How to deal with anxiety at work

I’ve personally suffered a lot with anxiety at work.  This blog post is a reflection of the approach I finally ended up with that has worked for me on how to deal with anxiety at work.  Anxiety is really personal though, so I’d love to hear what works for you.

Types of work-based anxiety

There are three main types of anxiety that show up in relation to work (though can affect life outside of work very much) –

1. Situational based anxiety which is specific to for example presenting or specific meetings – or even attendance in the office.
2. Performance based anxiety – linked to self esteem and self confidence – where imposter syndrome comes in, ‘People like me don’t get to…’ and ‘I’m not good enough…’
3. Layoff anxiety – am I going to keep my job?

Approach for how to deal with anxiety at work

I have a 3 step approach to managing anxiety, which relates to all of the above.

1. Short term anxiety management

   Immediate anxiety relief IN THE MOMENT (because when you’re feeling it, you need techniques you can use NOW)

2. Medium term anxiety management

   Over the course of the next few weeks what can you do to help yourself generally reduce overall levels of anxiety

3. Long term anxiety management

   Once anxiety feels more under control, how to stay on top of it.

So, here’s a short list of ideas and techniques that have worked for me.

Short term – how to deal with anxiety at work: IN THE MOMENT relief

As far as I’m concerned, this is the most important one. When anxiety (or even panic) strikes badly, you need relief from it RIGHT now, in the moment. You feel anxiety rising in your body and you can’t perform.  It takes over your body, making you feel edgy, tense, maybe even sick or like you need to run to the toilet.  You can’t think straight, focus on what you need to do properly at work, nor behave in an emotionally rational way – in fact what you probably want to do more than anything is shout / cry / run away.  This is likely to be the sort of anxiety that comes up either just before, or during a situation (such as a meeting, conversation, presentation).

Ideally think about this ahead of time, so that you have your approach decided before it’s needed. Here’s some things you can use to reduce anxiety in the moment when at work:

1. Write notes

   …about what’s being said in the current situation or meeting that you’re in. Having to absorb what people are saying, understand it and then interpret that by writing it in your own words on paper actually puts you into a mindful activity (because you’re focused on what is happening in the current moment) which can distract you from the physical feelings you may be feeling inside. Good old fashioned writing with pen and paper is more effective than typing in this situation.

2. Memorise 

   …what people are saying. Focusing on what others are saying and working hard to commit as much detail to memory of it distracts you from your own internal feelings of anxiety.

3. Stand up / walk

   When our body goes into fight or flight mode (which is what anxiety is), then our body needs to move to deal with the perceived ‘threat’. by taking some movement and standing up or walking, you’re nervous system will get the feedback that you’re acting on the feelings, and this will help dissipate the heightened feelings of anxiety. Even just standing up and walking to another location within a meeting room, or to a whiteboard, or to point at something on a screen can be enough to help you with this.  If you need to have a difficult conversation, can you take a walk with someone to do it? This also removes the pressure of staring at one another over the desk or via video call.

4. Breathing techniques  

   If you’re in a position to do so, then either physiological sigh, or 4-7-8 breathing. These breathing techniques are designed to calm your nervous system down.

5. Mindfulness technique

   If you can take a quiet minute to yourself use the 3-3-3 technique (name 3 things you can see, 3 you can hear, 3 you can feel)

6. Medication

   If it’s panic attacks that you’re dealing with and you know what your triggers are / can predict the situations where it’s likely to occur (e.g. presenting) then there is medication that can help you in that moment which you can take beforehand – propranolol – it doesn’t stop the anxiety, but it does stop you from feeling the symptoms of panic. See your doctor for a prescription that you can have and take in the hour or so before you need to perform.

How to deal with anxiety at work in the medium term – days / weeks ahead

So, assuming you’re not right in the thick of a specifically anxious or panicked moment at work – if you’re generally going through a number of days or weeks where anxiety is affecting you (e.g. not sleeping well, feeling on edge etc), then these are something ing you can do to reduce your overall level of anxiety within a few days / weeks. 

1. Worry time 

   Set aside a specific time slot for worrying each day. Ideally this should be after your working day has completed, and at least a couple of hours before bed – so early evening. As you notice yourself worrying during the day, interrupt the thought pattern by telling yourself you’ll come to this at ‘worry time’, and so you’re parking it for now.  Then ensure to put 10-20mins aside to write down (write, not type) 5 0r 6 worries each evening and think through likely outcomes with each one. Once you’ve done the exercise, then stop, park the worries and go back to waiting until the same slot the next day before you revisit them.

