To always feel a little nervous at work

[Missshafinaa]

I don't know if it's only me that experiences this.

But I always feel a tiny bit nervous at work. I never feel completely at ease and relaxed. I've always liked who I worked with. I just feel that tiny bit on edge. I can't explain it.

Is it just me?

No it's not just You!

Nope, I love my job though. I did feel like that my old job, though, which I really didn't enjoy.

Do you like your job?

I often get nervous on the way into work, even when it's been a job that I've worked at for years. And I've never held a position of responsibility so it's not like there's a chance I will get in to find I've fucked something up. I get especially nervous going back to work after time off, even if it's just a day. Usually ok once I'm there.

I love my job!

I always do to, I always feel like a fraud in the position I'm in, like how did I get here? One day someone will realise I'm actually shit at this. Despite loads of positive feedback I just don't think I'm as good as people think I am.

Yes - because I work with a lot of detail and my role involves setting things that come to fruition way later, so if I've made any mistakes they won't be immediately obvious but if they were present, they would be almost unsalvageable as the planning happened the year before (my job)... so...

Exist in a state if "is what I did last year coming back to haunt me this year." On a rolling basis

That's how I've always felt, ThereIs! Always expect to be found out.

I think there's a term for this, the Imposter Syndrome .

Wow itGoes, that literally sums up how I feel, I guess there really is a syndrome for everything!

No, not just you.

I have a manager who's mood can go from calm to raging anger in a split second. Makes it hard to relax!

Even when she isn't there I always feel a bit like we're just waiting for the next problem to happen. I work in retail so you never know if the next customer through the door is going to be nice or a nightmare.

Thank god for maternity leave!

I feel nervous because I'm worried they'll find out that actually I don't give a shit and am just going through the motions. Everyone else seems so...passionate. I just sit there and will the day to end.

I've done My job for 27 years. I'm very good at it, I'm the one who teaches new people and the one who people ask for advice. People introduce me as the 'knowledgeable one' and tell new people to come to me because I'll always sort out their problems.
And yet...every day I feel like I'm going to look up to see a security man standing there saying 'come on now, the game's up, we know you're just winging it & don't know what you're doing'.
I have mentioned this to colleagues and several said they feel the same, others just think I'm mad.

I don't feel nervous, nothing to do with the imposter syndrom but I never feel completely relax either. It's work, you always have to watch what you say and how you say it, there's always someone who will get offended.

I don't think there's many people who can be truly themselves, unless they are so amazing that no-one will dare question them.

Sometimes in meetings, when I know what everyone is talking about, know what I'm doing and I am confident in the subject, I get panicky. I sometimes spend 5-10 minutes telling myself not to have a panic attack or faint. It's ridiculous and I don't know why it happens.

It's when you are on holiday that they get you....

It's called work for a reason, right?

Apart from impostor syndrome, something that regularly comes up on staff surveys everywhere is irritation at colleagues seemingly taking the mick or being plain incompetent. I've had to work with a long parade of fuckwits in my time, and not knowing what they are going to fuck up next - for me to fix - certainly stops me feeling relaxed at work.

Also, depending on where you work, there might be a restructure every few years and you might subliminally be worried about constantly proving yourself?

Can I join the club? I have major imposter syndrome. I feel insecure just writing an email. Nothing to do with my control freak boss who wants to be cc:ed in on everything

Thanks for starting this thread - it makes me feel better seeing how many others feel the same way.

I work for myself now, but when I had a boss, every time he said 'Can I have a word?', I always assumed I was 'in trouble' and had a little panic! I still do now sometimes when I see emails from my clients, even though I work for them on my own terms!