How To Reduce Anxiety At Work
Anxiety and Stress at Work
Stress is a common issue that American adults face on a regular basis. According to a study done by Everest College, 83% of US workers struggle with stress that is related to their work. With stress being such a common experience of many adults in the workplace, how do you know when it becomes a problem? When does the stress from work turn into anxiety? And what do you do if you start to experience regular anxiety at work?
Is It Stress or Anxiety?
Stress is a common, human response that can occur when one faces a potential threat or challenging situation (e.g. conflict at work). Stress and anxiety can be very similar, however, there is a way to differentiate between the two. Typically, stress is a physical and/or emotional response to an external event. An external event can be short-term or long-term (think, being out sick for a few days vs. dealing with a chronic illness). Anxiety is more of a physical and/or emotional response that happens internally, and a response that may continue well past once the external stressor is gone. Anxiety typically includes difficulty controlling worries (e.g. constantly thinking of the “what if’s?” or rehearsing and ruminating on upcoming events in your mind).
Experiencing Anxiety at Work
What can anxiety at work feel like? The answer depends on the individual. For some, anxiety at work may look like having strong physical sensations such as a racing heart, feeling flushed, trembling, muscle tension, or having GI distress. Others may have anxiety at work without any physical sensations. Anxiety at work can look like becoming easily irritable and feeling that minor issues become a big deal. Anxiety at work could also show up as becoming easily overwhelmed by little things. Additionally, one may find it difficult to control worries and find themselves constantly “catastrophizing” or jumping to the worst case scenarios (e.g. thinking, “This person is going to think I’m an idiot if I mess up in this e-mail!”). Anxiety at work can cause one to ruminate on mistakes and begin to feel less confident in their abilities. When you have anxiety at work, you may have difficulties sleeping at night or find that you are more on-edge at home. Symptoms of anxiety can be similar to symptoms of stress, and fortunately, there are certain coping skills that can work for both anxiety and stress.
Understanding Your Anxiety
Often times, anxiety is fear-based. When one is feeling anxious, there is commonly an underlying fear that is driving the anxiety. Anxiety is an emotion and emotions are messengers that indicate there is something going on within us that needs attention. In order to help your anxiety, you need to be able to understand it more. When feeling anxious, can you identify if there is a fear that is contributing to the anxiety? For example, feeling that someone will think you’re incapable? Or fear that you will not be able to complete all of the tasks you have been given? Get curious about the feelings of anxiety and see if you can identify the driving forces behind the anxiety.
How to Calm Anxiety at Work
There are different strategies to calm your anxiety at work. Here are a few ways to manage anxiety at work:
Physical Movements to Relieve Built-Up Anxiety In Your Body
If you are having anxiety that shows up as physical symptoms, you may want to work on counter-acting that anxiety that is manifesting within your body. For example, if you feel a lot of tension in your shoulders, work on intentionally relaxing your shoulders and lowering them. If you feel pressure or tightness in your chest, stand up, lean back, and stretch out your arms to open up that space in your chest.
Deep Breathing
If you find that you’re struggling with trembling, tension, or shakiness, focus on deep breathing techniques. Deep breathing sends the message to your nervous system that it can begin to relax. You can look up “Box Breathing” or “Diaphragmatic Breathing” for step-by-step instructions on how to practice breathing that will calm your nervous system.
Mantras or Affirmations
For anxiety that shows up as excessive worry, you may want to develop some positive, reassuring statements to calm the anxiety. Some people find it useful to even develop a mantra to repeat over and over again. Some examples of a mantra could include statements such as, “Just let it go”, “It is what it is”, or “I breathe in peace, and breathe out the worry”. You may also want to write down affirmations to keep in front of you while at work. Some positive affirmations that can help with anxiety at work can include, “You can do this”, “I believe in you”, “You are good enough”. Some may even find it helpful to include a prayer, proverb, or Bible verse into their affirmations list.
Challenging Worried Thoughts
A common skill from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy called cognitive disputation is a great tool to help with negative, worried thoughts. Cognitive disputation is a tool that challenges negative, defeating thoughts that lead to anxiety. You start by identifying any fears, worries, or irrational thoughts, and then work to disprove the unwanted thought or fear. Many times, your therapist will help you with this process by asking you specific questions which will challenge the logic of your responses. This is a technique that you can learn and develop with a therapist and then practice on your own when the anxiety hits.
Good Self-Care
Many of us understand the importance of basic self-care but often overlook it in our own lives. Self-care takes intentionality, especially when demands are high with work, family, relationships, and other obligations. However, self-care is absolutely necessary when working to manage anxiety or stress. You must give yourself regular breaks to experience positive emotions and “fill your tank”. Examples of self-care can include exercise, good nutrition, adequate sleep, getting outside, reading a book for fun, making time for a hobby, or spending time with a loved one.
Moving Forward
Anxiety at work can cause difficulties with work performance, issues in your relationships, and sleep disturbances. Anxiety is a very real condition for many individuals and it should not be ignored. Anxiety at work can be managed in a variety of ways including therapy, medication, supplements, exercise, and good self-care. If anxiety is negatively affecting your work and you have tried things on your own with no success, it may be time to seek professional assistance. If you’d like to talk more about how to treat anxiety at work in therapy, please reach out to me for an initial, free consultation. Work itself is stressful enough on its own. You don’t want to have to struggle with additional anxiety on top of that!
