Are You Really Just "Stressed" at Work?
In-office work is hell, that’s a given.?
But even the most enjoyable of jobs can become really stressful.?
There are days that feel more difficult than others. Sometimes, not even your dream job, your amazing team, or your great performance is enough to give you a convincing feeling of calm and/or control.?
There are days when it all feels out of place.
One of the tricky, awful things about anxiety is that, for the one who suffers from it, it can become a grand, terrifying mystery to uncover.?
Especially in the workplace, where it feels like everyone can see you losing it.
Perhaps you’re just having a rough day at your job. A rough week, even. But there’s also a chance you may be experiencing work-related anxiety.?
With a wide array of symptoms and triggers, its effects can sometimes be almost too broad and chaotic to be identified by anyone that’s not a trained mental health professional.
Certainly, that doesn’t help make matters any less confusing, so let’s break it down a bit.
Do I Have Anxiety?
When you’re experiencing anxiety, a whole range of physical and psychological reactions can emerge and start to develop, that go from the somewhat uncomfortable: excessive sweating, general nervousness, increased irritability, etc; to the flat-out terrifying: panic attacks, chest pains, inexplicable fainting, et al.
So, how can you tell if it is anxiety or just work-related stress?
Well, it can be said that stress is the body’s reaction to a threat, while anxiety is the body’s reaction to persistent stress.
Typically, stress is born from an external factor, such as a deadline, the difficulty of a task, or a specific interpersonal problem.?
When facing a stressful situation, it is often best to approach it head-on, since a swift and effective solution will usually help the negative feelings subside.
Things, get more complicated when we discuss proper anxiety, which stems from internal issues and stimuli, such as a persistent sensation of dread, ill-being, and feelings of insecurity due to an apparent loss of control.
In this case, merely solving a stressful situation probably won’t fix the problem, and may require approaching things with the aid of a professional.
Scary stuff, we know, but honestly, in this day and age, it is almost impossible to find someone who hasn’t experienced anxiety at some point in their lifetime.?
Nonetheless, it doesn’t mean that this topic has been completely normalized as a conversation in the workplace, be that in-office or remotely.
And it should be. So let’s talk about it.
Is It Normal?
Short answer: yes it is.
A somewhat longer answer: yes it’s normal.?
According to a 2016 article, office workers are 2.17 times more likely to exhibit symptoms of anxiety and depression, as compared to workers in other industries, such as manufacturing.
Why? Well, this is not the only instance of white-collar employment being linked to detrimental mental health situations for workers, since the environment (physical space) and its conditions can and will affect you, too.?
Enclosed, isolated, and poorly ventilated office spaces and monotonous, tiresome, and unchanging work routines can heavily contribute to negative mental health conditions in adults. This has been thoroughly documented.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), anxiety disorders are the most common mental health condition in adults.?
Some of these include generalized anxiety disorder, PTSD, agoraphobia, social anxiety, among others.?
That’s a lot. It’s rough.
The good thing is that you’re definitely not alone in this, as countless people struggle with anxiety disorders every day.
The hardest part is when this trouble arises at work.?
For instance:
8 o’clock. You feel awful.?
You’ve been awake for hours now but still haven’t gotten up from bed.?
You work from home, yet can’t stand the idea of logging into your job.?
It’s almost time to clock in.?
The negative feelings start concentrating as you stare blankly at the screen of your laptop.?
Before losing all grasp of any sense of control, you decide to take the hardest step of them all: you wish your team good morning.?
Everything inside you feels wrong, but now the workday has officially begun.?
Time for a zoom meeting.
We know.?
What can you do as an employee?
As hopeless as you may feel in those moments, there are ways to survive through the workday and make it out alive.?
The most important thing you can do is to organize yourself and split your day into small, manageable, essential tasks.
Doing this helps you from both a productivity standpoint, allowing you to visualize, assess and prioritize your pending work, as well as from a mindful standpoint, as it lets you get everything out of your head and put things into a more realistic perspective.?
The trick here is to break everything down into its most manageable, least intimidating elements.?
Strategizing an effective workflow, even if it doesn’t outright solve the core issue, can and will help you survive through the day.
Albeit this is a functional, productivity-focused tip, it is vital that you do not underestimate the importance of seeking counsel from a mental health professional.?
Treating anxiety is a very nuanced and complex issue, and as such, should be left to people trained in the subject.?
Don’t be afraid to reach out for help.?
What can you do as an employer??
As someone in a managerial position, you surely know that productivity is essential in the workplace.?Nevertheless, the only way you can reliably secure your teams’ performance and quality is by fostering their general well-being.?
Just as you would work out a situation with someone who’s got a physical ailment, you must make sure to accommodate a person who’s struggling with any kind of mental health issue so they can continue to perform their roles effectively as part of the unit.
Mental Health Counseling for Businesses is one effective way to do this.
There are several companies that offer training and education provided by professionals who will give you the right tools and techniques to challenge any preconceived notions on psychological conditions as well as improve communication and respect amongst coworkers.
Maintaining an “open door” policy can help your employees feel safe and less anxious about having to talk about their difficulties with some tasks.
This will give them the sense of their needs being taken into consideration.
Although sometimes it can reach extreme points, in most cases mild anxiety disorders manifest themselves temporarily in somebody’s life; progressively fading away with patience, tools, and guidance from a licensed professional. They could happen to any one of us.
It is impossible to know who will experience psychological hardship at work, but as members of a breathing, living, working company it is always a good idea to stay updated, open and conscious on the matter.
When it comes to mental health, - both home and at work - honesty, empathy, respect, and open-mindedness can and will lead the way.
One day at a time.