By: Megan Jones

People may experience anxiety during times of change. From starting a new position, getting a promotion, or changing companies, there may be looming anxiety. Having a sense of fear or anxiety may be “normal” for some of us. It can be uncomfortable but the feeling will dissipate. If you need help, here are tips on how to overcome your career anxiety.

What is Career Anxiety and Why Does it Happen?

Career Anxiety is a state of nervousness, stress, or uncertainty at challenging points in your career. You can experience it at different points throughout your career and at different levels of severity. It can feel debilitating and all consuming. Many of us may experience this anxiety when there is a sudden change. For myself personally, it is the fear of the unknown and leaving the security of the known can induce anxiety. If and whenever it happens, take a moment to take a deep breath and let’s go over some simple techniques to rid yourself of any career anxiety you are may be experiencing.

How to Overcome Career Anxiety

Take a Moment and Reflect

In a moment of anxiety, take a moment to listen to your body. Take a deep breath and focus on why you are having this feeling. Try and find your root cause. The best way I do this, is I go to my desk put my headphones on and take a deep breath and have a moment to myself.

Write About It

After I have had a moment to catch my breath, I write down the root causes of my anxiety. Common questions to ask yourself may be: What is causing this anxiety? Why is it causing me distress? What in this situation can I control? What is out of my control? Why is it out of my control? How can I utilize my resources to resolve this problem? You may not have solutions, but writing it down can help you see where your anxiety is hiding and why it is present.

Remember, there will always be things unknown, uncertain, and out of your control. Try your best to not let the fear of things out of your control consume your mind. Everything will work out with time. Focus on what you can control and work from there.

Build the Bridge

After you have written the cause of your anxiety down you can work on problem solving. Is there anything you can do? Usually there is at least one thing within the situation you can control. Start there. Once you see that there are certain things within your control and there are ways you can begin to problem solve, your anxiety may begin to feel much more manageable.

Talk to Someone

You can always reach out to someone you trust to talk the situation through. Whether it is a colleague, manager, or friend, talking to someone can help you work through the situation. Additionally, having someone you trust can help ease your anxiety because you may feel safer.

Anxiety can be difficult to navigate, we hope these tips help you overcome any career anxiety. Above all, remember this will pass and you can overcome and conquer it!