Constant anxiety -career change?

LegacyUser

I'm in a job that I used to (and sometimes still do) enjoy very much. The thing is, I just feel the cons are now outweighing the pros.

The worst is the anxiety. I can't ever seem to switch off. There's always something to be done and no matter what else I'm doing in my time off, there's a niggling anxiety that I have to do x and y before Monday. Sometimes I feel chest palpitations, I can't stop thinking about work or something upsetting that happened. I often feel on the verge of tears and I dread going to work. I feel like I'm always chasing my tail and there's no time to stop and take stock of things.

There's also constant guilt that I'm not doing a good enough job when I am there. There can be a lot of negativity and even some hostility which doesn't exactly help my mood. I've been to the doctor and see a councillor to help with the anxiety.

I'm in my late 20s and the thought of starting a new career or going back to college is daunting. I really dont want to go back to college but accept i may have to. Firstly, I've no clear goal in mind. I don't know what else I really want to do. It would (if all possible) involve not working with the public.

Sometimes I think I might like to work with animals or be a carer for older people. I don't care what it is, it used to be important for me to feel I was doing something "worthwhile" but now I really don't care anymore. It could be mind nmbingly dull, back-breaking physical work, once I didnt have to go through this mental torture all the time. I wouldn't mind once I could have a living wage and I could have evenings and weekends to myself without this constant anxiety.

I also live with my partner in rented accommodation. We want to save for a mortgage and I feel a sense of responsibility to him. I feel it wouldn't be fair for me to give up my career to work a minimum wage job or go back to college.

I just don't know what to do... Thanks for reading, sorry for the essay.

Airyfairy12

You could do a special needs training course, you'd get a job in a school, either special needs or a mainstream school with a one year fetac level 5 course, youd only work until 3 everyday, have your weekends and holidays free and once youre made permanent by the school you get your full wages paid all through the summer and other holidays. You'd have no work to do outside of school hours either. Could be worth looking into.

Yellow pack crisps

Even menial jobs have stress and worries attached to them. Would changing jobs just not be masking a problem? Do you bottle everything up and it's killing you? Have you talked to you SO and what does he think? It's one thing to be unhappy in a job but another thing to just give up and not try and work out better ways to deal with the challenges associated with it. Dealing with the public can be very taxing but to keep it sane one must come up with a strategy that neutralises the stress of it. Try leaving work at work and your own time is your time. Do you do excersise? As that's a really good way of getting rid of stress and anxiety and having a clear head. Life will always throw problems at us and we can't just change situations to deal with those problems all the time. It's a job and it doesn't need to make you completely miserable and anxious ridden.

rainbowtrout

Are there other solutions rather than just jacking it in and retraining in another field?

Is it the workplace you are in, or the work that you do? Could you apply for a similar job in a different company? Could you apply for jobs in a similar field, that would use your qualifications, but have a different role?