When Work Becomes Overwhelming: How to Manage Workplace Anxiety
- Discovery Journal
- Aug 26, 2023
- 7 min read
Most people experience stressful days at work from time to time. Tight deadlines, difficult conversations, unexpected challenges and increasing workloads are all part of modern working life. However, when those feelings become constant and begin affecting your concentration, confidence and overall wellbeing, it may be more than everyday stress.
Workplace anxiety can affect anyone regardless of their role, experience or industry. It can make even simple tasks feel overwhelming, reduce productivity and leave you feeling mentally exhausted before the day has even finished.
The encouraging news is that workplace anxiety is manageable. Understanding what causes it, recognising your own triggers and developing practical coping strategies can make a significant difference. In this guide, we'll explore some of the most common causes of workplace anxiety, practical techniques for managing it and simple ways to regain a sense of control throughout your working day.
Understand your anxiety before trying to manage it
One of the biggest challenges with workplace anxiety is that it often feels unpredictable. The Discovery Journal helps you identify patterns by tracking your daily environment, interactions, emotions and behaviours. Over time, you begin to recognise which situations consistently increase your anxiety, making it easier to prepare for them and respond more effectively.
What Causes Workplace Anxiety?
To effectively manage anxiety at work, it's important to understand the roots of this experience and how it manifests in the workplace. Workplace anxiety can stem from a variety of factors. Common causes of workplace anxiety include:
Job insecurity - This can cause stress and anxiety for employees who fear losing their jobs and becoming redundant, or even fear of promotion and additional responsibility.
Challenging tasks - Can lead to anxiety, particularly if you feel ill-equipped to handle them or if the stakes are high.
Low autonomy - Feeling like you have little control over your workload or decision-making can also contribute to workplace anxiety.
Difficult relationships with colleagues or supervisors - Tense or uncomfortable workplace interactions can affect your day as well as productivity. Distraction or judgement due to interpersonal relationships can cause additional stress.
Income strains - The fear of losing money and unstable income can increase anxiety.
Reduced/Increased hours - Feeling pressure to get "everything done in a day", not making enough money or spending valuable time away from home.
Shift Work - Without a proper self-care (sleep/eating/exercise) routine, anxiety and depression can creep in due to neglect.
Commute - Long, tiresome or stressful commutes can increase anxiety before even getting to work.
By recognising these potential triggers, you can begin to take steps to manage them before they become overwhelming and negatively impact your mental health. In the following section, we will explore ways to identify anxiety triggers and develop straIt is important to remember that workplace anxiety is rarely caused by one single event. More often, it develops gradually through a combination of ongoing pressures that slowly overwhelm your nervous system. Recognising your own combination of triggers is often the first step towards reducing their impact.
Signs You May Be Experiencing Workplace Anxiety
Some of the symptoms of work anxiety?
Overwhelming or irrational worrying
Difficulty in falling asleep or staying asleep
Loss of interest in your job
Trouble concentrating
Easy to feel irritable
Always feeling tired
Many people dismiss these symptoms as simply "part of the job." Unfortunately, ignoring them often allows anxiety to build over time. Recognising changes in your mood, sleep, concentration or motivation early gives you a much greater opportunity to make positive changes before burnout develops.
The Discovery Journal mood calendar allows you to monitor changes in your mood over weeks and months rather than relying on memory. This makes it easier to recognise whether difficult days are isolated incidents or part of a larger pattern linked to your workload, environment or specific workplace situations.
Recognizing Anxiety Triggers
To identify your own anxiety triggers, take some time to reflect on your work experiences and note times when you have felt particularly stressed or overwhelmed. Ask yourself what factors contributed to those feelings - was it a specific task or project? A difficult conversation with a colleague or supervisor? A lack of control over a particular situation? By pinpointing these triggers, you can start to develop strategies for managing them more effectively.
Recording your thoughts throughout the day can sometimes feel unrealistic, particularly if you work in a busy office or public facing role. Instead, try spending five or ten minutes after work reflecting on your day. Recording your emotions while they are still fresh often reveals patterns that would otherwise be forgotten by the following morning.
The Discovery Journal is specially designed to help identify triggers of anxiety by simply noting down daily interactions and environments. By doing so the user can make connections, build a picture of their mood and track their emotions.
How the Discovery Journal Can Help
Rather than asking you simply how you feel, the Discovery Journal encourages you to record your environment, interactions, behaviours and emotional responses. Over time, these entries build a much clearer picture of your anxiety, allowing you to identify patterns that would otherwise be difficult to notice. Many people discover that it isn't work itself causing anxiety, but particular meetings, people, deadlines or situations that repeatedly appear throughout their journal.
