How do I relax and stop being afraid of losing my job?

[Anonymous]

I did a philosophy undergraduate degree and I was afraid that pursuing this field too much would make me unemployable and unskilled in today's world, although I was very enthusiastic about it. So I decided not to pursue an academic career and I was lucky enough to find a well-paid bureaucratic job despite my "useless" degree. It is very stressful because it is very unpredictable and so much unlike what I've been used to before. I have only been working for a few weeks and I feel that if I lose this job, I will not be able to find such a well-paid job and I would struggle to make ends meet since I've realised how many skills I lack and how unprepared for the job market I am. My manager thinks I am smart and told me he trusts me, but he is quite disappointed that I work too slowly. People keep telling me to relax because I am in my 20s and my parents can still support me if I am fired, but they are getting older and their health is not perfect and I can't count on that. I have some writing and research skills, but nobody gives a damn about them anymore.

[aficionado]

I have never had a fancy or well paid job like you do, but there have been long periods of unemployment in my career.

The thing is, if it comes to losing your job, there is nothing you can do about it. So why worry? I love it is easier said than done.

One thing I can suggest, is to build up a savings buffer to get you through periods of unemployment. This will significantly reduce the stress of potentially being unemployed for a while. Since you have a well paid job, I don't suppose it would be too hard to stash away a significant portion of your monthly wages as savings. This is obviously general advice, since I don't know what your financial commitments are.

[sheikalana]

If you do your job properly and follow procedures there's no need to be afraid of losing your job.