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Original poster

To ask; does anyone else have anxiety going into work for no reason

51 replies

Mammylamb · 15/02/2017 07:57

For the past few days I have felt sick with anxiety going into work and at work. There is no logical reason for it; I'm not overworked or have anyone bullying me. But I feel completely panicky and can't concentrate on anything.

OP posts:
RebelSoldier · 15/02/2017 08:00

I want to stay at home under a duvet today. I hate work.

Anyway. Keeping this bumped for you so someone replies with better and more helpful response.

nannynick · 15/02/2017 08:03

Yep, not sure why either, though I have always been a bit of a worrier. I do wonder if I need to reduce hours a bit. When I did around 38 hours instead of 55 I do now I feel the work-life balance was better.

needanothercat · 15/02/2017 08:05

I do sometimes mammy and it's usually something else going on in my life and work is just another situation where I find I can't deal with the "people" side to work with all that's going on. Could this be the same? Everything else ok for you?

lionsleepstonight · 15/02/2017 08:05

I used to, until I changed careers. I hadn't realised that it wasn't normal to have that 'Sunday night feeling' every day.
In my new line of work I've never been anxious about going to work. Is there something else you'd rather do?

AristotlesTrousers · 15/02/2017 08:06

Could it be a throwback to a time in your life when you might have been anxious going to school/college/work/someplace and something like the time of year or some other subtle memory is triggering it? I don't know if that makes sense, but even when I've loved certain jobs, I always have slight anxieties going on in the background in the mornings that are triggered from things that happened long ago.

HermioneJeanGranger · 15/02/2017 08:14

I did at my old job, which I hated.

Now I'm doing something I enjoy, I've never once dreaded going to work.

Strummerville · 15/02/2017 08:25

Yep. For me its because I know I'm going to have to be "on" - appear normal, talk like a normal person and so on. Which I find pretty mentally exhausting and in which I have varying degrees of success. I'm only really comfortable when I am at home with my DP and kids or alone.

I manage it by reminding myself that it's only X number of hours and then I have my whole evening to myself; by telling myself it's OK if I am not quite like everyone else, because I'm basically a nice, good person; by remembering to do things like smile and say good morning and ask people how they are and show interest in their lives. These are things I've had to remember to do all my life and they do work.

AnyFucker · 15/02/2017 08:27

Yep. Every day. The daft thing is, I love my job and am good at it

But every morning, I am on the toilet with a nervous tummy (TMI) and the first feeling I have is butterflies for the day ahead

Don't ask me why. Once I set off I am fine.

FindoGask · 15/02/2017 08:38

I get this too from time to time, although much less so since I've been on antidepressants (NB I am NOT advocating those as a solution!) for me it's just one of those things. More likely to happen when I've got more people-facing duties on a particular day - my comfort zone is lurking behind my monitor working on some spreadsheets.

esiotrot2015 · 15/02/2017 08:41

Yes I'm the same and it manifests like anyfucker on the loo but doesn't seem to go when I'm at work so when I'm sitting next to a colleague all day she often asks why my stomach is making odd noises

I've no idea what's wrong with me Blush
I'm tempted to go on an elimination diet because my stomach is driving me crazy
I know it's stress related because it rarely happens at home

AnyFucker · 15/02/2017 08:49

Yep. On holiday and at the weekend my bowels are fine.

fuzzyduck1 · 15/02/2017 08:50

I did before Christmas ended up with month off work with the mother of all headaches ended up having a month off work. Half way through this was told my job was being tupe'd to a contractor now they are trying to get show of us through the back door.
Trust your instincts you never know what there planning.

ChocoChou · 15/02/2017 09:00

I used to. I also suffered from a vertigo like dizziness when I turned my head and couldn't stand without swaying but I CONVINCED myself it was nothing to do with work... I didn't feel stressed or overworked but looking back I was definitely stressed and overworked. I was just trying to 'do it all' and wouldn't admit it was too much.

AnyFucker · 15/02/2017 10:07

Bloody hell, choco

You have just given me a light bulb moment re. the vertigo feeling

Dunkling · 15/02/2017 10:17

Yes totally. Some mornings I end up asking my husband for a hug, and he knows it is "just because" and that is because of anxiety before setting off, but no reason.

I had last week off sick, and at the start of this week was really not well enough to be going back, it is a very physical job, but I could already feel the anxiety levels getting higher and higher and knew the longer I was off the harder going back would be.

And yet..... no reason work wise. I am aware I have separation anxiety and hate being separated from my house, husband and kids. BUT I also love the laughs and camaraderie I get at work. Yet still it persists! I ache for being able to retire!

MackerelOfFact · 15/02/2017 10:38

I do. I wake up in the night and panic about it. I actually really love my job, but I've had some bad experiences in jobs in the past (horrible bosses, impossible workloads and deadlines, lack of support or respect) and whenever things get a tiny bit difficult in my current job, I get the same feelings of anxiety and panic I had in the previous jobs, even though in reality the situation is nowhere near as bad.

I also hate taking time off because it adds to my stress. Again, in reality I can miss a few days and not fall behind, but I'm always worried I will come back to a complete disaster scene with a million urgent things to do, and I can't relax while I'm off. Again, hangovers from previous jobs.

MackerelOfFact · 15/02/2017 10:39

Actually, the only time I really relax is over Christmas and Bank Holidays, knowing that the office is closed and nothing will be going urgently wrong in my absence.

PinkCrystal · 15/02/2017 10:52

I am the same as strummerville. It's the having to try appear normal and interact all day. Exhausting!

ChocoChou · 15/02/2017 10:52

Not pleasant is it AnyFucker Flowers. Sometimes somethings gotta give!

user1485342611 · 15/02/2017 11:27

Yes, I'm feeling like that a lot lately. While no one's bullying me or anything like that, I just don't 'click' with my new managers the way I did with my old ones. I don't 100% trust them and I think that has lead to a general feeling of anxiety about work.

TBH if I could leave in the morning I would. I write and am involved with theatre outside of work, and would love to spend more time on that. But there's a mortgage to be paid.....

FairyDogMother11 · 15/02/2017 11:40

Yes I do! I work in customer service (low level management) and I actually do like my job, mostly anyway. But I hate going into work, it makes me very anxious to the point I feel sick. If I'm on an evening shift I spend the whole day panicking about what's going to happen. I get left on my own a lot as I'm capable and this just exacerbates it as I worry that's going to happen. I have a health issue that they don't take seriously - I'm not really meant to be left alone in case something happens, so I think that's the root cause if I'm honest.

VilootShesCute · 16/02/2017 16:31

Thought it was only me who felt like this. Nice to know I'm not alone but sorry there are others who get like it

Ponks · 16/02/2017 16:39

Me too Sad including the stress-related stomach problems, it was only reading esiotrot's post that gave me the lightbulb moment that my stomach is fine at home but at work it is dreadful.

ElectricMelon · 16/02/2017 16:41

Yes every day. Every night I feel sick and I dread it.

I have had panic attacks on the way to work because I get myself so worked up!

Some days I really struggle to get up and I have to force myself to get dressed and go to work. If I stayed home I would still worry so I tell myself I may as well just get it over with.

trixymalixy · 16/02/2017 16:43

chocochou do you grind your teeth? I had a similar dizziness and it was due to grinding my teeth with stress. I wear a splint from the dentist at night and haven't had it since.

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