What is 'anxiety'?

Anxiety disorders are reported to be the most common mental health issue worldwide, with the World Health Organisation reporting that approximately 1 in 13 people have been diagnosed. Moreover, a recent Workplace Health Report found that 60% of UK employees are experiencing concerningly high levels of anxiety, whilst anxiety, stress and depression account for more than half of long-term absences from work.

The term “anxiety disorder” encompasses a diverse range of anxiety conditions, including those detailed below. As a result, anxiety can manifest differently depending on the condition and the individual. However, common symptoms of anxiety disorders may include:

There are many different anxiety disorders, below we briefly outline a few of the most common:

Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD). GAD is thought to be the most common anxiety disorder and is defined by persistent and immoderate worry about a variation of factors, rather than one specific trigger.

Panic Disorder. Panic Disorder is defined by recurrent panic attacks whereby your body experiences severe psychological and physical symptoms in response to fear, often occurring unexpectedly. Panic attacks can cause symptoms such as shaking, hyperventilation, nausea, heart palpilations and dizziness. Whilst panic attacks can feel immobilizing, they are not physically dangerous.

Social Anxiety Disorder. Social anxiety pertains to a severe fear before, during and after certain social situations. An individual with social anxiety disorder may worry about being laughed at, humiliated or judged in front of others and may feel high levels of panic when in large groups, around those they don’t know well or in unfamiliar social situations.

Phobias. Phobias cause individuals to experience excessive fear about a situation, creature, place or object. Whilst many people experience mild fear of things such as spiders or heights, those with clinical phobias feel an overwhelming need to avoid all contact with the source of their anxiety in order to prevent panic. The most common phobias include claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces), emetophobia (fear of vomiting), arachnophobia (fear of spiders) and acrophobia (fear of heights). 

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). OCD is defined by two primary symptoms- obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are repeated, unwelcome and often distressing thoughts, images and urges which can cause severe anxiety. Compulsions are repetitive activities performed to reduce the anxiety invoked by the compulsion- for example, repeatedly checking that a door is locked or repeating a specific phrase internally. 

It’s entirely up to you how much information you want to disclose and to whom. For instance, you may not wish to share the personal circumstances which have exacerbated your mental health concerns, but do need your workplace to know how your mental health is impacting your working life. Similarly, you may wish to tell the human resources department about your health, but do not wish for this to be discussed with your supervisor or colleagues.

In order to ensure your employer can best support you with your mental health, it can be useful to think about measures that may be helpful to you at this time. Maybe you need to adjust your working hours or reduce your workload? Perhaps remote working may be beneficial or you’re wondering how to access professional support? Many companies implement employee assistance programs (EAPs) which outline available resources to support employee wellbeing. It’s also okay if you don’t know what help you need right now. Try to be as honest as possible with your employer about the areas you’re struggling with so that they can help you strategize suitable support. 

The Equality Act (2010) protects disabled people, including those with a mental illness, from unfair treatment. A mental illness is considered a disability when it has had a long-term impact on your normal day-to-day activity. In this instance, your employer has a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments for you to avoid disadvantage. These adjustments may include changes to your work environment, time off for treatment or changes to working hours. To find out more about the Equality Act (2010) visit: https://www.gov.uk/when-mental-health-condition-becomes-disability. 

When managing your anxiety, both inside and outside of the workplace, it’s useful to have a collection of evidence-based tools that you can call on when you begin to feel your panic levels rise. We’ve compiled a list of coping strategies, based on cognitive behavioral science, which can help you to take control of your anxiety levels and remain present in the current moment:

Breathing Exercises. When we’re anxious, our sympathetic nervous system kicks into fight-flight-mode, often leading us to experience physical symptoms of panic including shallow breathing or a racing heart. Deep breathing and breath control enables us to combat this response and signals to your brain that there is no danger present. Breathing exercises are not only effective, but can be implemented at any time or in any place.