Tips on Overcoming Anxiety in the Workplace
Anxiety in any aspect of our lives can be debilitating and even more so at work where some of us spend forty or more hours. Frequently, anxiety is caused by negative thoughts induced by fear.
Following are some examples of negative thoughts that can plague our minds in the workplace:
I will not be able to do it right/well
I will fail
I will not make the deadline
I am not creative enough
I don’t have the expertise/skills
I will not be able to deliver what is expected of me
Everyone will think my performance is substandard
I will pale in comparison to my colleagues
My manager doesn’t have confidence in me/doesn’t like me
One of best ways of overcoming anxiety is by keeping track of WHAT you are anxious about, what you think the outcome of that situation WILL BE and what ACTUALLY OCCURS.
To help alleviate my own anxieties years ago, I kept a small journal and noted my anxieties, the worrisome outcomes I conjectured in my head, and the actual outcomes. Over time, I realized my fears were not founded on reality and the exercise tremendously helped me reduce my anxieties.
HERE ARE EXAMPLES:
Example One
Inducer of Anxiety: Need to create a procedural manual for department.
Imagined Outcome: Don’t have experience, will fail and disappoint my boss.
Actual Outcome: With input from colleagues, and existing guidelines from HR, manual was successfully completed.
Example Two
Inducer of Anxiety: Write a PR piece for company’s latest charity fundraiser event.
Imagined Outcome: Never wrote one before, have no idea what I am doing. Manager will see me for the failure that I am and demote me.
Actual Outcome: Between on-line research and coaching from a friend who specializes in PR, produced an award-winning PR piece published in an industry magazine.
For every major anxiety you experience, document it in a notebook or electronic device. Then, every so often stop and review the list of all the things you were anxious about and the actual outcome. Was there a difference? Did you worry for nothing? Chances are you worried for nothing.
Over time you will start to see the needless pattern of worrying about an outcome that never happens. You will gain more confidence and stop worrying so much and start focusing on the task at hand.
Links to Good Reads on Overcoming Anxiety in the Workplace
7 Strategies for Dealing With Work Anxiety
In this insightful article on Calmclinic.com, we are gently reminded, “Work itself is supposed to be a means to an end. Those that find themselves very stressed at work often give too much value to what happens in the workplace. While you should always try hard and be ambitious, you should also remember that the purpose of work is to live a great home life - if you can learn to change your priorities so that work doesn't bother you as much, you'll find that your anxiety [at] work isn't as severe.” For more helpful tips . . . read more
How to Deal with Job and Workplace Stress
We loved the advice in this article on helpguide.org that states, “Develop the capacity to meet challenges with humor. There is no better stress buster than a hearty laugh and nothing reduces stress quicker in the workplace than mutually shared humor.” This article abounds with worthwhile advice . . . read more
Anxiety in the Workplace
This article on anxietyhouse.com challenges the reader by stating: “While it may sound counterintuitive, the best way to overcome workplace anxiety is to face the fears that are causing the distress head on! This will be different for each individual, depending on what the main causes of their anxieties may be.” . . . read more
The Ultimate Guide to Dealing with Anxiety at Work
Work Happy Now Speaker and Author Karl Staib reminds us, “Feelings are there to help us make smart decisions. If we’re not careful, these feelings can snowball and take over. We feel like we can’t release them, and all we can do is suffer through them.” He offers more useful tips . . . read more