Feeling anxious about work for the first time

Reckless

Hey all.

So I'm working full time this summer, for the first time in my life. I've got two problems.

1) I feel like lately all I can think about is work. It's not a terrible job, but every work night when I'm trying to relax all I can think about is what kind of things I'm gonna have to get done the next day at the job.

2) I missed fri-sunday this weekend, our busiest times, because I was sick. My boss called me up yesterday asking if I was better and if I could come in tomorrow, and I told her I needed one more day and I'd be in Tuesday morning. (My usual schedule is Wed-Sun). I feel guilty about this, and I'm actually a little afraid of the lasing I might get about missing so much work when I go in tomorrow morning.

I guess I'm just stressed about the job, is all. How can I relax a bit for the 2 more months before I move back to campus?

CoJoeTheLawyer

Well, I think the first thing everyone needs to know is what it is you actually are doing over the summer...Are you a waiter? Landscape technician? Porn star stunt double? Baby seal strangler?

Trust me, it makes a difference...

noobert

I know how you feel man. When I first started working this sales gig, it was the ONLY thing on my mind. Do you feel confident with every aspect of your responsibility's while on the job? If not, things are going to weigh on your mind a lot more.

Like CoJoeTheLawyer said, it does depend on what you do. Some jobs not being there doesn't really matter at all, or it is very easy for the rest of the team to pick up your slack. Some jobs 1 missing staff members means they are screwed.

Reckless

I work grounds crew at a skydiving joint. During the week, I do basic groundskeeping and landscaping duties (mowing the landing areas for the jumpers takes a good day and a half) and do general BS work like painting that needs to get done. During the weekends, I help start & fuel the aircraft as well as get the harnesses on the tandems.

My absence doesn't completely destroy the operation, but my being there makes everything go a whole lot smoother, and I'm sure I'll have a crap-ton of work to get done this week to make up for my days off.

Scrublet

Welcome to life.

You get sick. It happens. Make sure you kick ass when you're back, and don't skip again unless you're sick sick. You'll probably get desensitized to the work and stop thinking about it in the evening.

witch_ie

One thing that might help you out is to make a check list of the things you need to do the next day at work. It shouldn't take more than 15 minutes and then you can spend the rest of your time not thinking about it because you've already written it down.

Also, if you're sick, you're sick. Things might be a little harder with you out, but if you were there and not performing well, it could make things worse. If you were contagious, you just prevented others at your work from getting sick and also having to take days off.

Cauld

I find if you dedicate a few minutes right after work to think about things it helps avoid it throughout the rest of the evening. I used to always think about work all the time, and then I got a job that took me about 30 minutes to drive to. Every day when I drove home I'd go through all my thoughts about the day while listening to the radio and I noticed that it stopped bothering me.

Dissociater

Well, if you've been working there for a long time, and previous summers, I might suggest it's time to think about changing jobs. You don't want to be in a job where you feel like you're taking it home with you (mentally). But if you've just started there I would suspect that it's just new-job blues, and you'll get over it in a bit.

I remember one summer job I had several years ago was working at a tile store, and I remember after the first few days of working there I couldn't sleep because I kept dreaming that I was sleeping on a bed of tiles, and that it was uncomfortable, and I kept waking up. After a few weeks I was fine.

pinenut_canary

When I had a graveyard shift for stocking, it would be pretty stressful sometimes because we were always a skeleton crew. Sometimes I had to work my aisles and then 2-3 more aisles. I got chewed out a lot and got dirty looks sometimes, and sometimes I was the one to give dirty looks because someone lagged behind.

I couldn't sleep at all, which really hurt me because I wasn't used to sleeping during the day and working at night. A lot of people who worked there for a long time would go outside to take their breaks, and I would normally stay inside. I didn't smoke at that time, but someone offered me a cigarette so I accepted and went outside with him and a few other people. Even though it was freezing and I stayed out there for 30 minutes, I got to see the sun come up.

That's when I realized that these dudes handled there lives so well because they actually got away from work during their breaks and were able to think about their lives and what not. So during my breaks, I actually took a break and relaxed. Some of these guys were working there for 10 years, and though it's not a bad job (one guy was making 26 dollars an hour for stocking merchandise for shit's sake), I couldn't imagine being stuck in that place for that long.

Double_Faces

I've been waiting tables for the past four and a half years, and I love the work because my pay is dependent strictly upon my work. Someone who half asses things isn't going to make the same money I do for the same job. I like that.

However, I get so wrapped up in my customers having a good time that I begin to have nightmares (several times a week) where I don't give good service. It made it really hard to sleep.

So I took up yoga, and it helps a little bit....