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How am I ever going to work..

MtxContributor04 Apr 2017, 1:22 pm AEST

How am I ever going to work..

Been struggling with social anxiety and depression for over two years now and ever since I have really struggled finding a job that is right for me. I've quit 2 jobs, been fired from one for having too much time off because of my mental health, basically I've always found something that wasn't right and made it difficult for me to stick it out. I just got a job yesterday today was my first day, it is now my lunch break and I've left and am on the way home. The people were okay, but the work was overwhelming I did not understand a thing about what I was being taught, the clients were migrants with difficult names/accents which made it even harder for me to answer the phone calls. I basically would go blank and freak out putting them on hold multiple times. At this point in my life I really don't know where I belong or what I am going to do. Everything I have ever tried to study I have not enjoyed and every job I've tried has been a failure. All because I struggle to speak to people and come across as a complete idiot a majority of the time. I'm only 22 but I feel like I'll never find anything I don't know what I'm going to do anymore to be honest I really just don't want to be alive doing this anymore.

3 replies

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In response to: How am I ever going to work..

TheVorticonSenior Contributor04 Apr 2017, 9:02 pm AEST

Re: How am I ever going to work..

Hi @Mtx,

Sorry to hear about how much trouble you've had with working, and that your new job was really stressful today. Did you manage to do anything to unwind and chill out a bit once you got home? The first day on a job is often confusing and difficult where it can feel like being thrown in the deep end, so well done on getting through half a day. 🙂 It might feel like a failure, but failures are part of being human and can be useful learning experiences too. Glass half full - you got through half a day which is way better than not showing up at all, or not even applying for the job. Try to allow yourself a bit of congratulations for what you DID accomplish.

At 22 you've got plenty of time to still find something that might fit better to your interests and skills, and to develop more strategies for dealing with some of that overwhelming social stuff. When I was younger I thought that having to work would literally be the end of me for that very reason, but I've since managed to find a job that's a pretty good fit for me.

Are you seeing a counsellor at the moment for treatment of the social anxiety and depression? Are you studying anything at the moment? What kind of skills do you have and if the social stuff wasn't an issue, what would you see yourself doing?

In response to: How am I ever going to work..

utopiaSenior Contributor05 Apr 2017, 2:32 am AEST

Re: How am I ever going to work..

@Mtx. I'm sorry you are finding it hard to find the right job at the moment.
I'm also looking but have only landed a temp job & I didn't stay for the whole assignment. Was too stressful.
Have you thought about a job where you don't have to talk to clients over the phone or face to face? That might be easier for you.

In response to: How am I ever going to work..

Unknown userMember05 Apr 2017, 11:13 am AEST

Re: How am I ever going to work..

Hello there @Mtx,

Good work on getting this job, it sounds quite full on, when I was your age I worked in a juicebar and thought that was hard so well done on doing such a helpful and full on job.

It sounds like you are having a difficult time trying to find something that works for you, if it makes you feel any better I didn't chose to study until I was 24, and even then I wasn't sure I pretty much just forced myself to commit so I would earn some money in the long run because I didn't want to do retail/hospo forever. And then over time I LOVED my study, it really opened my eyes but that wasn't for atleast 3 years at uni.

It seems like you are also putting a lot of pressure on yourself to be perfect and have everything on track, is that something you tend to find yourself doing? The first day of a new job is completely overwhelming and it's normal to feel like you don't know what you are doing, because you don't, that would be impossible, you need to learn first.

Be kind to yourself this week as you will feel tired and exhausted. Let us know how it's going 🙂

Lunar

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