By Jessie Davies, Content Team contributor
Starting something new, whether it’s starting a new job or moving to uni, can be an exciting yet daunting time. Even positive change can create feelings of anxiety which can often feel overwhelming. However, these feelings are likely more common than you would expect and there are a range of ways to manage and calm down these thoughts.
Why does starting something new make us feel anxious?
Often these feelings of anxiety stem from a fear of uncertainty and the unknown. Starting something new is often a change from what we know and disrupts the comfort that we are used to. This can lead to a multitude of worrying thoughts, such as ‘What if I fail?’ Or ‘What if I make a mistake?’ Biologically, these thoughts and feelings stem from the brain’s tendency to overestimate danger, seeing unknown situations as more stressful due to the limited knowledge we have about the situation. Overestimating danger or harm in a situation based on an evolutionary perspective is seen as safer than underestimating it. These thinking patterns are still present in modern humans, explaining why a new situation can cause feelings of anxiety and unease.
How can I approach these feelings?
Feelings of stress and anxiety surrounding new situations can often feel intense, interfering with everyday life. In the midst of these feelings, your instinct may be to avoid them, turning down the new job or choosing not to move away. These decisions may provide short-term relief, but in the long term this can lead to further avoidance in the future. Psychologists refer to this as negative reinforcement. Our brains learn to associate avoiding a situation with decreased feelings of anxiety, reinforcing avoidance behaviour as it resolves feelings of anxiety and worry. This makes us more likely to choose to avoid situations that make us feel anxious, making it harder to step out of our comfort zone and start something new.
Although new situations may seem daunting at first, we often adapt and as uncertainty decreases so does anxiety. This is referred to as habituation, as we get used to a situation, anxiety surrounding it decreases as we no longer view the situation as unknown. This means that the anxious thoughts and feelings we experience in a new situation are often only temporary.
Tips to cope with feelings of anxiety
These are some quick and easy tips that might help ease feelings of anxiety when starting something new.
- Breathing exercises – When you feel overwhelmed, taking a few deep breaths can be helpful. Slow breathing helps us to focus on the present, calming the nervous system. One technique is our breathing exercise: breathe in for four seconds, and breathe out for four seconds. Repeat this several times until you feel calmer.
- Journalling – Often writing down how we feel can help to reduce our mental load. This could be structured, giving yourself several prompts or just writing exactly how you feel. When we write down our thoughts, they become externalised. This can help to make them feel more manageable.
- Talking to friends and family – Speaking to others about your anxious thoughts and feelings can be useful. Others may be able to offer advice or guidance from times when they’ve started something new. Even just reassurance from someone else that your feelings are normal and valid can make changes feel less daunting.
Feeling anxious about starting something new is a very normal reaction and often these feelings decrease as we adapt and become used to a new environment. Stepping outside of our comfort zone can often lead to new and exciting opportunities, even if at first we may feel anxious and overwhelmed.
