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It's four o'clock in the afternoon, and you still have a million things to do. You understand that you will not be able to cope with everyone until the evening. Feverishly thinking about how to do everything in time, you start to get nervous and can't concentrate. And when you come home, you continue to think about work tasks and conversations, unable to completely relax.
If you are familiar with such feelings, you are not alone. Anxiety caused by work is a common phenomenon. According to Highlights: Workplace stress & anxiety disorders survey / Anxiety & Depression Association of America The American Association for the Fight against Anxiety and Depression, 56% of people with similar disorders suffer from work-related fears.
When you live in constant excitement, the quality of work and productivity (not to mention health) inevitably suffer. Here are five ways to help you cope with anxiety.
Do not rush to take deep breaths and sit in silence. According to Alison Wood Brooks of Harvard Business School, this approach will not help. Instead of trying to relax, she recommends A. W. Brooks. Get excited: Reappraising pre-performance anxiety as excitement / Journal of Experimental Psychology: General turn excitement into inspiration.
Acknowledge your condition. Let's say you are shaking from nervous tension and anxiety. Don't waste too much time fighting them and get to work. Try to redirect energy in a positive direction and use it to complete tasks and achieve goals.
When there are a lot of things to do, inevitably there is fatigue from decision-making . It is necessary to choose one option from several and simply decide which task to take on first. During the day, the tension from this usually increases, and with it stress and anxiety increase.
To avoid this condition, do not work T. Schwartz. The Magic of doing one thing at a time / Harvard Business Review in multitasking mode. In it, you stop noticing the finish line — the moment when the job is done. And this feeling is very important for productivity: it is such moments that make you feel that you have achieved something.
Remind yourself that it's better to do one thing than switch between several things and do nothing at all. If you notice that you are trying to complete several tasks at the same time and are nervous about it, focus on one thing.
If they are all the same in importance, choose any one and do not waste time on additional thoughts. Break this task down into small steps and do it one by one sequentially. Gradually crossing them out, you will feel satisfied and calm.
According to R. Katikalapudi, S. Chellappan et al. Associating Internet usage with depressive behavior among college students / IEEE Technology and Society Magazine scientists, fluctuations in the ability to concentrate are a warning sign that signals an impending anxiety attack. For example, you switch between several tasks, look for something to distract yourself, procrastinate.
Keep an eye on such symptoms, and you will have your own alarm notification system on hand.
If you are performing a task, write down what feelings it causes you. Create a separate document for this, make notes in the diary or task manager, if you keep records of tasks there. Record fluctuations in mood and concentration.
And after a while you will notice what exactly causes anxiety attacks. Maybe it's a certain type of task, a specific client, or deadlines that are too tight. Knowing the reason, it will be easier to build the work process.
Most people today feel the need to constantly have access to the Network. There was even a new concept of "nomophobia " — this is the fear of being left without a mobile phone or away from it. But this kind of obsession most often interferes with productive work: every now and then there is a desire to check something, distract yourself or respond to a message. As a result, we perform less and worry more.
Try to allocate a few hours a day to work without the Internet. Collect all the necessary information, and then turn on airplane mode. This way you won't be distracted by various notifications and messages.
Anxiety also arises when we do not understand whether we are coping well with our tasks. This is especially true for those who work remotely or because of the specifics of their activities cannot see the results of their own work with their own eyes. In any case, feel free to ask for feedback.
According to organizational psychologist Cary Cooper, clear expectations and thoughtful feedback are the key to reducing anxiety. It is inconvenient for many to ask explanations and feedback from a client or manager, but it is necessary. Try to arrange regular face-to-face meetings or video calls so that you can discuss all the details and feel that you are really moving forward.
