Over the past few years, the U.S. job market has gone bonkers. Just last year, about 4 million Americans changed jobs each month! Maybe you’re one of those people who started a new job recently—or you’re thinking about taking the leap and making a career change. No matter if you found a new role on purpose or embraced the next opportunity after an unexpected layoff, it’s normal to feel anxious about your new job, your new colleagues, your new home—all of it. I call this new job anxiety. If you want to learn effective ways to deal with new job anxiety, keep reading.
Defining New Job Anxiety
New job anxiety is simply your body trying to get your attention about the uncertainty, vulnerability and plain old fear about a new job, new people and new environments. It can feel like worry or dread, or it can feel like a racing heart, racing thoughts or racing speech. It’s important to note that it isn’t an official medical diagnosis—but anxiety is. And anxiety can be triggered by starting a new job. That’s why it’s called new job anxiety.
Whenever you’re heading into the unknown—like a new job—the anxiety you feel is simply your body’s way of keeping you safe and on guard. So, when you think about all that comes with getting a new job—meeting and working with people you don’t know, learning the ropes of a new position, and maybe even moving to an entirely different place for work—it’s normal and completely understandable for you to feel anxiety.
Symptoms of Anxiety
Anxiety after getting a new job is to be expected. Any feelings of nervousness and anticipation in a new job—symptoms of anxiety—can show up in physical, psychological and behavioral ways. What are some of the symptoms of new job anxiety? Signs to look out for include:
- Imposter syndrome
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Stomachaches
- Racing heart
- Sweaty palms
- Ringing ears
- Feeling hot or clammy
- Tight chest
Maybe you’ve experienced several of these symptoms before or after starting a new job. Again—these symptoms and sensations are normal responses to a new and uncertain situation. And if you’re wondering how long new job anxiety should last, I have good news and bad news. The good news is, there’s no timeline for simply “getting over” the anxiety of working at a new place—it might not last very long. The bad news is, there’s no timeline, so it could also last longer than you expected. For one person, it might last just the first day or week on the job. For someone else, it could take a few months for the new job jitters to ease up enough for them to feel comfortable with their responsibilities and new team (especially if they’re leaving a traumatic job situation, like a hostile work environment).
Read More: https://www.ramseysolutions.com/personal-growth/new-job-anxiety