Managing Anxiety in the Moment
When faced with overwhelming anxiety at that moment, it can be difficult to know what to do. However, there are some practical strategies you can implement to help manage those feelings and prevent them from spiralling out of control.
Controlled breathing -Take a few deep breaths, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth, which signals to your body to calm down.
Take a short walk - The change of scenery and movement can help you gain perspective and refocus your thoughts. When feeling overwhelmed or fatigued, removing yourself from that environment re-programs your brain and acts like a battery recharge.
Repeat a calming phrase -Repeat to yourself when feeling anxious. This can help to shift your mindset and remind you of your capabilities and strengths.
Stay present in the moment. Focus on the task at hand rather than allowing your mind to wander to future worries or past mistakes.
Speak to someone you trust - Take some time to speak to those around you about your anxieties and worries, voicing your emotions can calm you down and give you a new sense of perspective on the situation.
By implementing these strategies at that moment, you can help to manage your workplace anxiety and prevent it from becoming overwhelming. In the next section, we'll explore some long-term strategies for reducing workplace anxiety that yoRemember that being busy and being productive are not always the same thing. Anxiety often convinces us that everything is equally urgent, when in reality many tasks can wait. Learning to prioritise rather than simply react can significantly reduce workplace stress.u can implement to address the root causes and improve your overall well-being.,
Long-Term Strategies for Reducing Workplace Anxiety
To truly reduce workplace anxiety, it's important to address the root causes. While the tips discussed in the previous section can help in that moment, there are also long-term strategies you can implement to improve your overall well-being.
One approach is to examine your workload and see if there are any changes you can make to reduce stress. This might involve:
Delegating tasks
Setting more realistic deadlines
Talking to your supervisor about workload concerns
Prioritising tasks
Remember that being busy and being productive are not always the same thing. Anxiety often convinces us that everything is equally urgent, when in reality many tasks can wait. Learning to prioritise rather than simply react can significantly reduce workplace stress..
Another strategy is to evaluate your work environment and identify any factors that may be contributing to your anxiety. This could include:
Noise levels
Lighting
The layout of your workspace
By making small changes to your physical surroundings, you may be able to create a more calming and productive atmosphere.
Finally, consider seeking out professional support if your workplace anxiety persists. This could mean talking to a therapist, joining a support group, or reaching out to an employee assistance program. By addressing the underlying causes of your anxiety and taking steps to improve your overall well-being, you can create a healthier and more sustainable approach to managing stress at work.
In the next section, we'll explore where you can find additional resources and support to help manage workplace anxiety.,
Where to Find Help and Additional Resources
If you're experiencing workplace anxiety, it's important to know you're not alone. Many individuals struggle with anxiety in the workplace, and there are resources available to help them manage their symptoms.
Therapy can provide a safe space to discuss your anxiety and learn coping strategies to manage your symptoms. You can search for a therapist in your area online or ask your primary care physician for a referral.
Join a support group. Sharing your experiences with others who understand what you're going through can be incredibly validating and empowering. You can search for anxiety support groups in your community or online.
Many companies offer employee assistance programs (EAPs) that provide resources and support to employees facing a variety of challenges, including anxiety. EAPs may offer counselling services, legal or financial assistance, or referrals to other resources in the community. If you're not sure if your employer offers an EAP, check with your human resources department.
Finally, there are many online resources available for managing workplace anxiety. Websites offer information on anxiety disorders, self-help strategies, and support groups. Additionally, there are a variety of apps available that can help you track your symptoms, practice relaxation techniques, and manage stress.
Online Portals may be available through your workplace. Large companies and corporations tend to have online portals that feature mental health advice, discounts on products and experiences as well as informative advice about the hierarchy of the company and contact information for individual employees.
Remember, managing workplace anxiety is a process, and it may take time to find the strategies and resources that work best for you. With persistence and a little help, it's possible to create a healthier and more sustainable approach to managing stress at work.
In conclusion, workplace anxiety is a common experience that can impact our work performance, happiness, and overall well-being. Recognising anxiety triggers, managing anxiety in the moment, and implementing long-term strategies are crucial steps for reducing work-related anxiety. Additionally, seeking support from trusted colleagues, friends, family, or professionals can help improve our mental health and quality of life. Remember, prioritising our mental health is essential for our personal and professional growth. As the saying goes, "You can't pour from an empty cup," so take care of yourself first. By implementing these strategies and seeking support when needed, you can overcome work-related anxiety and thrive in your career.
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