How to manage anxiety at work | Top 5 tips

It is not a secret that work anxiety can affect your and your team’s performance at work. And it is also a very well-known fact that anxiety and stress at work can hurt your personal life. Anxiety and stress not only affect your workplace performance but also negatively impacts your relationship with co-workers and peers, quality of work and relationship with your superiors.

There may be a lot of factors causing workplace anxiety, but the most common ones are things like unrealistic deadlines, staff management, interpersonal relationships and dealing with problems at work(1).

You may be able to notice symptoms of anxiety if someone is displaying signs like feeling a bit panicky, being irritable, having unexplained pains, feeling restless, fatigued, having difficulty controlling feelings of worry etc.(2)

People feeling anxiety or fear may also experience a panic attack. Panic attacks are sudden episodes of intense discomfort, fear, or a sense of losing control even when there is no apparent danger or trigger(2). During a panic attack, people may show signs of pounding heart rate, excessive sweating, tingling sensation, and chest pain(1).

So, what do we do about anxiety at workplace, and how do we manage it?

Acknowledgement:

First off, keep in mind that we will all experience some sort of anxiety from time to time. That’s the hard reality of adult life. There are too many uncertain things happening around us which are out of our control. So, accepting the fact that we feel anxious, fearful, and worrisome is ok, even if we don’t know how to recognise it just yet(2).

Avoid Gossip:

Having a genuine connection with your co-workers can be one of the most empowering things at workplace. However, often a group of friends engage in gossip and rumours. If you feel anxious while having a conversation, then feel free to step away or even tell your teammates/manager that you are feeling uncomfortable. Where possible, you should stick to the facts. Facts will not only give you confidence but will also help you to get your emotional balance back.

Work-Life balance:

There is much more to your and your team’s lives than work. Encourage a healthy work-life balance with giving and receiving realistic deadlines. A good Work-life balance will let people focus on their families, friends, hobbies, and work. When they don’t feel under pressure, their general mood will improve, and they will have more positivity. This may also allow the employees to some time and space to re-focus.

Communication:

In-person communication with the employees is always the best as the email can be misinterpreted. In-person communication allows you to better understand the emotion and empathise with your employees. Also, try and keep the communication within your team as open as possible but be careful here as sometimes friendly banter can become insulting for some employees and cause anxiety. As a leader, you may also want to give accurate and timely feedback and if you are providing negative feedback, then do it with empathy and compassion.

Ask for help:

Asking for help has a twofold meaning here. Firstly, ask for help from a co-worker or your manager. We usually don’t ask for help, thinking that others will think of us as incompetent or lazy. And we continue to put unnecessary pressure on ourselves. So if you feel anxious about a project, task, or deadline, then speak with your co-workers or manager and ask for help. Encouraging this at workplace develops an excellent interpersonal relationship and builds confidence in the team.

Secondly, most companies these days have access to EAP (employee assistance program). If you think someone in your team or you need professional help, ask your employer if they offer this service. A psychologist can help you with concerns such as depression, anxiety or other stressful events in your life that can cause mental health difficulties.

In summary, it is inevitable to feel anxious in today's ever-so-fast-paced workplace environment. However, it gets easier to manage if you can recognise the cause and symptoms. Take the long hard look approach to your anxiety, fear, and stress at work. Think about, what’s the worst that can happen? What is the best-case scenario, and then try and find the most realistic outcome? Focus on reality and facts and ask for help if needed.