Maybe you find your mood plummeting when Sunday
evenings or Monday mornings roll around? Feelings of stress and anxiety take over your working days as you try to fathom how you’ll get through a seemingly never-ending to-do list or tackle another daunting meeting.
You are not alone. Analyzing the prevalence and impact of workplace anxiety on UK employees, The Workplace Health Report revealed that 76% of employees experience moderate-high levels of workplace anxiety,
with 73% stating that their stress and anxiety is primarily caused by their workload.
It is not always easy to tell whether you’re experiencing workplace anxiety, or symptoms of an anxiety disorder. However, the former is most common when your worries and symptoms soleley pertain to work.
For instance, on your days off you notice that your anxiety decreases. Other symptoms of workplace anxiety include:
- Feeling anxious in the mornings prior to work but better in the evenings.
- Experiencing physical symptoms such as nausea or tense muscles, when talking about work or performing work tasks.
- Struggling to maintain the motivation and focus to perform your duties.
- Feeling overwhelmed frequently throughout the work week.
- Identify your triggers. The triggers of workplace anxiety aren’t always obvious. Instead, it may be helpful to record fluctuations in motivation, mood and anxiety throughout the working day. Doing so can help you to
identify patterns and triggers, building a clearer picture of environmental factors which may lead you to feel overwhelmed. Once you understand what contributes to your workplace anxiety, you can begin to strategize which techniques may help to keep it at an even keel.
Take micro-breaks. Once you are able to pin point the times at which your anxiety is higher, it can be useful to schedule in short breaks during these times to allow yourself to de-escalate anxiety. For example, prior to an anxiety-provoking meeting, you may find it helpful to spend 1-3 minutes practicing “box breathing”. This breathing technique allows you to regulate your breathing and heartrate by inhaling for 4 counts, keeping your lungs full for 4 counts, exhaling for 4 counts and allowing
your lungs to remain empty for 4 counts. This process is then repeated until you feel an increased sense of control over your anxiety levels.
Put your thoughts on trial. Catastrophizing is common in those who struggle with workplace anxiety. You may find yourself wondering if your boss’ request for you to pop into their office this afternoon indicates your imminent dismissal. Or perhaps you envision yourself completely freezing up when presenting in an important meeting.
Whilst these “what if” scenarios can feel daunting, it’s important to remember that the worst case scenario is rarely the most likely scenario. To deescalate this anxiety and begin to rationalize your thoughts, it can be helpful to engage in an exercise known as a “thought trial”. During a thought trial, you are encouraged to examine the evidence for and against your anxious thought.
For instance you may ask:
- Has this worst case scenario ever happened to me before? What evidence do I have to support the belief that it will happen now? What
- evidence do I have against this belief?
- If a loved one was experiencing these anxious thoughts, what would I tell them? What is most likely to happen in this situation?
Putting your thoughts on trial provides an
opportunity to disengage from emotional thinking
and instead engage in rational thinking. If you find
this exercise difficult at first, don’t be discouraged - it takes practice! You may wish to carry a small
notebook with you in order to implement this as a
written activity.
Be kind to your mind. Anxious thoughts can be draining to deal with and
often come alongside self-deprecation and self-criticism. In these moments, practice being kind and understanding towards your emotions.
Take five. When you find yourself beginning to worry about upcoming deadlines or becoming anxious about your manager’s perception of you, try the 5-4-3-2-1 technique to bring you back to the present moment. This technique simply involves taking a few moments
to name:
- Five things you can see
- Four things you can hear
- Three things you can feel
- Two things you can smell
- One thing you can taste
