New Job Anxiety: Why Starting A Summer Job or Co-op Can Feel So Overwhelming
- Kristin Kurian
- May 5
- 4 min read
May can be a strange month for young adults.
For some, it marks the start of a summer job, internship, or co-op placement. For others, it brings graduation, moving home, a new routine, or the pressure to figure out what comes next. Even when these changes are positive, they can feel overwhelming.
If you are starting a summer job or co-op and feeling anxious, you are not alone. Starting something new often brings up uncertainty, self-doubt, and the fear that you are somehow already behind. You may be wondering if you will know what to do, if people will like you, if you will make mistakes, or if everyone else is more confident than you are.
This is where starting a new job anxiety can show up. It may look like overthinking before your first day, replaying conversations after work, feeling frozen when you need to ask a question, or worrying that you are not capable enough even when you worked hard to get there.
For many young adults, this anxiety is not only about the job itself. It is also about identity, confidence, independence, and the pressure to prove yourself.
Why Starting a New Job Anxiety Can Feel So Intense
A new job or co-op placement asks a lot of you at once.
You may be learning a new schedule, meeting new people, adjusting to workplace expectations, managing transportation, navigating professional communication, and trying to understand what is expected of you. If this is your first office job, first clinical placement, first co-op, or first time working full-time hours, the adjustment can feel even bigger.
Anxiety often increases when there is uncertainty. Your brain may try to protect you by scanning for everything that could go wrong.
That can sound like:
What if I ask a stupid question?
What if they regret hiring me?
What if I cannot keep up?
What if I seem awkward?
What if I make a mistake and everyone notices?
What if this proves I am not in the right field?
These thoughts can feel convincing, but they are not always accurate. Often, they are signs that a part of you is trying very hard to keep you from feeling embarrassment, rejection, failure, or disappointment.
When New Job Nerves Become Hard to Manage
Some nervousness before a new role is understandable. It can even help you prepare. Anxiety may need more attention when it starts to interfere with your sleep, appetite, mood, confidence, or ability to function.
You might notice that you are constantly rehearsing what to say, avoiding emails, dreading the next workday, withdrawing from friends, or feeling exhausted from pretending you are fine. You may feel like you have to appear calm and capable on the outside while feeling panicked or unsure on the inside.
For some young adults, new job anxiety may also connects to deeper patterns, such as perfectionism, people-pleasing, social anxiety, ADHD, autism, past criticism, or the feeling that you are never quite enough. If you already tend to be hard on yourself, a new work environment can intensify that inner pressure.
Anxiety therapy can help you slow this process down and understand what is happening beneath the anxiety.
How Therapy Can Help Young Adults Starting a Summer Job or Co-op
Therapy is not about forcing yourself to “just be more confident.” It is about understanding your anxiety, building skills, and developing a more compassionate relationship with yourself as you move through new experiences.
In young adult therapy, we might explore questions like:
What situations at work trigger the most anxiety?
What thoughts show up before, during, and after the workday?
What are you afraid others will think of you?
Are there parts of you that feel younger, judged, or not good enough?
What supports, routines, and coping strategies would help you feel more grounded?
What does confidence look like for you, in a realistic and sustainable way?
This kind of work can be especially helpful if you are navigating a big transition, such as beginning a co-op, starting your first professional role, returning to work after a difficult year, or trying to figure out whether your current path still feels right.
Therapy can also help you separate anxiety from intuition. Sometimes anxiety says, “I cannot do this,” when what you really need is support, preparation, and time. Other times, discomfort may be pointing to a need for boundaries, clarity, or a better fit. Therapy gives you space to explore that without rushing to judge yourself.
Could a Therapy Intensive Help Before or During a Summer Transition?
For some young adults, weekly therapy feels like the right pace. For others, a more focused session can be helpful during a season of change.
A therapy intensive offers a longer block of time to explore what is happening with more depth and focus. If you are starting a summer job, co-op, internship, or new chapter, an intensive can create space to understand your anxiety patterns, prepare for common triggers, and develop practical strategies for the weeks ahead.
This can be especially helpful if you feel like there is too much to unpack in a regular 50-minute session. You might want time to look at confidence, self-trust, perfectionism, family expectations, identity, and work stress all in one place.
A therapy intensive is not about fixing everything at once. It is about giving yourself enough time and space to understand what is going on and begin building a clearer way forward.
A Gentle Way to Begin
Starting something new does not mean you have to feel completely ready. Most people do not feel fully ready at the beginning.
You can be anxious and capable. You can feel unsure and be learning. You can need support and be growing into the next version of yourself.
If starting a summer job or co-op is bringing up anxiety, self-doubt, or emotional overwhelm, therapy can offer a steady place to sort through what you are carrying. At A New Perspective Psychotherapy, I support young adults navigating anxiety, transitions, identity questions, neurodiversity, and the pressure to figure life out before they feel ready.
I offer in-person therapy in Toronto and online therapy across Ontario. If and when the timing feels right, you are welcome to schedule a consultation to explore whether therapy or a focused therapy intensive may be a good fit.
Kristin Kurian is a Registered Psychotherapist and the founder of A New Perspective Psychotherapy. She offers compassionate, evidence-informed therapy for teens, young adults, and parents navigating anxiety, life transitions, trauma, identity development, neurodiversity, and emotional overwhelm. Kristin provides in-person therapy in Toronto and online therapy across Ontario.
