Anxiety about Losing Job
Worrying about your job security can creep in quietly. Or it can strike all at once–One day, it feels stable. The next day, the news tell you about widespread layoffs in your industry, in both big and small name companies. Soon you start reading between the lines of emails. You watch notice your leaders or boss being more tense and maybe you experience that stress as well, as various workloads and tasks arrive. Whether your job is based in a Fortune 500 company, a start-up, or anywhere in-between, feeling anxiety about losing your job is not dramatic or overreacting. Anxiety about losing your job is a natural response to uncertainty. For many of us, work is tied to security, to routine, and to identity. When work feels shaky, the feeling is hard to ignore. And when this anxiety sets in, your sleep, focus, mood, emotions, reactions to others, and confidence can all be affected–even if nothing has happened yet.
Anxiety about losing a job does not start out of the blue. We work in places where change is always there. Restructuring, budget cuts, new leadership, and changing priorities all make one feel that nothing’s certain. The unstable situation within the industry, or in the general job market, can only worsen your anxiety. Rising living costs and fewer safety nets make job security feel fragile. Even top workers feel burnt out and uneasy when the expectations are unclear or when communication is limited. This kind of worry is not a sign that something’s wrong with you. This worry is a response to the uncertainty and the pressure that have become normal in many workplaces.
It is important to say this out loud: anxiety about losing your job makes sense. The work you have supports the life you lead in multiple ways. The rent, the mortgage, the bills, the family responsibilities, the future plans, all of those things are only possible because of your work. Moreover, the work you have also gives you the structure, the purpose, and the sense of belonging. When the work you have feels threatened, the anxiety can bring feelings of fear and shame.
For many people, losing employment can be devastating, not just financially but emotionally as well. It can be hard to put into words, hard to accept other people’s advice to cope and rebuild. These emotional reactions are common and valid, and can help when everything feels overwhelming. Only when we notice the weight of the anxiety can we deal with it in a calm way.
Tips to Lower My Anxiety
Here are some actionable tips to lower your anxiety.
1 Separate What You Know From What You Fear
Anxiety often grows in the gap between facts and assumptions. Sometimes, when you don’t know something, your mind fills in the worst-case scenario. You start catastrophizing and spiraling. So, a helpful step to manage your anxiety is to slow down and ask: what do I actually know?
Make a simple mental distinction:
- Do I know what is confirmed? These are the company announcements, the direct feedback, and the structural changes.
- What is it that I assumed? Noticing tone shifts, lack of meetings, and silence on the other side.
This kind of approach does not mean ignoring risks. Instead, it’s based around staying in reality without letting fear control everything.
2 Focus on What You Can Control
Job security is not always in our hands. That lack of control over job security makes people feel stressed. In the US, about half of the nation’s workers reported stress due to job insecurity. However, you can still control some things. Shifting your focus to those things you actually can control can help you get some sense of stability back. Here’s what you can do:
- Keep your CV updated
- Track your achievements at work
- Strengthen the skills that the market demands.
- Stay informed about your industry
None of this means you are giving up on your job. The idea just means you are protecting yourself. In our experience, preparation often reduces anxiety because it replaces helplessness with action.
3 Talk About It With the Right People
Keeping the anxiety to yourself makes the anxiety feel heavier. So, talk to someone you trust. That someone can be a partner, a friend, a mentor, or even a therapist. What matters is choosing someone who listens and does not dismiss your feelings. That someone will likely not jump to the worst-case scenario. The goal is to feel more supported and grounded after the conversation, and not to spiral further. Sometimes just saying, “I am worried about my job, and it’s stressing me out” to someone you trust is enough. It can some of the pressure that may be building inside of you.
Unfortunately, many people in American society will jump to solving a problem for you or providing you with solutions. I have noticed that people with these types of responses may feel their own feelings of anxiety in not knowing how to hold space for you and your emotions and want to make the conversation go away. I have also noticed well-meaning people who love and support you also fall into this trap. After all, providing a solution or ideas to solve the problem is often the more logical approach, rather than the emotional conversation you are inviting them into.
In these situations, you may feel discouraged in these moments, and even avoid sharing more about the situation. If you get this type of response, it is okay — many people experience these responses.
When these responses occur, some people dismiss the originally shared topic (i.e., “Ah don’t worry about it, I’ll figure it out”) or decide to disengage from the conversation. Other people may experience intrusive thoughts such as “No one understands me” or “I was stupid to ask for help” or “Oh no, I’m burdening them with my problems now.” If you experience either or even both of these situations, pause, then take another chance and advocate for yourself once more. You’ve already taken a step of courage by sharing what is bothering you. Take the opportunity to redirect this person to what you need — someone to listen to you, rather than someone to solve the problem.
4 Build a Backup Plan
It has been said: if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Having a plan, any kind of plan, can be reassuring. However, you shouldn’t be obsessing over it. Being prepared is not the same as living in the future that has not happened. A good backup plan can include:
- Knowing your monthly expenses
- Having an emergency savings goal
- Understanding what benefits or support you’d be eligible for
- Knowing where to start when you begin a job search.
5 Remind Yourself That a Job Is Not Your Worth
The idea is easier said than done. The challenge feels even harder in cultures that tie identity closely to career success. However, the point is still important. A job can end for numerous reasons that have nothing to do with your performance. They don’t have to do anything with your talent, or even your effort. You can and have to learn to love yourself even if you get fired or if you fail in any way.
Anxiety Therapist Austin TX
Many people will try one of the strategies above and it may work for some time, and then they may feel stuck again. Other people may try or may have already tried these strategies and then read some self-help books to try and find answers to reducing their anxiety. These are common and valid ways to address your concerns. After all, if you can solve it on your own, why not?
However, sometimes anxiety can become too much. Signs of this happening is when anxiety about losing your job can ripple into other worries, thereby interfering with other areas of your life. You may notice increased symptoms such as panic, trouble sleeping, pain in your chest or a racing heart. This is when professional support becomes necessary. You can still read the self-help books for anxiety; however, if you’ve reached this point, having a professional to help you through the anxiety is crucial.
If you feel stuck in your anxiety, reach out below and we can discuss both the situation and strategies to reduce the anxiety, or pay less attention to it. Our conversations can also include processing uncomfortable emotions, identifying and shifting beliefs, and learning coping strategies that have helped others.
You do not have to wait until something bad happens. You can ask for help now.
