Anxiety at work may be debilitating, daunting, and overpowering. It's crucial to address the negative impacts for both your sake and the sake of your superiors, whether you suffer from the effects of your anxiety at work or endure stress brought on by employment that causes anxiety.
Anxiety affects people of all ages and is a condition that has no preference for one group over another. The majority of us, however, deal with stress to some extent throughout our lives. However, some people suffer anxiety that is so severe that it significantly lowers their quality of life, whether at home or at work.
You are aware that even routine job scenarios can cause significant stress if you are one of the 40 million (19%) adults in the United States who suffer from severe anxiety. Being surrounded by the water fountain, making a presentation, speaking out during a meeting, or even just answering the phone are all examples of this. Even going to work may cause you anxiety, let alone what will happen when you get there.
Such anxiety can hamper your ability to concentrate and be productive at work, as well as cause unending stress that interferes with your daily activities from the time you get up in the morning and go to work until the time you go to bed in anticipation of the cycle starting again the next day.
How to Manage Stress at Work
A sense of foreboding that something's wrong or that something horrible will happen, self-doubt, nightmares related to work, panic attacks brought on by the environment, and an inability to focus or stay on task are all typical signs of work anxiety. You might be dealing with work anxiety if you frequently encounter these symptoms or if your conduct at work has altered.
You can control it in the following simple ways:
1. Work according to a Schedule with Realistic Deadlines
Nothing is worse than receiving a task with an arbitrary deadline. We instinctively accept deadlines that we know we won't be able to fulfill, only to subsequently regret our hasty decision and wish we had been more honest in the first place. For those who are nervous, this is particularly true.
Be honest from the beginning rather than placing yourself in a position where you must either work and stress until the very last minute or make that awkward request for an extension.
2. Pay Attention to Your Breathing
It can be difficult to settle down when anxiety starts to creep into your workday or when it has already begun in full force. Concentrating on your breathing is one of the finest techniques to calm yourself down.
Slowly inhale for five seconds through your nose, keep it for approximately three to four seconds, and then slowly exhale through the mouth for eight to ten seconds. Between ten and twenty times, until the anxiousness stops, repeat this exercise.
When faced with a stressful circumstance, practicing controlled breathing can prevent you from hyperventilating.
3. Maintain Order & Set Your Own Goals
A wonderful method to teach your mind to concentrate on your accomplishments instead of all that still must be accomplished is to keep lists of activities that you'll physically cross off as you finish them. The more you finish, the more inspired you'll be to finish the other items on your list, even the ones you've been putting off.
To help you focus on a personal goal, it's a good idea to decide what you want to accomplish at work. This might be anything from a major objective like climbing the corporate ladder to something as simple as finding solace in challenging circumstances. Setting goals helps lessen the effects of your pressures.
4. Writing
A fantastic coping strategy for a multitude of situations is writing, and it always has been. When you're feeling anxious at work, go to a quiet location, such as a conference room or the nearby coffee shop, and write down the issues that are bothering you right now. Even though you might not be able to change some of the things that are making you anxious, giving yourself the chance to express your feelings on paper is a potent and effective strategy to reduce that anxiety.
5. Sleep is Must!
There is a rationale for this, even if it may appear like a general recommendation for anyone having problems with their physical or mental health. Stress at work can have a significant impact on your sleep, keeping you up all night instead of allowing you to enjoy a restful night's sleep. Lack of sleep makes you more vulnerable to stress and makes it harder for you to cope with it, which might affect your performance at work.
6. Keeping the present and the facts in mind
If you've ever imagined horrible situations and persuaded yourself that they can and will occur, raise your hand.
It's only normal for us to allow the worst-case scenario to enter our heads when we're under stress and carrying a lot of weight. This is accurate both at home and at work. You might presume the worst, that the response is "no," or even that they must be putting together your severance package for even considering asking such a ridiculous question, if, for instance, your boss has taken longer than you anticipated to respond to your request for a raise.
Focus on the facts of the circumstance rather than making up your own assumptions out of fear of being let down. Your boss might not be the main decision-maker; they might need to talk with the budget team; they could need to draft a specific argument; they might be swamped with other duties and have to set aside your request because it isn't a top priority just yet.
Concentrating on reality during a difficult circumstance is the best method to reduce anxiety. Perhaps it's not as horrible as you imagine.
7. Understand what makes you anxious
Knowing what situations make you stressed out is the first step in controlling your anxiety, however, it may be easier said than done. When do you start to feel more anxious? Is it only with specific coworkers? prior to beginning new tasks? when you're pressed for time or under pressure? Does it start as you're making your way to work?
When you first begin to control your workplace anxiety, it could be challenging to identify the precise circumstances that trigger it. Taking notes when it happens will help you spot trends and negotiate this difficult terrain. The more you are aware of the situation, the simpler it will be to adjust.
Use these easy yet effective strategies if you're struggling with anxiety at work to handle your stressors and reduce the tension you experience while working.