New Job, New Scaries

(mouse clicks) (gentle music) Headspace Studios. Hello world, welcome back to "Sunday Scaries," it's Dora here. I don't know about you, but I've had so many jobs. I've worked at Subway as a sandwich artist, I was a psychiatric nurse, and a hostess at a nightclub, to name a few. All of them were kind of chaotic, but the job that stressed me out the most was working IT for a cash advance company. Now, I had worked in IT before at my university, answering phone calls, submitting tickets, and resetting passwords, so I thought that this gig would be kinda the same thing but I would soon find out I was mistaken. The night before I started the job I can remember being so nervous. A lot of it was due to imposter syndrome, thinking that I had somehow talked my way into a job I didn't deserve, that I wasn't skilled enough or experienced enough. Like I said, I had worked IT before but this job was way bigger, and I was unsure if I would be able to handle the responsibility. I honestly was surprised they even hired me. I know I was lacking a lot of confidence and I was really nervous about my coworkers because I was different from them. I would be working with men who had dedicated their careers to working in IT. I couldn't relate to them. The environment wasn't anything like I had ever experienced up to that point. and it was intimidating. Needless to say, there were a lot of emotions I needed to navigate before setting foot in the office on Monday. I was grateful, afraid, excited, and nervous, a whole mixed bag, and this was also before I had started meditating regularly, so I definitely didn't do anything helpful the night before starting. But if I could give my former self some advice, I would tell her that in situations like these, where you're beginning a new job, unsure of everything, and insecure about yourself, these feelings are completely valid. I'd invite her to see the experience for what it is and look beyond the stories the mind can create when we set out to do something new. So maybe this is what you're needing to remind yourself as well. A new job or a new adventure you're embarking on also comes with a plethora of emotions. There's the excitement, nervousness, uncertainty, and even fear of what's to come. Now, add this in with the anxiety that also exists with the Sunday Scaries and our experiences are heightened. In these moments, finding a sense of groundedness the night before, or even a few minutes before we clock in, can help us ease those feelings and thoughts and connect us to a sense of perspective and even appreciation for where we are, whether entering something new or something familiar. Even though I had no intent of staying at my IT job, I can look back today with a sense of...