The unknown can be overwhelming.

You are about to finish whatever educational program you are in right now. Or, you are really unhappy with the job you have. Or, you can see that the company you work for is likely to lay people off or even go out of business.

The problem is you have no idea what is out there. Well, maybe you know about a couple of things. Things you are supposed to do with this degree. Or things other people seem to be doing. But for some reason those things either look unappealing or seem impossible to get.

How do I know this?

Because that’s how everyone feels when they come to this kind of a transition point in their life. Things look awful.

Facing the unknown is one of the scariest things you can do.

The only way I know of to make it less scary is to make it less unknown.

The fact that you don’t know what the possibilities are does not mean that there are no possibilities. It just means you don’t know what they are. You can find out.

You can find out what kinds of jobs exist. What those jobs involve. Whether you would like doing them. And what kinds of skills they require.

Of course then you are going to panic about how you get anyone to hire you. That means knowing a lot about what you can do, what conditions you do your best work in, and generally what you have to offer to an employer.

You’re probably forgetting some of the details. Or discounting some of your experiences as irrelevant.

Again, this is normal. Everyone does this.

Accept this anxiety as part of the process.