Do you often get nervous when you have to give a PowerPoint presentation to a client or co-worker? Do you find it hard to concentrate on your tasks because of rising stress? Are you worried about returning to the office after working from home for more than a year?
These problems are very common in workplaces. About 83% of people suffer from workplace anxiety.
Work anxiety can impact your workplace performance, quality of work, and relationships with colleagues and supervisors.
Symptoms of work anxiety can be – difficulty speaking up in meetings, concentrating; stressed about meeting deadlines; loss of interest in work; procrastination.
Fortunately, there are some effective ways in which you can cope up with work-related stress.
Zoom out
Sometimes when you feel yourself catastrophizing situations, when you worry about things that out of your control, then you can try to “zoom out”.
Zoom out means stepping away from the situation for a moment. This will help you widen your outlook on the situation at hand.
And then if you are ready, you can “zoom in” to look at specific ways to handle the situation.
In this way, you can shift your perspective and address your stress.
Set Limits
A person should always maintain a work-life balance. It can help manage stress and make you more effective at your job.
Hence, what you need is Time Management. For this, there is a technique called the Pomodoro technique.
With the help of this method, you can set time slots – like 25 minutes for working, followed by mini-breaks.
The technique is meant to:
- increase focus
- reduce distraction
- maintain motivation
- reduce mental fatigue
Set your boundaries such that you allot a specific time for a specific task. For instance, no work calls or checking email when you wake up in the morning.
Work with your anxiety, not against it
It may seem like the stress is holding you back from getting things done. But what if use it to your advantage?
You can use stress as a boost that can help you find your groove to tackle your to-do list. Studies show that a little pressure can boost productivity and improve performance.
Don’t look at it as your weakness. Instead, sit for a minute with your fears, think, and then come up with a plan to deal with them.
Be upbeat about self-care
Try to make time for yourself, self-care is very important. It can help reduce stress, increase energy and focus.
Taking a walk can help enhance your mental and physical health. Also, prioritizing sleep will increase your focus, making you less anxious during the day.
Experts suggest opting for mindful meditation is a great step.
It’s OK to have bad days
No one is perfect. Everyone has their share of bad days. You just have to remember that it is completely fine, you cannot control other people or the things that trigger anxiety.
It’s OK to below sometimes. And when you are having negative thoughts about yourself just remember that you deserve grace, patience, and kindness too.