You recently applied to a new job and you finally got hired for the open position
It is your first day and all you want is to make a great impression.
Months go by and you continue to feel this immense pressure on your shoulders.
Despite being in your position for a couple of months, you continue to feel out of place.
It is perfectly normal to feel and experience workplace anxiety
Workplace anxiety can be a combination of anxiety and your own personal struggles.
Believe it or not, your job can become a root cause of your anxiety.
Like most anxiety producing activities, you may even start to feel the need to avoid things.
According to the Verywell Mind website the following are symptoms of Work Anxiety (Cuncic, 2023):
- Excessive or irrational worrying
- Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep
- Exaggerated startle reaction
- Feeling jittery
- Tiredness or fatigue
- Feeling like there’s a lump in your throat
- Shaking or trembling
- Dry mouth
- Sweating
- A pounding/racing heart
Work anxiety can become worse, if you do not establish a support system
Like in your personal life, you need a support system at your job.
Do not be afraid to make new friends, or even communicate your concerns.
It takes time to get adjusted to your new work environment, so don’t be so hard on yourself.
Untreated work anxiety can lead to a deterioration in your job performance
You may even start to isolate yourself from colleagues.
You may be wondering what causes workplace anxiety.
The Better Health Channel (2023) reports these common causes for work-related stress:
- long hours
- heavy workload
- changes within the organization
- tight deadlines
- changes to duties
- job insecurity
- lack of autonomy
- boring work
- Insufficient skills for the job
- over-supervision
- inadequate working environment
- lack of proper resources
- lack of equipment
- few promotional opportunities
- harassment
Work anxiety is an experience that we all go through at least once in our lifetime
The important thing that you should remember is to always advocate for yourself.
People can take advantage of your vulnerability to get what they want.
It is perfectly normal to experience anxiety at your workplace, however don’t let it rule your life.
Check with human resources to see what resources are available for you to utilize.
Many agencies provide telehealth services in which they provide virtual counseling.
Sometimes you may just want an unbiased individual to listen to your concerns.
You can also check if you have any paid time off.
Another option could be to communicate with your supervisor and see what your options are.
Cunic recommends the following tips to relieve work related anxiety:
- Be sure to make time for yourself away from work.
- Find things that make you laugh and smile.
- Take lunch breaks and share a meal with others outside of your work area.
- Go for walks outdoors on your breaks when possible.
- Change your scenery to get out of an emotional rut.
- Focus on life outside of work such as hobbies and friends.
- Reflect on the good things in your job and your life.
- Examine what you fear will happen and ask yourself whether it is an irrational fear.
So the next time you are working and you feel overwhelmed take a deep breath
It is okay to feel overwhelmed, get some air and change the scenery.
Talk to your supervisor to learn better ways to deal with work anxiety.
You may even want to consider seeing a counselor.
This post was written by Jasmine P., and published by Convenient Counseling Services.
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