How My Anxiety Presents in My Work

Even though about 30% of people experience anxiety at some point in their lives(https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/anxiety-disorders/what-are-anxiety-disorders#:~:text=Anxiety%20disorders%20are%20the%20most,people%20lead%20normal%20productive%20lives.), the experience of it can, at times, be soul-crushing. Anxiety makes it difficult to stay objective with reality and be present in everyday life. At its worst, the symptoms can feel downright debilitating.

Signs of Anxiety At Work

Sometimes anxiety is apparent in how it shows up at work. You feel nervous throughout the day or panicked that you won’t get things done. Other times, it’s more subtle, as it snakes its way through your daily interactions or to-do list.

Here are some of the main ways anxiety shows up at work:?

Dread

You feel like something bad is going to happen, even if you can’t articulate what that something is. Even a benign email from your boss sends you into a panic. You feel this pit in your stomach- it’s like everything is in knots.?

Dread can be one of the more difficult parts of anxiety in the workplace. When you experience dread, you might also experience apathy, which means you lose motivation and creativity. Nothing seems to matter because you automatically assume nothing will go well.

Dread also makes it hard to move through the day. You might find yourself sleeping late, calling into work sick more often than not, or doing the ‘bare minimum’ just to get by. This often is the intersection between anxiety and depression, and it can make the workday feel exhausting.?

Perfectionism

You hate making mistakes, especially when the mistake seems unavoidable. You’re hard on yourself, maybe working longer hours than everyone else. And you might struggle with taking and integrating feedback. Even when it’s constructive, it can feel like a personal attack.

People don’t always connect perfectionism to anxiety, but there’s often an undeniable relationship between both issues. Perfectionism acts as a way to control anxiety. You’ve given into the fallacy that if you do things “according to plan,” and “get it done right,” bad things won’t happen. And if and when bad things do happen, you tend to internalize the idea that you could have somehow changed the outcome.

Fatigue

You’re trying to focus, but you’re so tired. It’s like you can’t get enough sleep. Or because you’re anxious, you’re in a vicious cycle of feeling anxious about sleep itself (causing insomnia or nightmare symptoms). And so you’re moving through work feeling tired and rundown.

If you’re like most people, you probably try to cope with this fatigue by ‘powering through.’ You might down multiple cups of coffee or show up and try to give it your best. But doing so can, of course, exacerbate feeling even more exhausted.

Anxiety makes you tired because anxiety keeps your body in a chronic, hypervigilant state. We are all wired by our fight-or-flight systems. These systems protect our bodies from harm and aim to keep us as safe as possible. And while these systems are incredibly useful in life-threatening situations, they are draining when they’re used in everyday moments.

Social Nerves

Social influence affects the workplace in most settings. Even if you work on your own or remotely, you still likely interact with clients or colleagues throughout the day. But if you experience social anxiety, you find yourself feeling nervous during basic interactions. You’re worried about being judged. You’re also worried people can tell how anxious you are!

Social anxiety can have serious implications on your work performance. You might miss out on important opportunities because you fear rejection. Or, instead of voicing your opinion, you find yourself keeping quiet or letting others take the lead.?

Social anxiety often also creates a distancing effect. Even if you want to get close to other people, you may feel afraid of such vulnerability. You don’t want to be judged or ridiculed (even if you don’t have evidence supporting that this will happen).?

Imposter Syndrome

You have the job, but what if you’re really a fraud? You feel incredibly insecure about what you do, and you’re terrified that other people are going to find out. Are you really cut out for this work? And is it supposed to feel like you don’t know what you’re doing?

Imposter syndrome is pervasive in nearly every industry, especially for beginning professionals. It’s so normal to feel uncertain about yourself when you’re inexperienced in a specific craft. But it’s a relatively taboo concept, and most people don’t want to share their true feelings with their boss or colleagues. Therefore, there’s an isolation effect that often coincides with insecurity.

Imposter syndrome makes it challenging to believe in yourself, which makes it challenging to truly enjoy your work. You’re constantly assessing whether or not you’re making mistakes, and you may feel like everyone else is more competent than you. This reinforces a sense of low self-esteem and can?

Poor Concentration

You’re trying to pay attention at an important meeting or write up a significant report. But you just can’t focus. Your mind is a million miles away, no matter how often you try to redirect it to the task at hand. You’re frustrated! Why can’t you just concentrate?

Anxiety uses so many of your mental resources, which impacts your ability to focus. When your mind is so consumed with avoiding threats, you may experience a sensory overload. This presents as an over-stimulation, where you might find yourself increasingly sensitive to certain noises, sensations, or environmental cues.