2. Dietary changes 

   Cut down – or cut out if possible – caffeine, alcohol and sugar. I know they’re enjoyable (and you probably keep telling yourself that you need the nice things to balance the hard time you’re having), but they all make anxiety worse.  Some day I’ll write a separate blog explaining why, but believe me, I’ve done the research and there’s science behind this. And don’t forget that a lot of carbs such as bread, pastry, pasta and rice are mainly made up of sugars.

3. Exercise 

   Exercise reduces cortisol.  If you can do it in the morning then it’s great to use up excess adrenalin at that time when adrenalin peaks (7am), which may be when anxiety feels at its worst.  Science shows that moderate exercise is actually better for you than intense exercise if cortisol levels are high due to stress and/or anxiety.

4. Mindfulness/ meditation habit

   Committing to this is a long term commitment to your future good mental health.  It’s really ahrd to do when going through a period of heightened stress or anxiety, ironic obviously as that’s when you most need it. If you don’t current have a practice in place then you could try starting really small – one minute of trying to focus on your breathing before you start your working day, or before a stressful meeting. Look to build this up over time.

5. Daily routines

   Morning and evening routines as you start and end your day. Having routines actually removes stress because once you’re in routines there’s less thought needed to run your day, and less decisions to make. That’s why people in very senior roles will often wear the same clothes each day – e.g. Steve Jobs and his famous turtleneck black t-shirt.

6. Social media

   If social media makes you feel worse about life rather than better, then force yourself to put some boundaries in around how much time you spend on it – or even pause using it altogether. If that feels too hard, then see if you can create your feeds to at least remove the content that brings you down, and instead gives you more uplifting / supportive content… feel free to follow me on Instagram 🙂

7. Boundaries

   Do you need to put some boundaries in place around how many hours you spend working, and your availability for work emails / calls during evenings and weekends? Do you need to put some boundaries in place for a few weeks around demands of other people (family / friends) during this particular period of time when you’re feeling a heightened level of anxiety?

How to deal with anxiety at work longer term – for a calmer future

These are the strategies that if you work on them now, it should mean that in a few months time you’re going to be feeling in a different place.

1. Returning to office / going into office more

   Working at home may feel like you’re removing the stress of commuting / having to socialise – HOWEVER reduced social contact increases feelings of loneliness and isolation… which leads to anxiety. Whilst going into the office more may feel like it’s adding stress in the short term – it may be exactly what you need longer term to build a sense of belonging, feeling part of a team and getting some of the softer and more emotional benefits of being in a workplace that are missing in home working.

2. Workload

   Do you need to talk to your manager about either the volume and / or the type of work that you’re doing?

3. Flexibile work arrangements

   Would a more flexible approach such as an agreement to reduce hours / reduce pay work better for you?

4. Workplace / career 

   Is it the right one for you? If your workplace feels toxic, the workload is too much, or the type of work you’re doing makes you feel stressed and anxious then you may want to question whether staying in the current job is worth compromising your mental health. If layoff anxiety feels constant, then would you be better moving somewhere else?

5. Confide

   Can you speak to your manager, or someone else you trust at work about how you’re feeling?  They may be able to put some of your worries to rest (e.g. about layoffs, or your performance) – or help you come up with a plan to deal with any specific problems.

6. Help at home

   If juggling everything at home as well as work is causing you to feel overwhelmed, then look for ways to ease this. Can you lean on other people in your household to do more?  Is there someone you live close to that you ask for some help from? Can you pay someone to help you out and remove workload / things to worry about elsewhere in your life?

7. Fun / relaxation 

   Are you making time for things that you enjoy doing? Do you have things you do which allow you to use your creativity? It’s easy to get stuck in the same routines outside of work such as plonking yourself in front of a screen each evening, and doing the same routine things each weekend. Maybe you need to introduce some more things into your life which give you a different focus – a new hobby, or class you’d like to take – or you need to commit to spending more time with friends doing the things you enjoy.

8. Mindset resetting

   Self-limiting beliefs about your lack of capability, imposter syndrome or your own unfavourable comparison with others may be part of the root cause of your work-based anxiety.  If this is the case then you may want to do some deeper internal work, which may be best done by working with a coach or therapist

9. Trauma

   If you think longer term trauma may be the underlying cause of your anxiety, then seek out a therapist to support you in processing the trauma in a healthy way.

I hope you’ve found these suggestions useful on how to deal with anxiety at work! I’d love to hear your feedback, including any additional techniques that you’ve found useful in how to deal with anxiety at work.