How to Handle Anxiety in the Workplace
As a multi-specialty therapist in Hermosa Beach, I work with clients to address a wide range of emotional issues: depression, eating disorders, difficulties in a marriage or relationship, substance abuse problems – you name it. While I tackle a diverse array of difficulties faced by clients, one of the most common issues that comes up is anxiety, especially around work and the workplace. Anxious feelings can feel debilitating at work, especially if they grow into full-blown anxiety attacks. Fortunately, there are ways to work through these feelings. In my sessions, I work with clients to help them understand the deeper roots of their anxiety and begin processing these underlying feelings over time. I also provide them with several immediate strategies to utilize, which you may find helpful if workplace anxiety is a consistent challenge in your own life.
Tips for Dealing with Anxiety at Work
Whether it’s a big presentation, an important call with a client, or a big meeting with your boss, the workplace is full of potential triggers for strong feelings of anxiety. Consistent therapy is one of the best ways to address anxiety in the long-term, but it’s also important to know how to handle anxiety when it comes up in the moment. If workplace anxiety is a problem for you, here are a few simple tactics to move through it:
- Don’t Push It Away: For most people, the instinctive response to anxiety at work is to try to ignore, bury, or push away the feelings – but this couldn’t be more counterproductive. Instead of denying the feelings, acknowledge them, accept them, and make space for them. By accepting your anxiety and facing it head-on, you’ll take away some of its power.
- Focus On Your Body: Typically, when anxious feelings start to come up, they’re accompanied by a whirlwind of negative thoughts that can leave you feeling like the room is spinning. Once you start to feel anxious, take a moment to get out of your head. Try using a breathing exercise to focus on and ground yourself in your body. This will help slow down the thoughts and keep you from getting caught in the whirlpool of anxiety.
- Create Space: Another great strategy is to focus on mindfulness. Ask yourself with genuine curiosity, ‘What am I feeling right now?’ Go beyond simply “anxiety”: investigate what feelings and sensations you’re experiencing in your mind and body.
- Face Your Fears: While this isn’t always necessary, eventually it can be healthy to start leaning into anxiety. Sign up for things that make you feel anxious as a way to practice moving through anxiety and prove to yourself that despite what your brain might think, you are truly capable of anything you put your mind to.
Schedule an Appointment for Adult Therapy in Hermosa Beach
These tactics can help you get control of anxiety and finish the workday, and I encourage you to try them. But if anxiety is a consistent issue for you and you would like to address it at a deeper level, therapy is one of the best ways to do that. As a counselor in Hermosa Beach, I strive to create a safe, compassionate environment where my clients can identify and work through triggers, explore the roots of their anxiety, and build a sense of secure self-confidence over the long term. Take control of your anxiety: schedule a consultation with me today!