Do you suffer from Stress? Its it helping you get work done, or is it detrimental to your health and performance? Stress happens to everyone whether it’s because of work or personal life and that’s normal. However, if you observe that your stress is constant and overwhelming, it could be signs of undiagnosed anxiety disorder. Anxiety at work can affect your performance and your career. Those who feel anxious in the workplace often make decisions with a level of anxiety. Some may even turn down opportunities and responsibilities because of how difficult it might be for them as it may cause further stress which leads to worry. This can have negative effects for both employees and the company so this needs to be addressed immediately to avoid poor results.

We want you to be able to understand the impact of Workplace Anxiety and learn some new ways of seeking help or reducing its effect on your performance. This article will talk more about what it is, how it increases, and what you can do about it.

What is workplace anxiety?

Employees often feel uneasy or worry at work because of the responsibilities and pressure they face every work day. This includes work relationships, working excessive hours, upcoming deadlines for projects, job performance or even a toxic workplace culture. It may seem common in the workplace and many people accept a level of stress or anxiety at work. However, this needs to be improved and companies can be held accountable of their employees’ well-being. They should prioritise their employees’ health as this can seriously affect their ability to do their job and personal life which in turn affects their work also.

Signs of anxiety at work

Since our daily work plays a big role in our life, to feel anxious is normal, especially when were under pressure because we feel that we are not good enough to do our job well. People who suffer from anxiety at work may have symptoms such as:

• Excessive or unreasonable worry
• Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep
• Overreaction to shock
• Feeling nervous
• Fatigue or tiredness
• Feeling like you have a lump in your throat
• Shaking or trembling
• Dry mouth
• Sweating
• A pounding/racing heart

Effects of work anxiety

Leaving the workplace with anxiety can cause you to feel bogged down even when you are at home. We often spend time worrying and overthinking our work performance so much that we forget that we have lives outside of work. We forget that we are people who need to rest and recharge. We are only humans who need to feel valued and appreciated, especially at work.

Here are some things to look out for:

1. Reduced self-efficacy

When we lose faith in ourselves, we tend to not perform well at work. When you have a hard time because of the pressure your managers give you, it becomes harder to stay resilient and have self-efficacy.

2. Loss of self-esteem

Many of us think that our jobs reflect how we see ourselves from a perspective. To some people, doing well at work is important but when unexpected challenges come running towards us, we tend to lose that self-esteem. When we are pressured in giving more than what we can give, it lowers our self-esteem and greatly affects how we perform in our day to day tasks.

3. Physical health issues

Of course, our bodies do not usually function well under a lot of stress for long periods of time. Some of these health issues can look like migraines, upset stomachs, heart diseases and even lack of sleep. This affects our immune system which makes us an easy target for common colds and other easy catching illnesses. Always remember that if you experience any stress related health issues, try to seek check-ups from a medical professional.

4. Poor performance

All of this comes to play when giving poor performance. Since anxiety at work affects our mental, emotional and physical health, we tend to give less than what we normally could as it makes it harder to get the support we need from our managers. Any sudden change in an employee’s performance is big warning sign of possible underlying stress and anxiety.

Seeking help

The answer is always YES when it comes to seeking help. Although you should let your employer know that you suffer from work-related anxiety. Some employees tend to do this because they need to teach people how they are feeling and not hide their emotions . Create an awareness that also helps others in the workplace understand it is ok to not be OK. Of course, an employer cannot and should not resist requests for self-care days. Nor can they refuse you to work for them just because you have developed a disease that cannot be treated or controlled.

Coping with anxiety at work

1. Knowing the reason

We do our daily task at work without noticing or realising that it is too much for us to handle. There is a reason why we feel stress or anxious, Identifying the reason why stress occur at work is needed.

2. Organise your workday

Organising your work. Like creating a schedule will help know which task should prioritise, aside from that giving yourself a break sometime can help you stay motivated and focus on completing the task without feeling anxious.

3. Work on a timeline

Be flexible with yourself on how long you think you can handle the thing you are facing at work, this way you can avoid anxiety. Having a work timeline can help you keep aligned.

4. Exercise

In order to clear your mind and get rid of bad vibes that are caused by work related anxiety and stress you must do exercise. Reach out professional doctors to help you know what best exercise you needed. However, there are lots of options that you can choose, such as walking, strolling on a bike and even do yoga or dancing at home. These options can an definitely ease the worry.

5. It’s not you, it’s the job

When all things are considered, sometimes it’s just best to move on and start fresh. Let’s be honest, if you’re really unhappy with what you do at your job and you have tried everything you can about expressing how you feel and still feel like your managers are just brushing it off, maybe it’s time to look for a new job that really values your work. Remember, no job is worth more than your mental health and well-being. You are not the problem, it’s just a job and that’s okay. You are allowed to feel that way, and it’s not your fault. When you decide to move on, you can venture out opportunities that fit your needs.

If you are suffering from anxiety we recommend seeking help from a co-worker, manager or even health professional depending on its severity. For training or individual coaching contact our team for more details on how we can assist.