I’m Scared to Death of Losing My Job

Reader’s Question

In a way, I can’t believe I’m actually emailing someone about the problem I’m having. I don’t really think I have any kind of psychological disorder. But I am worried about my situation, and I’m just not sure how serious an issue this is.

The problem centers around the fact that I’ve lost my job twice in the last 5 years, and I’m scared to death that I might lose my current job. There’s no firm indication this is about to happen, but the company I work for has cut me once and transferred me to where I am now, and I’m afraid that any given moment on any given day, they’ll call me in and let me go for good. I commute 150 miles a day just to keep this job. I’ve looked for other jobs while maintaining this one but there’s nothing out there right now. I know that if I lose my job, I’ll lose my house, my car, my wife, and everything else. There’s no help for people like me, either from the government or private sources. I’ve worked hard all my life and I don’t deserve this. I stay awake at night worrying, and I’m completely stressed out by my situation. I do have a disaster plan, but that’s only for when the bank is foreclosing on me. I don’t know how much more of this I can take. I want to live life without being terrified by it. Any ideas or advice would be appreciated.

Our Clinical Psychologist’s Reply

Of course it would be impossible to give accurate or reliable advice specific to your circumstances, but I can safely comment on some of the things you describe. The main problem you indicate is anxiety over your situation that is so chronic and intense that it’s truly debilitating (keeping you up at night and placing you under stress you don’t think you can handle anymore).

One of the more accepted psychological principles is called the Yerkes-Dodson Law. Basically, this principle asserts that there is a relationship between a person’s level of performance and their level of arousal (including their levels of attentional focus, anxiety, motivation, perseverance, etc.). Difficult and demanding tasks require more arousal, while relatively less demanding tasks require less arousal. More importantly, there is an “optimal” level of arousal for most tasks. Too little or too much arousal can impair a person’s performance. When a person is either over or under-aroused, their effectiveness in dealing with their environment is adversely affected.

You seem to be in a place in which your anxiety about your circumstances has reached a debilitating level. So, the level of stress that would necessarily accompany a less than certain job situation is compounded by the excessive level of anxiety. Besides that, such anxiety is likely to have a negative effect on your performance as well, actually adding to the risk of possibly losing your job (this would become a sort of “self-fulfilling prophecy”).

Even though you might not have developed an anxiety disorder per se, it would probably behoove you to utilize some tools to reduce your overall level of anxiety. Once you’ve achieved a more optimal level of arousal, you’ll be better prepared to deal with circumstances as they present themselves. There are counselors who specialize in anxiety management and coping skills development. Seeking out the counsel of such a specialist can help you meet and deal with the challenges of life without being so overwhelmed by them. Most folks who are feeling overwhelmed tend to attribute their distress to uncontrollable external circumstances. Sometimes there are even options we fail to see because of the blinding effect of our anxiety. An appropriately trained counselor can assist you in discovering a more internal locus of control. Although there will always be situational circumstances beyond your ability to change, you can always control your response to those circumstances. Learning the most adaptive ways to cope with life’s variable circumstances is key to finding strength, resilience, hope, and freedom from constant and unproductive worry.