How to Overcome Work Anxiety: 3 Essential Steps

2023-10-03 11:18:35

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Sick days are on the rise, according to the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD). And, perhaps unsurprisingly — given the cost of living crises and a change in working conditions post-pandemic, ‘worry’ (aka stress) is cited as one of the biggest reasons for absenteeism.

In total sick days have jumped annually from 5.8 to 7.8 days per annum and 76 percent of organisations reported stress-related absence. But it’s not just external factors that are to blame for more and more people needing to take time off because of stress. The top cause for this jump? Heavy workloads.

Step One: Identify what you can *actually* control

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“The first thing employees can do to help themselves worry less is to stop and ask themselves; what is ONE thing I can do right now to reduce my worry and stress levels?” Asks Ruth Kudzi, a Psychology and Neuroscience Expert.

She also recommends doing this throughout the day, if worry or stress persists. “By checking in regularly and reflecting, it helps us to identify our triggers and this allows us to intervene and do what works for us at the start, rather than when we are nearer crisis point,” Kudzi explains.

Once you know what is in your control, you can begin to start removing things that are weighing on you. “Imagine there’s a bucket inside your body, collecting every ounce of your stress and worry,” says Kudzi, “Sometimes, we have so much going on that our buckets overflow.”

Whatever it is for you, taking stuff off your plate and reducing your tasks or responsibilities could really help manage the day-to-day.

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Step Two: Acknowledge and accept your feelings, then breathe

“Stress isn’t avoidable, but it can be managed,” says Kudzi. She advises that there’s no point in running away from your emotions, instead, it’s better to feel your way through them.

“When we’re worried and stressed, cortisol levels leap up and we find it difficult to make decisions. If you’re feeling anxious, worried, emotional, or angry.”

Identifying emotions can help us reduce stress and help us regain control of our minds.

Kudzi recommends trying simple breathing exercises such as ‘box breathing’ to help reduce cortisol levels in the body and bring you back to the here and now (and away from that dangerous spiral).

This technique helps to distract the mind and calms the nervous system by stimulating the vagus nerve, the main nerve of your parasympathetic nervous system. By soothing it, it helps your body enter a state of ‘rest and digest’ and away from ‘fight or flight’, which, in turn, helps you make more mindful decisions and less knee-jerked panicked ones.

Step Three: Prioritise and protect your peace with boundaries

If you’re noticing your calendar fill at breakneck speed, or your to-do list accumulate into a Sisyphean set of tasks, then you might (quite understandably) want to rage quite there and then. But, it doesn’t have to be this way.

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Instead, focus on reprioritising your workload. “Take a step back and ask yourself: ‘What are my priorities?’ and ‘How could I be more effective here?’,” says Kudzi.

Asking these questions can help you to find where your attention is most needed, and allow you to take even more out of your stress bucket.

While setting firm boundaries at work might bring a dry lump to your throat, remember that setting boundaries is a reasonable thing to do — and not something you should need to apologize for.

If you’re unsure of how to set a boundary at work, Kudzi suggests using clear and direct language if you’re unable to do something.

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“Don’t worry if people aren’t happy about it - people may respond negatively to you setting boundaries but don’t feel guilty,” says Kudzi. “Some people take advantage of a lack of boundaries and might not enjoy your decision to protect yourself.”

She suggests having a post-boundary setting mantra, such as ‘I’m doing this because I care about myself.’ And to remember that practice makes perfect.

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