Taming anxiety at the office

This is an excellent article about anxiety and the workplace. It looks at the definition of an anxiety disorder:

Most people experience some anxiety in their lives, but when it disrupts day-to-day functioning, self-image or the ability to concentrate or work effectively, it becomes a disorder, says Linda B. Welsh a clinical psychologist and director of the Anxiety and Agoraphobia Treatment Center in Bala Cynwyd, Pa.

It looks at how to steps you can take to tame anxiety:

One of the most common treatments for anxiety is confronting it, since facing such situations head-on will ultimately reduce your fear and discomfort. Because most anxiety is focused on the future, try to catch yourself having negative thoughts and think about them rationally, says Lauren Rose, a psychotherapist and founder of the Rose Center for Mind and Body in Rye, N.Y.

“Let’s say you have a performance evaluation coming up and you’re getting very anxious about it,” she says. “Think of the worst thing that’s happened in the last year. Was it anything to worry about? Your boss likes you; your sales are good. Keep going back to these facts and show yourself there’s no rational basis for your fear.”

Preparation also helps. If you’re making a presentation, for example, rehearse with a friend or in the mirror. Mr. Willard suggests writing on your notes things like “take a deep breath here” or “pause and feel your feet on the ground beneath you.” These notes act like a reset button, he says, lassoing your mind back to reality and distracting you from negative thoughts.

Perhaps most importantly, it addresses the idea that you can't have all that you desire -- but that you can have a full life despite your anxiety:

If you’ve been anxious in the job for a while and not in the rest of your life, it may mean the job isn’t right for you, Mr. Willard says.

“Don’t leave without talking to human resources or a supervisor first about ways to accommodate your needs — perhaps changing your job description to play more to your strengths than to trigger your anxieties, like less public speaking,” he says.

Or you may decide that you can live with some anxiety. Eventually, “it will expand your comfort zone,” says Ms. Orenstein, “and as adults, if we want to grow we need to be willing to take on new challenges.”

Previous PANIC! posts on anxiety and the workplace:  1   2