Help me with my nerves for tomorrow !

[Cloud44]

Work is quite crazy at the moment, I’m in a new role and doing quite a few new things and I’m struggling with my nerves a bit. Because there is so much on and I’m feeling the pressure I seem to worry that I ll get come down with the lurgy at the worst time before an important meeting or event then low and behold the day before I start feeling not 100% and sometimes I wonder if it’s partly anxiety. After the meeting or event I often feel a bit better. Tomorrow is one of those days, really important meeting that I’ve got to travel a bit of a distance for, I’m not feeling great today and I’m freaking out a bit. I want to do well at my job and don’t want to feel unwell or anxious ahead of work things… please help me with any tips of how to feel calmer now and how to deal with it tomorrow if I wake up feeling awful?

Meditation, conscious breathing, good nutrition and lists, so you can see that it's all doable.

I just really want to feel better tomorrow than I do now! It’s frustrating I seem to often feel like it before something important. Do you think anyone else feels like this with work?!

Yes. I have just spent ten minutes in tears over a freelance job after I actually decided to resign from it
I don't know why we do it.

But I am a massive ball of nerves and it makes me ill.

Sorry to hear you are feeling like that @longingtoquit . How do you manage to recognise that any physical symptoms are a result of the worry / anxiety and not a virus? My mind starts to think what ifs a virus and I get there and start to feel worse when if I was calmer I may feel better?!

Any tips much appreciated?!

I'm very similar to you.

I find that visualising the 'event' going well helps me a lot. Keep telling yourself "it will go well, I'll really enjoy it, I'm looking forward to it" - even if you're not, you can trick yourself into it! And try to reframe the nerves as excitement instead of anxiety.

If you have to travel, make sure you give yourself loads of time, plan your journey well, and maybe plan to listen to a good podcast or playlist that will put you in a good mood. Get a good night's sleep and a decent breakfast in the morning.

We can't always feel confident, but we can do all the right things to trick ourselves into it!

Thank you @Work2live , the meeting and event tomorrow is something I would want to do but I’m just feeling rubbish and I’m worried I ll feel worse tomorrow. I don’t know if it’s anxiety driven or coming down with another virus. I guess all I can do is see how I am in the morning and try and go and if I feel really bad on the way there call and explain I’m not feeling well?

This happens to me all the time especially as I have a compromised immune system - I had an important and high profile thing earlier this week and came down with an eye infection and nasty cold over the weekend. The timing was rubbish but it's always going to be rubbish timing for something. I just dose up on medication, caffeine and sugar and get through it the best I can. People are generally really understanding!

Thank you for your reply @mynameiscalypso , did it go ok for you? Really silly question but how do you not freak out knowing you have something important to do and feel rubbish? I don’t know what it is but it makes me more anxious knowing I don’t feel well

@Cloud44 It was fine. It would have been better if I was on top form but that's life isn't it? You can only ever do your best in the situation that you're in. Sometimes you're ill, sometimes there's something in your personal life, sometimes you're just having a shitty day. We're always our own worst critics and I doubt anyone else at the meeting/event will notice if you're a bit under the weather. Given how many people I know are sick at the moment, half of them will be feeling crappy too!

As a male leader in a predominantly female workplace, building confidence and esteem is one of my main jobs. I'm sorry to say imposter syndrome grips people with 25 letters after their name as well as newcomers. My serious tips are to realise that you don't have to enjoy something to be good at it and that any who has any integrity will be anxious about doing a good job. My jokey tip, just channel your inner male privilege. Knobby McKnobhead from Sales who knows nothing doesnt get anxious does he? :) He just bantz his way to the end of his bit.

Thank you both 😀, your replies are helping me feel a bit better!

I think I put pressure on myself to feel 100% and be excellent every day which is silly because it’s just unrealistic isn’t it