Hypnotherapy for Career Anxiety
Have you ever suffered from Career Anxiety? Have you taken on a new role and felt that you were not ready for it? I mean, how did they even give you the job in the first place?
Or, have you stopped yourself from taking the next step in your career as it was way too much of a challenge? You didn’t believe you had all the skills and experience needed.
Or, have you ever wanted to move roles, develop in your career, take that next step … But each time you thought about it, you were struck with anxiety?
You know the thoughts … ‘how will I ever be able to do that job’; ‘what will people think about me’; ‘I’ll be found out’?
What can cause Career Anxiety?
It’s totally normal to have doubts or to second-guess yourself occasionally.
But, lack of confidence and anxiety can stop people from progressing in their career or from reaching their full potential.
Some situations can trigger it. For example:
taking up a new role before you feel ready for it.
joining a new organisation where you feel a little more self-conscious, being the new person.
when you are praised or given a compliment you don’t feel you deserve.
Career Anxiety can also be the result of Imposter Syndrome, identified by psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes in the 1970s, and a topic requiring it’s own section.
I’m guessing that you’ve heard of it, the term has become very popular. After all, it explains everything! Doesn’t it?
What is Imposter Syndrome and how does it affect people?
Imposter syndrome refers to the feeling of being uncomfortable with your own success. It’s based on anxiety rather than objective facts. It’s a complex issue where the sufferer feels like a fraud; a fake; a phony. If you suffer from it, you feel you don’t deserve your accomplishments. You believe your success is due to luck, and not due to your talent, qualifications, or hard work.
The Harvard Business Review once described it as a “collection of feelings of inadequacy” - Insecurities that stay with a person no matter how much success they enjoy.
Symptoms have been identified as:
Anxiety
Self-doubt
Extreme lack of confidence
Constantly comparing self to others
Failure to trust your intuition
Negative self-talk
Feeling inadequate
Sabotaging your own success
Setting unrealistic goals and feeling like a failure when they can’t be achieved.
How does Career Anxiety translate to your work and career?
You may be someone who uses these traits to motivate yourself to achieve, but at what cost if you have constant anxiety?
For example, even when you do something well, it doesn’t change what you think or believe.
You don’t apply for jobs or take opportunities unless you are ‘absolutely certain’ you meet every single requirement.
And, because you don’t tell people how you’re feeling, your anxiety can grow and can even lead to depression.
What help is available to you?
Telling someone you have career anxiety is the first step. Speak to someone you trust: a confidant, friend, or a professional.
Engage professional help. Over the years, people have tried various methods and techniques to combat Imposter Syndrome, including group therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), self-esteem building and reframing - and each of these systems has something to offer.
Having recently learned Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy, I’ve experienced what an amazing tool it can be to help clients overcome negative behaviours, emotions, habits and fears - some of the things which stop people from taking that next step in their career.
Working with a coach can help to give you the tools and insight you need to regain your confidence and recognise your achievements for what they really are.
Conclusion and key takeaways
To recap, it’s totally normal to have career anxiety, to have doubts, to occasionally second-guess yourself. This is especially so when moving jobs or changing organisations.
There is a lot of support available to you – but you need to take that step to open up and talk about it. Take the chance!