Procrastination

You know you need to get a significant task done, but you can’t commit to actually doing it. Anything and everything acts as a distraction. You find yourself checking your email, going on social media, chatting with a coworker- anything but doing the task at hand.

Procrastination isn’t so much about willpower or even laziness. Most of the time, it’s a manifestation of anxiety. If you’re anxious, there’s this underlying sense that you’re incapable of completing a certain task. And if you struggle with perfectionistic-based anxiety, you might put off the task because you fear the results(https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/procrastination#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20most%20common,may%20also%20fear%20being%20criticized.).?

That said, it’s no secret that procrastination fuels even more anxiety. The longer you wait to do something, the more panicked you feel. And then you’re stuck with the scrambling effect, where you have to put in all your effort at the last moment.

Panic Attacks?

You feel like your heart is going to jump right out of your body. You can’t breathe or think straight. Everything feels like it’s out of control, and you’re spiraling. For a few moments (although it can feel like hours), it’s like you’re paralyzed with fear.

This is the essence of a panic attack, and it can feel terrifying when in the middle of one (especially if you don’t know what’s happening). Panic attacks can come on suddenly without warning, or they may have a specific trigger. But either way, they are physically and emotionally draining.

If you experience panic attacks at work, you might feel embarrassed about your symptoms. You might also be anxious about another episode happening again. If the panic attacks are recurrent and cause significant distress to your everyday life, you might be experiencing panic disorder.?

Existential Anxiety

You have this prevailing sense that things are meaningless and nothing matters. The inherent limits of your own existence frighten you. What if it’s all entirely insignificant? If death is inevitable, what’s the real point of doing anything?

When existential anxiety shows up at work, it’s likely to emerge as a blended feeling of hopelessness and despair. You feel hopeless about the limitations of life itself. You also feel despair in knowing that time is passing you by, and you can’t stop that from happening.

Existential anxiety, at times, can be motivating. People in unhappy jobs, for example, may harness their anxiety into realizing that it’s time to move onto something else. Or, even though they might come to terms with the inevitable restrictions of life, they choose to embrace their lives fully for what they are (and not for what they want them to be).?

Dealing With Anxiety at Work

Managing anxiety at work can be challenging, but it’s certainly possible to manage some of your symptoms and feel better about your mental health. Here are some tips to keep in mind.

Build a Healthy Support System

When it comes to anxiety, having the right support matters. This doesn’t automatically mean confiding in your boss or coworkers (although you may choose to do that). It does mean identifying the right people who can offer you compassion and empathy when you need it.?

Improve Time Management

Sometimes focusing on concrete tasks (and getting them done efficiently) can help reduce anxious feelings. This is especially true if you consistently feel overwhelmed at work. When you start each day, make a to-do list to prioritize which tasks need to be done first. As much as possible, aim to finish the most crucial or time-sensitive assignments before tackling other ones.

Limit or Avoid Multitasking

Multitasking can make you feel even more distracted and anxious. It can also result in wasting more time, especially if you need to return to your work to fix mistakes. Many people find it helpful to work through designated chunks of time (i.e. one hour) and then take planned breaks regularly.

Keep a Positive Work Environment?

Your physical environment affects your mood. A cluttered workspace, at best, is uninspiring. But it can also create more stress and anxiety, especially on busy days. Try to make your workspace as pleasant as you can. Prioritize plenty of sunlight and either real or fake plants.?

Set Work Boundaries?

It’s natural to feel anxious if you feel stretched too thin. You don’t need to oblige to every request that comes your way (if you feel like you must, that’s probably a sign of a toxic work environment). Set clear boundaries and try to avoid bringing your work home with you. If you need to renegotiate limits with your boss, consider doing so.?

Prioritize Your Physical Health

The mind and body are inevitably connected. Make sure to take time to eat, get physical activity, and sleep regularly. Try to limit or avoid mood-altering substances like alcohol, and try to be mindful of the trap of “waiting” for life to feel hectic to start taking care of yourself (that time won’t come!)

Final Thoughts

Anxiety manifests in the workplace in many different ways. Some symptoms may feel mildly inconvenient, but others can be extremely challenging. Regardless of your specific situation, if you’re struggling, reaching out for professional support often makes a difference. While anxiety can’t be cured, the right treatment offers relief and guidance.?

MedCircle@Work??

A full service mental health solution for businesses ready to create the next generation workplace by providing preventative mental health care to their employees positively impacting their quality of life, and the bottom line of the company.