How do i cope with other people, especially at work when i am a loner?

[malificent7]

I have found other people hard for a good long while. I especially find workplace politics hard. Some people just make me nervoiui s and ive never been able to progress.

My ideal job would be working on something crafty at home with minimal contact with others.

I know that this is not healthy really and i need to finish my hospital placement ( im a student) but how do i cope for the next 20 years at work?

Nervous..

What are you going to qualify as when you finish your studies?

You don't need to take on the next twenty years right now, you only have to deal with the present. I can't predict the future either, but I think it's highly likely that even in a few years you could have different coping strategies that mean you feel differently.

I found CBT helpful for making my workplace anxiety manageable. I used to get into an absolute state at just the prospect of interacting with certain people, but now it's manageable.

Plus having better coping strategies for after my working day ended so going home to do something alone for a while to decompress felt like a positive step to care for myself and take control rather than that panicked "I need to run away from everyone" feeling. So for you that might mean having a crafty session planned for after a shift, giving you something to look forward to and a nice thing to do for yourself?

You can self refer for CBT usually, or there are books or online resources to guide you through it (CCI resources are good). It can sound a bit crap when you start it, but if you keep plugging away consistently you'll start to notice the difference - and once you do it's easier to keep going.

You don't have to be like everyone else or become a chatty extroverted person, you just need to feel able to accept and take care of yourself whilst developing strategies to cope with situations you find challenging. Step 1 is to stop beating yourself up for struggling!