How to overcome the fear of quitting your job

I’ve quit a few jobs over the years without a firm plan on what my next step would be. Here are a few things that helped me deal with the fear:

Be as prepared as possible.

This means making sure you:

• have some savings,
• know how you’re going to get health insurance,
• have a plan for replacing any other job benefits you rely on, things like a company car or phone, and
• know how you’re going to pay for any costs associated with your upcoming transition.

These costs could include things like travel, relocating, starting a business, or going back to school.

Analyze the worst case scenario.

I don’t mean fixate on the worst case. Rather, try to imagine the worst thing you can think of as a result of leaving your job.

Now start to think about how realistic that actually is. Other than staying at your job, what can you do to prevent that from becoming your reality. And if it did come true, how bad would it actually be.

Create a roadmap for your future.

What are you planning to do when you quit your job?

• Start a business?
• Move across the country and look for new employment?
• Take six months to travel around the world and then seek new employment?

Whatever you’re leaving your current job for, create a plan for how you’re going to spend your time when you no longer have the structure of your 9–5 job.

Invite fear to step out of the driver’s seat

All of the items mentioned above have to do with removing unknowns from the story you tell yourself about your future.

Fear is a tool we use to keep ourselves safe. It helps us survive life and death situations. But fear can also kick in when faced with the unknown.

Your mind can’t know the outcome of this action, and without a known outcome, it becomes fearful, jumping to the worst case scenario.

The best way to approach this is to move from the unknown to the known. And since none of us can know the future, the next best option is to have a plan A, B, C, D, and E.

Another way to calm fear is by realizing that the worst case scenario isn’t always that bad.

For instance, if you could no longer pay for your home and had to downsize, would how bad would that really be? If you couldn’t find a new position in your old field and got the opportunity to try something new, how bad would that be?

Lather rinse, and repeat

This work isn’t one and done. As you move through your transition, fear will continue to bubble up. When it does, take a few slow deep breaths.

Then ask yourself – what can I know now that removes the unknown from this specific fear. And, what is the worst case scenario here, how realistic is it really, and is it really that bad?

Learn more about how to identify when fear is driving your actions in this blog post.  And get a better understanding of how your body physically reacts to fear here (plus how you can use that knowledge to invite fear to step out of the driver’s seat!)

I’m sending you a great big hug – you’ve got this!