5 ways to deal with work anxiety

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Channel emotions productively, watch for mood swings, and remind yourself of small accomplishments.

It's four o'clock in the afternoon, and you still have a million to do. You understand that you will not be able to cope with everyone until the evening. Feverishly thinking about how to do everything in time, you start to get nervous and cannot concentrate. And when you come home, you continue to think about work tasks and conversations, unable to completely relax.

If you are familiar with these feelings, you are not alone. Work anxiety is common. According to the American Association Against Anxiety and Depression, 56% of people with such disorders suffer from work-related fears.

When you live in constant excitement, the quality of work and productivity (not to mention health) inevitably suffer. Here are five ways to help you manage your anxiety.

1. Don't force yourself to calm down

Take your time to take deep breaths and sit back in silence. According to Alison Wood Brooks of Harvard Business School, this approach will not help. Instead of trying to relax, she recommends turning excitement into excitement.

Recognize your condition. Let's say you are shaking from nervous tension and anxiety. Don't waste time fighting them and get to work. Try to redirect energy in a positive direction and use it to accomplish tasks and achieve goals.

2. Give up multitasking

When there are a lot of things to do, decision fatigue is inevitable. It is necessary to choose one of several options and just decide which task to tackle in the first place. Over the course of the day, this tends to increase stress, and with it stress and anxiety. To avoid this condition, do not multitask.

In him you cease to notice the finish line - the moment when the job is done.

And this feeling is very important for productivity: it is these moments that make you feel that you have achieved something.

Remind yourself that it is better to do one thing than to switch between several things and do nothing at all. If you find yourself trying to complete several tasks at the same time and are nervous about it, focus on one thing.

If they are all of the same importance, pick any and don’t waste time thinking more. Break this task down into small steps and follow through one by one. By gradually crossing them out, you will feel satisfied and calm.

3. Watch for changes in productivity

According to scientists, fluctuations in the ability to concentrate are a warning sign that signals an impending attack of anxiety. For example, you switch between several tasks, looking for distractions, procrastinating.

Watch for these symptoms and you will have your own alarm system on hand.

You are performing a task - write down how it makes you feel. Create a separate document for this, make notes in your diary or in Trello if you keep track of tasks there. Record fluctuations in mood and concentration.

And after a while, you will notice what exactly triggers the anxiety attacks. Maybe it's a certain type of task, a specific client, or too tight deadlines. Knowing the reason, it will be easier to build the work process.

4. Temporarily disconnect from the Internet

Most people today feel the need to constantly have access to the Web. There was even a new concept of "nomophobia" - this is the fear of being left without a mobile phone or away from it. But such obsession most often interferes with productive work: every now and then there is a desire to check something, get distracted or respond to a message.

As a result, we do less and worry more.

Try to set aside a few hours a day to work offline. Gather all the information you need, and then turn on airplane mode. So you will not be distracted by various notifications and messages.

5. Ask for feedback

Anxiety also arises when we do not understand if we are doing well with our tasks. This is especially true for those who work remotely or, due to the specifics of their activities, cannot see the results of their own work with their own eyes. In any case, do not hesitate to ask for feedback.

According to organizational psychologist Cary Cooper, clear expectations and thoughtful feedback are the keys to reducing anxiety. Many people feel uncomfortable asking for clarification and feedback from a client or manager, but it is necessary. Try to arrange regular face-to-face meetings or video calls so that you can discuss all the details and feel that you are really moving forward.