For working professionals sedimentary jobs create a lot of challenges. These challenges are not just limited to the sitting postures but affects mind as well as physical health. While joining a new job or while managing targets feeling of fear, reluctance and awkwardness in office is often experienced by many. Handling clients and talking to a large audience creates also creates state of panic and palm starts to sweats. However, at times these situation causes emotional outrage and mental stress which is not normal. We began to overthink and worry obsessively about things to come. If these symptoms are recurring then it might be the trigger of anxiety. Understanding these symptoms and what provokes them needs to be recognised in order overcome the disorder.
What Triggers Anxiety at Work
Reaching on Time: The clock is ticking and you are stuck in traffic. Though, this may seem normal to normal people, reaching office within time is one of the biggest triggers that cause enormous palm sweating and face flushing. Anxiety attacks are mostly trigger with people getting anxious over time.
Peer Pressure: The urgency to meet deadlines and complete targets take a toll on life. To complete the tasks on time and to gain recognition at work, we often choose compete with pour peers and choose to work overtime. However, working 10-12 hours in the same posture cripples the normal life. Besides, the constant pressure of outperforming peers creates mental stress triggering anxiety.
Performance Appraisal: Though performance appraisal is the most awaited time of the year, fear of hearing any negative feedback is always dreaded. This is the time anxiety provokes negative thoughts about whether you have performed well, is the boss happy? was there anything that you did that calls for a bad feedback and did you make enough sales to be worthy of your job. These negative thoughts not only triggers panic attacks but also reduces the productivity.
Public Speaking and Client Presentations: Even after working for long, many professionals still have the fear of speaking in public also called Glossophobia. The fear of speaking in public and giving presentation in room full of colleagues and clients is another common cause that triggers anxiety. It makes the palms sweat as thoughts about how the presentation should be presented, whether you will be able to make your point, are uncontrollable. But, professionals are constantly dealing with presentations, conferences, video calls and clients which make them even more susceptible to workplace anxiety.
Obsession with Perfectionism: Perfectionism which is often called an attribute is actually masked with high functioning disorder or anxiety. Most of us are hell bent over providing work of utmost quality that too within deadline. However, perfectionism comes at a cost. It leads to developing symptoms of high function anxiety which is characterised by overthinking, over analysing and over preparing. However, too much attention and focus on the computer often make us exhausted and weaken the eyesight. The behavioural trait of worrying obsessively about not having submitted the work correctly surface the mind throughout the day thus making a person stressed.
Hacks to Cure Workplace Anxiety
Though there are many reasons that can trigger workplace anxiety, it can still be cured using a number of measures.
Understanding the symptoms
The first and foremost measure is understanding the symptoms being faced and differentiating them with any other disorder. This essentially means that there is a fine line between worrying and overanalysing. Acknowledging that it is not just worrying that makes you unproductive but overanalysing, overthinking and concluding situations before they happen, will provide a base that you are dealing with anxiety. We fail to understand that since we have anxiety, ruminating over situations, overpreparing and practising for meetings won’t be the long-term answer. One can understand that it is just another challenging day and it somehow will pass. Trying to control thoughts and thinking rationally through facts will somehow make you a lot calmer.
Face Your Fears Upfront: Facing issues and challenges upfront rather than running from situations will also reduce fear and anxiety to a great extent. As most of our though process is focus on the future and how things will turn out, we must try to think rationally. For instance, if an appraisal is around the corner and there is constant fear of getting a bad feedback. One must go back to facts and realise that there is no rational basis for any bad appraisal.
Try and adapt to new situations: New and unfamiliar situations make us uncomfortable as we are out of our safe zone. This is another reason causing anxiety. Therefore, trying to embrace changes and learning new work beforehand by understanding the needs of the situation will make you better prepared to adapt to the new environment. If there is a need for learning a new skill then it can be taken up to overcome any doubts and apprehensions.
Short Mediation Routine: Following a10-minute meditation regime will also greatly help at work. It will make the person a lot calmer and enhance your inner peace. Any situation that makes you fume with anxiety can be controlled if meditation is practised. Deep breathing and going out strolling will reduce the panic attacks.
Learn to Control Yourself: Understanding how the body and mind reacts in particular situation and form a pattern. Carefully monitoring when the heart paces fast and when you need to moderate your emotions and behavioural traits will help overcome the symptoms. Control mind and thoughts by engaging in other productive activities will help immensely in overcoming the situation.
Managing Work and Be Organised: Lastly the biggest factor to control anxiety is by avoiding any such situation that will trigger the attacks. Managing work efficiently, keeping a timetable, organising work and taking a disciplined approach to work will never make you anxious. If the targets and deadline are managed optimally then feeling or fear and nervousness will not prevail.
The above measure will definitely work towards improving your wellbeing, still if the issue persist it is advisable to consult a doctor. Besides, taking help of your support pillars like family and friends or co-workers at work by talking about your fears will also help sail through the situation.
