Work anxiety is commonplace, and dealing with stressors daily can take a toll on anyone. However, this does not mean that you should be complacent about dealing with it. Here are eight things you can do to survive and thrive in your career, even as you deal with work anxiety.
When we’re at work, we tend to get anxious whenever there is a workplace performance review or an important presentation coming up. This is completely normal. However, if this anxiety is constant and prevalent even under normal circumstances, you may be dealing with an anxiety disorder.
To be clear, there is no clinical work anxiety disorder. However, the impact of anxiety disorders bleeds through to every aspect of life -- work included. At the same time, the stress that is caused by work can lead to anxiety. Both incidents are classified under work anxiety.
Work anxiety has adverse effects, not just on you but also on your organization.
Effects of work anxiety
- Loss of interest
- Less tolerance for feedback
- Reduced job performance and productivity
- Procrastination
- Inability to concentrate
- Fatigue
- Reduced job satisfaction
- Difficulty to work with a team
- Feeling insignificant and replaceable
The problem is that awareness of these can lead to more significant stress, as you worry about whether you’ll get fired over your declining performance. This feeds into your work anxiety, and your worry could eventually spiral out of control.
It is then essential that you stay aware of what causes work anxiety. Knowledge of these triggers could help you catch your rising stress early on.
Causes of Work Anxiety
- Conflicts within a team
- Workplace bullying
- Piling workload and looming deadlines
- A difficult boss
- Lack of justice and equality in the workplace
- Communication issues
- Insufficient pay and benefits
- Lack of opportunity
- Toxic work environment
If you already know that workplace bullying could exacerbate your stress, then you should deal with it swiftly and promptly once you come across it. Likewise, if you are aware of just how much work you can take on per week, you can communicate this with your boss or the HR Department to set expectations.
Telling your employer
The thought of telling your boss about your anxiety disorder or stress triggers may incite fear within you. You may worry about being labeled or being treated differently. As such, it is entirely up to you. Your concerns are valid.
However, do know that most employers will likely offer support and encouragement for your situation. It is especially true today, as more and more corporations are emphasizing the importance of mental health. The thought of getting in trouble for your anxiety is just part of your catastrophizing mechanism.
Further, you can assert your case by assuring your employer that you will perform what is expected of you; that is, for as long as the work environment allows it. If you specifically have an anxiety disorder, you have rights according to the Americans with Disabilities Act that are worth exploring. As long as you are qualified for your job, the law prohibits discrimination and requires reasonable accommodation.
Tips for managing work anxiety
- Know your coping mechanisms.
All of us cope differently, and while some of us veer towards escapism and daydreaming, others tend to lean towards destructive behaviors. This includes binge eating, substance abuse, smoking, and drinking too much caffeine. Being aware of these unhealthy coping mechanisms is the first step to recalibrating our approach towards work anxiety.
You can use apps like Moody to help you monitor your triggers and identify your coping mechanisms throughout the day. If you know what you tend to lean towards, then you can establish better habits.
Track your stressors
Likewise, you can keep track of the specific situations and circumstances that give you work anxiety. Through this, you may find that workplace gossip and team conflicts actually stress you out more than giving workplace presentations and dealing with demanding clients.
Make sure to note the environment, the people involved, and your own thoughts and emotions as you go through them. To do this, journaling can prove to be quite useful. If a physical journal is burdensome to carry around, you can use apps like Reflecty to help structure and process the things that occurred on the go. This would help you clarify the kind of situations you need to avoid and create plans to deal with them moving forward.
Set limits and boundaries
A lot of people end up being overwhelmed by their work because they tend to bring their projects home with them. There seems no room for them to breathe and de-stress, as they constantly take work calls over dinner and prepare presentations through the night.
Thus, it is crucial that you learn to set clear boundaries between your work life and your personal life. This means not checking your work emails when you’re at home or during the weekend. It also requires clear and proper communication with your boss and teammates.
If you struggle with this because of tendencies to people-please and succumb to pressure, know this: healthy workplaces should not have excessive demands and you are well within your rights to expect healthy work-life balance. You can be realistic about what you can handle and prioritize your personal well-being.
At the same time, you can steer clear of workmates who pull you into a toxic, negative environment. This does not necessarily mean that you confront them over what they’re doing or that you avoid them altogether. It just means limiting your interactions with them and taking control of the conversations if need be. Don’t be afraid to shut down a topic if it makes you uncomfortable and triggers your anxiety.
Make time for breaks
Go out and take a walk outside after lunch. Make use of your vacation leaves. Take time away with some friends over the weekends. Fill your personal time with life-giving moments that you take delight and pleasure in. This way, you will be refreshed and recharged when you get back to work.
Develop time management strategies and organizational systems
Being organized and precise with work will help you stay aware of what you have done and what you need to do. You can make to-do lists through apps like Do, create a priority system to know which task to put first, and prepare schedules that would help you make sure that you are on track with your workload.
Though this may be tedious at first, knowing that everything is in its place will help unload your mind over the long run, thereby lessening your stress and work anxiety.
Practice self-care
Ensure that you are taking care of yourself and giving value to your physical, emotional, mental, and even spiritual health. This means eating healthy food, working out, hanging out with friends, and sleeping well.
Don’t be embarrassed to check in with yourself and ask questions like, “How am I doing? How am I dealing with my anxiety today? What can I do to make myself happy and content?”
Open up to people you trust
Ideally, you would have a co-worker that you can trust and open up to. Because you are both exposed to the same environment, they would have the ability to understand the context without much explanation and a capacity to extend empathy. Knowing that someone within your immediate access is aware of your work anxiety can provide you an accessible space to vent and unload.
But if you’re uncomfortable talking about such matters with someone you work with, then there is also nothing wrong with opening up to close family and friends. Either way, having social support will enable you to manage your anxiety better.
Seek professional help
Check if your workplace has an employee assistance program that gives you access to stress management resources. Your employer could put you in touch with a mental health professional, or you can seek one out on your own accord.
Having a clinical psychologist will significantly help you manage your work anxiety. The right one will help you through a therapy program that is right for you and your specific situation, and assist you in understanding your anxiety and changing your relationship with work.
Work anxiety can take a toll on even the best of employees; as such, you don’t have to be embarrassed about dealing with it every so often. It’s okay to have bad days. What’s important is that you don’t just sit back and allow anxiety to take over your good days as well.
Your proactiveness in this regard will benefit you and the organization you are working for.
In the process, you get a better gauge of your limits, build stronger relationships, and improve communication.
