emotions come back into alignment. Self care helps us take the weight of stress and anxiety and put it down and/or help us eliminate it completely. Stress and anxiety are unavoidable in life, but when we have an intentional plan in place to help us manage our stress and anxiety, it becomes something that should ultimately make us stronger. I would encourage you to find and establish a good self care plan to hopefully help the stress and anxiety you are experiencing at work feel more manageable. 

Lastly I would encourage you to find a therapist that might be able to help you explore more specific details of your anxiety at work. I am not sure if a therapist would tell you if you should or should not quit your job, but I would imagine that they will help you figure out where this stress and anxiety is stemming from and help you consider all of your options. 

I hope you found this helpful and will take some time to explore what your anxiety might be highlighting and what type of self care you might be able to implement into your daily routine.

Best wishes!

(MSW, LCSW)