If you wake up with a pit in your stomach every workday, you aren’t alone. According to ADAA, nearly one in five adults suffer from anxiety. That’s 20% of the adult population in America! With so many people experiencing anxiety every day, it’s no wonder it manifests itself in our work lives. How could it not? While anxiety as a whole must be treated and tended to, there are a few things you should keep in mind when it comes to workplace stress. If you’re experiencing anxiety about going to work everyday, check out our list of thoughts to consider – you may find that your anxiety at work deflates easier than you thought! Let’s dive in.
A Bit About Myself (Plus A Mandatory Disclaimer)
As you may or may not know, I’ve had issues with general anxiety for many years. I’ve done my best to hide it from others, but I’ve also never gotten rid of it. Throughout my career as a Project Manager, I’ve experienced many uncomfortable anxiety-induced feelings related to my performance and self-esteem. Here are a few common experiences I’ve had throughout my career:
- Having a panic attack immediately after waking up – elevated heartbeat, difficulty breathing, racing thoughts about the day ahead
- Getting waves of nerves whenever I receive a call or email – is it something bad?
- Worrying about a meeting or conversation that will contain disagreement, conflict or bad news.
- Feeling that I’m a failure when things go wrong; that others wouldn’t have made the same mistake as I did.
- Letting my project’s results affect my self-esteem at work and at home.
- Allowing others to put unnecessary amounts of pressure on me.
In summary, I’ve experienced anxiety about going to work in many different forms and feel compelled to share what I’ve learned!
Mandatory disclaimer: I am not a psychologist or mental help professional! I am writing this article based on my experiences with workplace anxiety. Please seek out the help of a professional if you require it. I’ve done that, too.
How To Quell Anxiety About Going To Work Everyday: 7 Tips
Although I still experience anxiety about work from time to time, I almost never feel the way I used to feel on a regular basis. If you’re experiencing anxiety about going to work every day, give these 7 tips a try:
- Perspective: Nothing In Life Is That Serious
- Self-Reflection: Are We Trying As Hard As We Need To? Are There Things We Can Improve?
- Awareness: Is Someone Making Me More Anxious Than Necessary? Am I Doing It To Myself?
- Analysis: Is My Anxiety Stemming From Specific Experiences Or A Particular Person From My Earlier Years?
- Comparison: Is The Workload That I’m Given Fair? Am I Doing The Same Work As Others At My Skill/Pay Levels?
- Self-Love: Is Life Outside Of Work Balanced?
- Realization: Everyone Makes Mistakes; All People Can Improve In Some Way
Let’s talk a bit more about each of these mindsets – scroll below!
1. Nothing In Life Is That Serious
“If you ever start taking things too seriously, just remember that we are talking monkeys on an organic spaceship flying through the universe.”
-Joe Rogan
Yes, we care about our jobs. Sure, we’re passionate about our careers and where they’re headed. At the end of the day, though, we don’t NEED our jobs to define us.
What we really need is money to live on. We can buy food, keep a roof over our heads, get around and actually experience things once we have money. Other than that, we don’t technically need a job.
Beyond covering the basics, our careers should be centered around work we find rewarding and enjoyable. Not around us feeling miserable or anxious.
Even if we hate our jobs and the people there, it’s not that big of a deal. Care less. Don’t worry so much about what others think. Realize that you’re more than your job; that your workplace performance is not the sum of everything you are as a person.
Read Next: How To Relax After Work: 10 Easy Ways
2. Are We Trying As Hard As We Need To? Are There Things We Can Improve?
If you’re anxious about your performance at work, it can help to look at ourselves objectively.
Are there things you’re doing that can be improved? Are you putting in the type of effort that gets results in your field?
It’s a lot easier to soothe our anxieties about work when we’re putting in our best effort and improving ourselves. If we’re doing both these things, let the rest unfold naturally.
I’m not saying to work as many hours as you can in order to ‘perform’ your best – see item 6. If we’re behind at work and it’s causing us anxiety, an extra hour a day for just a week or two can make a big difference!
Read Next: How Can I Get Back My Focus At Work? 4 Common Situations
3. Is Someone Making Me More Anxious Than Necessary? Am I Doing It To Myself?
One of the biggest causes of me feeling anxiety about going to work was a nasty, manipulative boss I had. Does this sound familiar?
In my case, everyone in my office was anxious about coming to work because of him. No one wanted to spend more than the bare minimum amount of time interacting with the guy. If you’re feeling this way, your coworkers are, too.
If this sounds familiar, consider if a specific coworker or work task is putting extra pressure on you. You then know where the issue stems from and what needs to happen next.
Read Next: How To Not Get Bullied At Work: Essential Tactics
4. Is My Anxiety Stemming From Specific Experiences Or A Particular Person From My Earlier Years?
Many anxious tendencies can be traced back to a specific source from our childhood.
If you had an overbearing or negative parent, you’re likely to see the world through a similar lens as they do. After all, their influence is what shaped you into the person you are today.
It’s helpful to recognize if any of your thought patterns about work mirror that which occurred in your early years. You can then go about releasing the actual issues within you, which will help reduce anxiety about going to work in the future.
Read Next: Project Management Perfectionism: Rise Above With These Simple Tips
5. Is The Workload That I’m Given Fair? Am I Doing The Same Work As Others At My Skill/Pay Levels?
If you’re overworked or handling more than a typical amount of responsibility, there’s a high likelihood that you’re handling your situation just as well as anyone else would in your shoes.
When work quality slips as we fall behind, it’s easy to begin blaming ourselves. Maybe we aren’t as good as we thought. If we continue to underperform, we could lose our job. This can trigger anxiety about going to work, which will only make the entire situation worse.
It’s important that we know how much work we should be handling and whether or not we’re getting overworked. Rather than stress it, it’s important to bring it up to management (document this as needed).
Read Next: How To Stop Being Too Nice At Work: 12 Simple, Quick Techniques
6. Is Life Outside Of Work Balanced?
When working long hours, it’s inevitable that other parts of your life will suffer in some way.
A balanced life consists of working hard, staying active, maintaining healthy habits, taking care of our personal needs, having relationships with others and pursuing the things we want to do.
If one or more of these things is out of sync, it’s likely going to manifest itself at work. If you’re feeling anxiety about going to work every day, it’s good to observe which other parts of your life are suffering. It’s all about balance.
Read Next: How To Have A Life Outside Of Work: Give These 10 Tips A Try
7. Everyone Makes Mistakes; All People Can Improve In Some Way
Are you beating yourself up over a mistake? Don’t. Everyone makes a mistake at work at some point – no exceptions.
It’s easy to be depressed after making a mistake at work, especially if we have someone beating us up (metaphorically) over it – even if it’s just in our minds as per section 4.
In summary, don’t beat yourself up over mistakes at work so long as you learn from them. We all make mistakes. If you don’t believe me, you can always check out this Reddit thread dedicated to workplace mistakes.
Read Next: Working At A Large Company Vs. Small Company: The Pros & Cons
PROMOTED
Curing Anxiety About Going To Work: In Summary
If you’re feeling serious anxiety about going to work each day, we know you’re in pain. Thankfully, you can have some peace of mind. Not only is workplace anxiety a common issue, but we hold the key to solving any of our own problems. I hope the 7 solutions we’ve discussed in this article have been helpful for you. Thanks a lot for reading!
