Anxiety About Going to Work Every Day? - Get Tips from an Anxiety Therapist
Introduction
My name is Halle Thomas. I'm an anxiety therapist for millennial professionals in both Colorado and Oregon.
Work anxiety can be sneaky. I can start off as a general disinterest in getting up after your alarm goes off in the morning. It can also show up as feeling a little nervous as you get ready to log in to an online meeting, or walk through the front door of your office.
As time goes on, though, feeling anxious about work can turn into full on dread about the workday ahead. You might find yourself cancelling meetings at the last minute, feeling physically ill while on a work call, using more sick days than usual (to avoid the discomfort of being present at work), or even questioning your entire career choice.
In this blog post I'll be covering some of the common reasons why working anxiety happens, strategies you can use to manage it, and how to tell if you need additional support.
Understanding Work Anxiety
What Is Work Anxiety?
Work anxiety can be defined as excessive worry that centers around your workplace, work related tasks, and career decisions. Some common symptoms include, but aren’t limited to, the following:
Crying (or crying more than usual)
Constant worry
Feeling the need to perform perfectly
Changes in your sleep (especially not sleeping enough)
Difficulty with concentration
Changes in appetite
Feeling irritated, tense, or like you could snap at any moment
Work anxiety is different from work stress. While both can be uncomfortable, work stress tends to pass after the stressful event (like an interview, or presentation) is over. Work anxiety, on the other hand, continues on even when no other stressor is present.
What Causes Work Anxiety?
The causes of work anxiety are varied. Below are several scenarios where work anxiety may come up:
Job Insecurity
For those experiencing job insecurity, work anxiety naturally revolves around access to finances, gaining employment, and retaining a job. Other factors that can contribute to work anxiety in this context may have to do with the specific reasons why job insecurity is happening.
Heavy (and Unmanageable) Workload
When workplaces expect one person do take on a workload that would be better off shared between a team of people, work anxiety is nearly unavoidable. While some workplaces may cite being short staffed as the reason for why the workload is heavy, poor management practices can also be at play.
Exploitative Workplaces
Receiving low pay while being expected to work long hours can fuel work anxiety. The same can be said for workplaces that do not fairly credit people for the work they have performed.
Discrimination and Harassment in the Workplace
An unfortunate number of workplaces include experiences of racism, sexism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, etc. While there are legal protections against such discrimination in the United States, these discriminatory practices still exist within many workplaces and companies.
When a person anticipates being discriminated against, or harassed, at their workplace, by their employer or colleagues, work anxiety can become part of a person’s daily life.
Toxic Customers or Clients
It’s also worth noting that sometimes it is the customer or client base that engages in toxic behavior that can spark work anxiety. For those working in the service industry, they are often expected to have a high tolerance for verbal, and sometimes even physical or sexual assault, depending on how both clients and society perceive their role.
Coping Strategies
Below you’ll find a range of coping strategies. Some are meant to tend to physical symptoms of anxiety, while others are meant to address the secondary emotions that can come up when work anxiety is present.
Somatic Practices
Because work anxiety can bring on so many different physical sensations, it’s important to have tools for working with your own body.
Before you log in for a Zoom call, or get out of your car to walk to your workplace, take a moment to try one of the following:
Straw breath: Inhale through your nose. Exhale through pursed lips (as if you were breathing out through a straw). Repeat three times.
Place one hand over your heart, and the other over your stomach. Feel the rise and fall of your chest while you breath. Think (or say aloud): “I am breathing. I am here. I will be okay.”
Time Strategies
Typical time management strategies don’t always take into account the different jobs people have. Some of you may have more control over your time, while some of you may have less control over your time. Still, there are strategies that you can experiment with, whether you’re working for yourself, or in a traditional 9-5.
Triage your work tasks: Take a look at your calendar for the day. What absolutely has to get done? What would be nice to get done? What would be okay to get to another day? So often, people become overwhelmed in their work lives when they try to do multiple tasks at once. This strategy of zooming in on your current workday can provide some clarity about what to focus your attention on.
Create Transitions Into and Out Of Your Workday
Many people rush into their workday only to rush right back out of it at the end of the day. Creating an intentional transitions around your work day can help reduce overwhelm and anxiety.
Start of workday transition: Pick one activity that will serve as your transition marker into your workday. Maybe it’s listening to a specific podcast on your way into the office, or playing a specific song before logging in for your first Zoom meeting of the day. It doesn’t have to be something long and drawn out, but it does have to be something you can do consistently to se you can see how it works for you.
End of workday transition: Just like starting off your workday, ending your workday with an intentional transition can give your mind some ease. Which task would you like to have serve as your transition into your life outside of work? Maybe it’s the final email check of the day before logging out, or taking 5 minutes to write down a handful of things that went well during your workday. Pick something you can do consistently for a little while so you can observe how it works for you.
How To Tell if You Need More Support for Work Anxiety
Like I mentioned at the start of this piece, work stress is typically short term and resolves after the stressor (like a project deadline) ends. Work anxiety, on the other hand, can last long after the initial stressor begins.
Here are some signs to look out for that could signal it’s time to reach out to a therapist for additional support:
Sleep disturbances (sleeping too much or too little) that last longer than two to three weeks
Withdrawing from family and friends
Changes in appetite (eating more than usual or less than usual) that last longer than three weeks
Feeling overwhelmed and like you can’t shut your worries off
Experiencing intense irritation or even rage
Receiving feedback from other people in your life that your anxiety is affecting them
Avoiding certain activities due to fear that they will increase your anxiety
Conclusion
If you live in either Colorado or Oregon and are looking for an anxiety therapist, I have current openings as of August 2024. You can book a free intro call to get started. Together, we’ll get back to a place where you’re able to sleep through the night and show up for work the next day feeling calm, cool, and collected.
