stop worrying about what other people think

The thing I hate most about starting a new job is being “the new girl” in an environment where everybody else knows each other and you feel a little bit on the edge of it all. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been there 3 weeks now and all of the colleagues I’ve worked with so far have been perfectly nice, I just still have this residual anxiety about being liked. I think it’s just intensified through being in an unfamiliar situation, but it annoys me. I wish I could just instantly be myself and not give a crap if someone dislikes me for it. I feel like I’m always testing the waters first when I meet new people, wondering if it’s safe to be myself around them.

I’m starting to implement this :)

But I’m determined to do it. I’m constantly worrying about the impression people get of me, what they think of me. Even people I barely encounter, like customers at work who probably see me purely as a pair of hands ringing items through the till and taking their money! I’m not confident and have low self-esteem, and my worrying isn’t a vanity thing – I worry that people I meet will think I’m stupid, or boring, or… well, anything negative like that. I know it’s irrational, I have friends and colleagues who clearly like my company, it’s just me. This is very much tied up with my “Be more confident” goal; I’m certain when I achieve one, I’ll achieve both :)