You know how they say that public speaking is people’s worst fear? Even towering over the fear of death?
Well, the first day at a new job has to be in the top three.
Your very first job.
Most of you have probably experienced it and know how immensely stressful it can be. It’s like pulling off a month-long band-aid. We’re going to go and list the 5 things that are most confounding, fear-instilling or just plain stressful when you’re starting a new job.
New workplace
The new building, new smells, new keycard system, new receptionists, new bosses.
The third of your day is going to be spent in this new atmosphere, completely unknown to you. You’re Loud noises, doors, corridors, clicks, and clacks of shoes and high heels. It feels like you’re walking into and trying to get out of Minotaur’s maze. High on mushrooms.
Imposter syndrome
You’re going to feel that everyone around you knows more, that they’re worth more, that you should even be treading the same ground as these people.
How can you possibly contribute; heck, whatever your skills and proficiencies, you may even feel guilty that they’re going to be paying you money.
Cliques
It’s middle school all over again. You’re walking past these people standing around in groups, laughing and smoking and chatting, and feel like you’re a little fish in a very, very big pond.
How do you infiltrate the groups? Do you do it? Or do you stand on the side, waiting for them to open the gates to Moria like Gandalf did and invite you in?
You’re not sure
For the first month, you will pretty much be unsure about everything. Is it that way or this? Is that right? Do I put this much in? How would I go about that?
You’re not sure what kind of a person your supervisor is, how they react to different situations, you’re not sure whether the secretary is a trustworthy individual who will do what you asked her to do – and if not, do you take the blame? And you’re especially not sure about going home. Do you just drop everything and walk out the door at 17:00 pm?
Almost impossible to balance work and private life
You’re a week in, you’ve adapted a bit, and you no longer feel like throwing up every second of the day. Things are looking up. But you’re getting this annoying feeling that your life will never be the same, ever again. And the feeling is very dramatic. Your free time is shrinking by the minute.
You feel like you are so tired after work that you will never do anything non-work related for the rest of your life. And the conviction is pretty vehement. It’s not a transient feeling that appears and then disappears in an instant. It is more like a constant humming, an endless drone of your freedom calling out to you from behind bars.
But it’s not like that. It’s not like that at all.
The key is establishing a healthy work-play balance, and never sacrifice one for the other – no work should ever suffer because of something you want to do in your free time, and more importantly, vice versa.
You’ll be okay.