One of the most stressful areas of our lives is our workplace. Every seven in ten workers in America report daily anxiety or stress issues due to their careers. It can dangerously hamper career development and prevent you from achieving your professional goals, such as job advancement, meeting deadlines, and job satisfaction. Managing workplace anxiety can be a real challenge, but it is not impossible.
How does workplace anxiety hamper career development?
Workplace anxiety can be understood as worry or fear arising with the performance of the work-related tasks, skills training, career development, and more. It also includes the concerns arising in a physical workplace like the manager-employee dynamics, interpersonal relationships, team and self-productivity problems, and the safety and health threat during this pandemic. Many might even experience anxiety as a response to working from home. It might result in reduced productivity, social isolation, and the inability to bear personal life demands.
The primary cause of workplace anxiety or stress is deadlines, management pressure, interpersonal relationships, and conflict resolution. This may result in an unhealthy coping mechanism for several people, such as nicotine dependence, increased caffeine intake, lack of personal time, inadequate sleep, ignoring physical health, excessive alcohol consumption, and OTC medications.
If not checked in time, the workplace anxiety can aggravate into a serious problem, which might develop into a full-grown anxiety disorder, says Jennifer, who works with TFTH, where you can pay someone to do my homework. So, what should you do?
Tips to keep workplace anxiety in check
Take breaks
Regardless of where you work from – the office, home, or the site, include frequent breaks in your schedule. We take 10 to 15 minutes of break time to get some air or stretch our legs for every productive hour, says Harry, who works with TAE and offers online accounting homework help to students. An employee experiences burnout when they sit down in one place, continually staring at the computer. When you take frequent breaks, you switch off your mind from the stress, resulting in job satisfaction and higher productivity.
Pre-plan your days
When you organize your day in advance, it is easier for you to set realistic goals for yourself. It also helps you stay organized. Once you do the entire planning, question yourself, is it reasonable? Can you do this much in the allotted time? Is it less? Is it more? Prioritize the tasks, and take one thing at a time. Never try to swamp yourself with work, all in one day. It will only add to the work stress. When you have your priorities set, it helps you achieve higher productivity and a more balanced way.
Have off days
Time and again, it is vital for you to reserve some time for yourself. A downtime to relax and unwind your body and mind is quintessential. Such days will be a deliberate opportunity to recharge your batteries and work more productively. Taking a day off in a month or two, and spending it all on yourself, is what I do to relieve myself from all the stress, says Anaida, who works with FineGrades. However, when you are taking time to relax and unwind, you should not spend it on binge eating junk food, watching Netflix, or spending time on social media. Instead, it would be best if you took this time to engage in some fulfilling activities, relax, rest, and recharge.
Take adequate sleep
Sleep deprivation not only leads to stress but also exacerbates anxiety. It may also affect your mood and ability to focus on your work. It is best to plan your evening in a manner that you can get yourself at least six to eight hours of sleep at length, says Liz, who offers the best online python course. To get a good night’s sleep, you should keep your bedroom quiet, dark, and relaxed. Do not consume alcohol or nicotine before you go to bed. Also, refrain from using your phone or watching TV after you lay down.
Set some boundaries
Firstly, find out the cause and source of anxiety and stress in the workplace. Next, list out everything that is under your control. For instance, if you know that a conversation with your colleagues digresses you from work, and hampers the timely completion of tasks, you should politely request them to return to their desk and let you work. This is the stress that you can manage. However, there are some stressors, which are not in your control. For instance, the stress that you might be experiencing as a result of the change or the alterations in your work situation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, it is something that you cannot do anything about. However, if you take adequate precautions, you can keep yourself guarded. Maintain personal hygiene to every extent possible. Further, if there is any other stress related to work that seems uncontrollable, speak to your employer for support.
Lastly, remember that anxiety or stress is individualized. Hence, there is no one size fits all situation. So, if you are experiencing anxiety issues that can’t be tamed single-handedly, it is best to seek a professional’s help.
