About to start work after long term unemployment

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So, I've taken a job as a cleaner/housekeeper and I start tomorrow. I'm not thrilled about it, but after being unemployed for 6 years, I needed to do this. Still, I remember saying to myself last time I was in the workforce that the stress of working (not the actual work, but dealing with people's s**t) is more stressful than not working. So I'm basically terrified. I have a pretty bad track record of quitting when work gets too much. It's usually to do with bullying or people expecting me to take on more and more tasks until I'm burnt out and just can't function. Another reason I hate work is because people throw sets of illogical and contradictory instructions at me, sometimes pointless instructions that have no rational purpose and I sometimes think this is just someone on a power trip. Meanwhile, they sit around gossiping, doing as little as possible or going for cigarette breaks. I'm not a stupid person and my friends are always commenting on the fact that I often take jobs that are "beneath me". I always make some smart remark and brush it off (none of my friends know I'm autistic apart from the actual autistic ones.) Are there any tips or any strategies for "hanging in there?" I usually only last a matter of weeks to months before quitting. The last job I had 6 years ago, I managed to last 6 months. That may not sound like much for a regular person but for me, it was a massive achievement. I feel so behind everyone at my age. I was in programs for gifted kids at school and I topped the class in a few of my favourite subjects that I really loved and excelled at. But I know that has no relevance to the real world. I wish I was living to my full potential, I just don't know how to. After becoming more aware of meltdowns, I really can't go a day without something happening. I cry a lot. I'm angry a lot and I fly off the handle a lot. I can't predict what verbal abuse is going to be thrown at me at work and when it happens, I can't cope. I almost don't want to take the job, except I'm in a lot of debt due to not working for so long and have had to move in with my mother in law and I hate not having my own space or independence. Sorry if my post doesn't make sense. I'm new to this forum so any help or even just words of support would be appreciated.

Good luck!

You should watch your co-workers and try to do a similar amount of work that they do, even though the boss is likely to keep pressuring you do more work.

For coping with a stressful work enviroment, you could try the "I do this for money and money alone" -thought process. As in, when things get hard, remind yourself that you are not there to make friends, you are not there to have fun, you are there for money. Just tell yourself that as long as you keep getting paid what was agreed on, you're doing good job and don't need to get too stressed about the social aspect of things. If people give you too much to do, do what you can and if you can't handle everything because there's not enough time, tell them that. They might accuse you of being lazy, but as long as it's not someone who can directly influence the fact if you get to stay or not, don't take it too hard. If you get fired for not being able to handle all that's given to you despite the fact that others do even less, well, isn't it better not having to stay in a place like that?

Yes, you may want to set goals that will eventually allow you to move out on your own.,

Sorry to hear about your troubles. They sound just like mine. I think, though, that in general housekeeping work has less of those social problems than other jobs - as long as you have good employers who are on the level.

It really is pathetic how school doesn't prepare people for the working world. For example, the peer support program at my school was a joke. Just half an hour of kids sitting around playing stupid games and trying to act cool. Nothing on how to deal with bullying.

I wish I had some brilliant insights for you, but I can only speak from my own limited experience. Like you, I couldn't manage to stay at most jobs longer than a few weeks or months. The social interaction was a minefield. Most of the time it seemed as if I hadn't even done anything, but for some reason, people just magically began treating me badly.

The last office job I ever worked at was a beauty. There we were, all happily typing away. Then I get called out to attend a birthday lunch for our supervisor. Everyone was yelling out funny witticisms and cracking jokes, and this supervisor is just beaming and laughing along with them. I then join in with a funny quip of my own and get totally ignored. I go back inside to check on something and one of the other typists gives me the cold shoulder. Later that afternoon she almost bites my head off after I ask her a question (which I had repeated to her earlier, but the situation was so stressful that I felt compelled to ask a second time).

Monday morning, I roll into the office and the boss comes in, sees me and says, "You're not supposed to be here. I told them on Friday that we wouldn't need you anymore." So off I go. I swear, the only nice person in that whole office was the cute guy who worked downstairs. He was actually sad to see me go.

As for me? I was not sad at all to leave that place! No sir. I changed jobs, went on welfare, changed jobs some more, got more welfare, did some courses, and then finally landed my current job, working from home, choosing my hours, only interaction on the computer with other like-minded colleagues who have as much a love of reading as I do and very little time to play silly power games (well, I mean, but it's easier to avoid them even if they do that because you just turn off the chat function or change screens).

So from this, the only information I can glean to pass to you is don't effing give up. Keep bloody trucking until you find the job that suits you. It may be housekeeping; it may not. But don't let anyone's opinions influence your drive to pursue the job that makes you feel like a star. You don't get paid for what you know but for who you are, so only a job that brings out your strengths rather than your weaknesses will be lucrative for you in the long-term. Good luck with the new job, and I look forward to hearing how it goes for you.