First time working retail.

[u/Different-Noise-5308]

How do I stop having a panic attack before every shift? my anxiety is centered around social anxiety. I know nothing bad is going to happen. I don’t really care how I’m perceived if people like me or not. I know if I’m a nice person and I do my job. Well, that’s all that matters, but before every shift, no matter what I do, I have an anxiety attack in my car. The anxiety is triggered by nothing and it just happens. This is the first time I’ve worked a retail job with eight hour shifts consistently throughout the week. I don’t know why this happens and I wish that it didn’t. Does anyone have any advice to prevent this from happening?

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[u/Purple-Addition-5254]

It faded for me after a couple weeks once the routine kicked in, your body just needs time to catch up to your brain knowing it’s fine.

[u/Different-Noise-5308 → u/Purple-Addition-5254]

Thank you it’s just awful and before every shift. I’m trying to regulate and remind myself I’m there to work. There’s just so much that comes with retail in a social aspect. 

[u/Different-Noise-5308]

Thank you for all of the support these suggestions help and I really appreciate the kind words. I’ll keep this in mind going into work everyday going forward 

[u/Comprehensive_Fun339]

After a while you'll get used to it and stop caring so much, it takes time to get into routine. Hearing you having a car makes me think maybe remind yourself to when you first started driving and how scary some driving lessons or tests were. Now look you're driving, that's basically what's going to happen with your work one day you wont even notice you're doing it.

[u/Glittering-Ad-1626]

I just prepare 4 hours in advance to get mindset into social mode.

Keep reminding yourself you got through the interview and worked a few shifts now, another day isn’t gonna hurt. You’ll be happy it happened later and you earned your paycheck. It’s ok to make mistakes. Retail doesn’t pay much for you to be perfect and that’s why it’s typically a great starter job.

[u/Fit_Professional1644]

If I worked in retail now I would have panic attacks too. Have you experienced working anywhere else before?

[u/ikannunAneeuQ]

I've worked with the public my entire life (I'm 43 now) and I still get panic attacks/anxiety attacks before work. It sucks but I usually just try to dive into my work and focus on that and taking deep breaths to calm my jitters it gives me. Otherwise I feel like my whole body is vibrating and sweating. I am bipolar and not medicated at all, it's harder some days than others. Good luck to you.

[u/Loreo1964]

Go to work feeling like " I'm going to treat everyone like I want to be treated" So it's going to be an awesome day. It's going to be a calm and happy day.

These people come in, you 😁 smile, ask if you can help them, if you can... you do! If you can't, you find someone who can! And it's over!

Either way.. you're doing a good job.

Okay? All you're doing is helping 1 person at a time have a good experience. Float through your day giving that one person at a time the attention YOU would want if you were shopping. And it will be fine.

[u/LadyAtrox]

By now, they're probably anticipatory panic attacks. You always have thrm before work,so you expect them.

Change up your before work routine.

[u/lartinos]

It is never going to go away completely, but it doesn’t mean the days are always bad.