8 Effective Tips for Managing Anxiety at Work
When you have an anxiety disorder, your work and co-workers will be affected. You may turn down great opportunities that can help you grow because you are too scared to try. You usually avoid staff lunches, company parties and other occasions with your co-workers.
Situations that may seem normal to others are difficult for you, like meeting deadlines, dealing with office problems, maintaining relationships with co-workers, making presentations and participating in meetings.
Here are twelve top tips or managing your anxiety at work.
Concentrate on Your Work
It can boost your self-esteem, especially if you are doing a great job. Anxiety can have a huge impact on concentration as people often waste concentration trying to prepare for every eventuality. To help with this, try to learn to accept some things are out with your control and distract your mind by focusing on one task at a time.
Tell A Co-Worker You Trust. Knowing that someone is aware of your condition, which can be comforting on your part. You can rest easy knowing there is someone who can help you in the event you have a panic attack while at work.
Don’t forget, when it comes to mental health in the workplace, whether that is an anxiety disorder, depression or stress, you can always seek support in the workplace.
Know Everyone’s Names
Having a solid one-to-one relationship with people in the office makes it easier to connect with the people you work with, praise accomplishments and address problems. This starts by knowing people’s names and responsibilities. If you forget someone’s name, don’t be embarrassed to ask again – it happens to everyone!
Having these relationships will likely make you feel more at ease when you need to interact with them, or if you need any help.
Educate Yourself
Read up on topics about your anxiety disorder. Be aware of the symptoms and what to do if they manifest at work. There are a lot of medical resources online to help with learning, as well as blogs, websites, and if you feel you need it, professional help.
Plan and Prepare
Start major projects early. Also, setting mini-deadlines for yourself can be helpful as well. With this, you can anticipate any problem and find ways to prevent them.
Be realistic
Know your limits and do not commit to something you do not have enough time for. It’s a well-known fact that our bodies and minds don’t function as well when we’re tired, so know when you need to stop and take some time.
Take a few minutes to walk away from your desk, and perhaps step outside for a change of scenery and a breath of fresh air.
Be Organised
Clean up your desk. It may seem unimportant, but having a pleasant space to work can give you the peace of mind you need to complete any task at hand.
Creating lists, writing things down, and staying on top of appointments can make you feel more prepared for whatever the day throws at you.
Be Open About Workload Struggles
Talk to your co-workers if you are struggling with a task and try to be calm when you speak up. A good strategy is to share your concerns with your line manager who may be able to help you priorities and advise you o how you can to meet your deadline.
If you do not feel able to share your concerns with your manager, seek out a co-worker who you respect and trust. Just being able to offload may have the stress-relieving effect you need.