Anxiety is one of the most common feelings of unpleasantness that pretty much every human has had to experience at some point in their lives. But when that anxiety extends to the workplace, and is constant, it can be worrying.
While anxiety and work anxiety may seem similar, the latter is classified as stress or worry that is specifically related to the workplace. A person with work anxiety may feel fine when dealing with situations outside of work or on their days off, but grow increasingly anxious when they are at or think about work.
Several factors, such as inadequate pay or excessive workload, long days or demanding deadlines, conflict with colleagues or management, feelings of loss of control or unfair treatment, etc., can cause work anxiety. As a result, someone experiencing work anxiety may experience symptoms such as irritability, loss of focus, forgetfulness, tension, emotional outbursts, depression, and even physical symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, and upset stomach.
Work anxiety can be extremely challenging to deal with, affecting not just your productivity and work life, but it can also seep into other aspects of your life. However, if this sounds like it’s happening to you, do not panic! Here are some steps you can take to help manage work anxiety:
Identify Your Triggers
A number of triggers can cause feelings of anxiety; everyone has different triggers. Identifying what causes your anxiety can help you be prepared to deal with it before it occurs, either by equipping yourself with coping mechanisms or avoiding it entirely. One way to do this is by keeping track of when you feel anxious by keeping a journal. This will help you see the patterns and identify your triggers.
Time Management & Organization
One of the most common reasons people experience work anxiety is because they feel unequipped to deal with the workload they have been tasked with. With this comes feelings of insecurity and inadequateness, which don’t help either.
One way to battle this is to effectively organize your work and manage your time. Plan out your tasks for the day by importance and assign a specific block of time for each one. This way, you’ll know exactly what you can get done, allowing you to delegate or request help on the remaining tasks. It’s also worth considering decluttering your desk and making your workplace look pleasant because visual clutter can be distracting, and you may feel discouraged to work.
Set Smaller Goals & Realistic Deadlines
Staring at a challenging task as a whole can feel formidable and unachievable. Instead, you can break it down into smaller sets of goals and tick them off as you go. It is also vital that you do not set unrealistic expectations for yourself. If you feel that you won’t be able to complete a job within the suggested timeline, make sure to speak up and request an extension instead of working yourself to the ground. It would be best to do this when discussing the task initially and not at the last minute.
Set Clear Boundaries
Work-life balance seems like a thing of the past, mainly due to the massive shift to remote work over the past few years. As a result, workers find it hard to distinguish between when they’re on the clock and when they’re off of it.
You can make sure that you don’t end up losing your work-life balance by setting clear boundaries. Establish off-work hours when you do not want to be disturbed. Remove work apps from your personal phone or put them on snooze once you log off. Most of all, it’s essential to learn when to say “no” so you don’t end up being taken advantage of!
Ask for Help
If you feel that the work you have been assigned is too much, don’t hesitate to talk to your manager and communicate that. You can also ask your colleagues for help if you lack the complete expertise for a particular task.
It may feel uncomfortable to talk about stress to your manager, but this will help relieve some of the pressure off of you and receive additional resources if any are needed. Some companies offer benefits such as therapy, coaching, employee assistance programs, or professional development courses. Taking it all on silently and then floundering to complete it by the deadline will only make you feel far worse! Plus, your job performance will suffer as a result.
Take Some Time Off
Who doesn’t like having a day off? But instead of waiting for the weekend or an upcoming holiday, don’t hesitate to take a day or two off if you’re feeling overwhelmed at work. It can count as a mental health day! Some companies even have policies in place for employees to take mental health days, but even in the absence of such a policy, employers won’t mind if you use your PTOs or sick days for this purpose.
