First and foremost, I am sorry that you have to deal with workplace anxiety or anxiety in the workplace. Wherever you work can either cause anxiety or exacerbate your anxiety which just makes life that much harder.
Here I’m going to discuss a few strategies that not only I have used but others have used to ensure that you can get your work done, and have a peaceful day without major breakdowns.
Communicate with Your Supervisor
First and foremost, one of the most underrated things to do is speak with your supervisor. If you have to, you can contact HR in order to update your work needs. In fact, working with HR and your supervisor is one of the best ways to make sure that you have a work environment that you can succeed in.
More often than not a lot of supervisors are going to be very understanding, but if you deal with a supervisor that is not, make sure that you are working closely with your HR department in order to receive the workplace treatment that is necessary for your success.
Decompression Breaks
While many jobs have 15-minute breaks periodically, or a lunch break there’s not often an acknowledgment of the need for a decompression break.
Yes, the 15 minutes are supposed to help you regulate your body and allow you to take time to decompress, however, that’s not often the case. More often than not people are going to follow you, workplace conversations continue, and of course, there’s always the “ we don’t necessarily get breaks around here”.
Take your breaks!
Medication Management
If you are not already on medication for your anxiety, it may be time to start considering taking something that will help ease your symptoms. If you work in a high-stress environment, I definitely suggest working with your doctor and talking with them about what you can do to help decrease the stress that you’re experiencing at work.
Anxiety Medication
As I said, it can be a little scary thinking about taking medication that alters your brain state. However, as a long-time medication taker, I can tell you that the fear that you have is definitely outweighed by the success of medication in managing how you feel.
At first, it can be a little scary, but soon you’ll realize just how much better you feel when you work closely with your doctor and ensure that you are taking the right medications to benefit your own mind
Microdosing
If you don’t have the ability to work with a specific doctor that’s going to help you with your anxiety, I suggest looking into Marijuana Doctors. They are able to help you learn how to utilize marijuana and carefully microdose.
They can also help ensure that you are employing proper medical marijuana techniques in order to better your experience at work. Of course, you must also follow the guidelines of your workplace as well as the laws of your state.
Breathing Techniques
If you are already working with a therapist or a psychiatrist you’ve probably heard about breathing techniques. Breathing is one of the most effective ways to control anxiety. The reason is that anxiety is a fight, flight, or freeze response. It takes time and a lot of breathing in order to regulate your body.
Some of the best breathing techniques include breathing in for a set amount of time, holding your breath for the same amount of time, and then breathing out either quickly, or at a set count. It will take some time to pull yourself out of an anxiety attack if that is what is going on.
Don’t be afraid to separate yourself if you must!
Situation Separation
Separating yourself from the situation as politely as possible is always okay!
You may feel like this adds a different pressure, or it makes people look at you. Instead, it shows someone who has learned themselves and understands when they need to take a break.
Most people are trained to go into a conflict or a discussion and ensure that that conflict or discussion is finished. That’s not always the healthiest way to manage what’s going on.
If you need to step away, it’s as easy as saying you need to take a quick bathroom break or you need to check for a specific email that you’ve been waiting for.
Conclusion
Anxiety is one of the most irritating issues that people have to deal with. I’ve known bodybuilders who have extreme anxiety that puts them in the hospital right away. It doesn’t matter what you’re built like: anxiety can affect everyone. with these tools, you’ll be able to help yourself as well as others in your workplace. You’ve got this!
