According to the American Institute of Stress, about 80% of Americans report feeling stressed out as a result of work.
If your job leaves you feeling stressed out on a regular basis, it's important for you to learn how to manage your stress levels. If you don't figure out how to do this, you'll eventually need to figure out how to deal with work anxiety.
Work anxiety is a specific type of anxiety that affects those who struggle with stress in the workplace. It can hurt a person's performance at work and, in some instances, it can even lead to a person going through a mental breakdown.
You should put managing anxiety at the top of your to-do list if work anxiety has turned into a problem for you. By coping with anxiety more effectively than you are now, you can improve your mental health by leaps and bounds.
Here are seven effective coping strategies for those learning how to cope with stress and anxiety at work.
1. Pinpoint the Source of Your Work Anxiety
What is it about your job that leaves you feeling stressed out and filled with anxiety? Do you suffer from work-related stress and anxiety because you:
- Feel like you always have too much on your plate
- Don't get along with most of or even all of your coworkers
- Hate your boss
- Can't seem to make advancements in your career no matter how hard you try
- Wish you had picked a different profession
2. Establish a Better (Less Stressful!) Routine for Your Workdays
Do you almost always feel like you're playing catchup while you're at work? This is one of the leading causes of stress and work anxiety for a lot of people.
If you're constantly looking over your shoulder and seeing deadlines sneaking up on you, you should try to establish better routines for yourself as you move forward so that you're not running behind all the time.
One good way to get out ahead of things is by waking up earlier in the morning and making sure you arrive at work on time day in and day out. This will make you feel like you're more in control of how your workdays will go.
You should also designate certain times for taking breaks, eating, and maybe even exercising throughout the day. This will work wonders for you and make coping with anxiety easier to do.
3. Get Into the Habit of Doing Breathing Exercises and/or Meditating During the Workday
With everything that you have going on at work on a daily basis, you probably don't have a ton of extra time to catch your breath throughout the course of a normal day. But it's essential for you to find time to take a few deep breaths so that you can regain your composure.
There are all kinds of breathing exercises that you can do right at your desk at work. You can try exercises like:
- Abdomen breathing
- Breath focus
- Lion's breathing
4. Lean on Your Coworkers for Help When You're Feeling Overworked
Are you feeling overworked and suffering from work-related stress and anxiety because of it? Try not to feel like you have to take on everything yourself.
Unless all of your coworkers are in the same boat as you are, you should lean on them for support when you need a hand. Don't be afraid to ask them to take something off your plate if you're feeling overwhelmed by all the work that you have to take on.
5. Maintain a Healthy Diet and Drink Enough Water on Workdays
When you're inundated with work while you're at your job, it's easy to fall into bad habits when it comes to eating and drinking. Many people will skip breakfast, lunch, and, in some instances, even dinner in an effort to devote more time to work.
This is never a good idea! You need to maintain a healthy diet at all times if you're going to stand a chance with regard to managing anxiety. You're also going to need to make sure you're drinking enough water to avoid dehydration.
6. Consider Taking Supplements to Reduce Your Work Anxiety
In addition to maintaining a healthy diet and drinking enough water while at work, you should also think about taking supplements that are designed to help you cope with crippling work anxiety. Find out what helps with anxiety and begin taking it.
Some good supplements to consider include:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- L-theanine
- Ashwagandha
- Lemon balm
- St. John’s wort
7. Make It Your Mission to Achieve a Better Work-Life Balance
Does your entire life revolve around work right now? You're not going to be doing yourself—or your work anxiety—any favors if the entire focus of your life is work.
Achieving a better work-life balance is one of the best ways to eliminate work anxiety. Look for things that you can do outside of work to make your life more meaningful and fulfilling.
Learning How to Deal With Work Anxiety Can Change Your Life
There are very few people who don't feel any stress when they're at work. A little bit of stress at work can actually be a good thing, as it helps to light a fire under most people.
But if you're always stressed out at work, it's inevitably going to lead to you having to learn how to deal with work anxiety. You should avoid this by using the anxiety tips found here to knock stress and anxiety out once and for all.
Read the other articles on our blog for more useful tips on managing anxiety and stress. Now that you know how to deal with work anxiety, share this article on social media with a colleague that could benefit from these tips.
