Overcoming stress & anxiety in the workplace
By Howard Epstein
We live in a stressful world. No matter how hard we try to circumvent stress and anxiety, our rendezvous with them is as sure as death and taxes.
Encountering distress is an undeniable reality. Understanding that stress and anxiety are always present in one’s life should be accepted…but that does not necessarily make it easier. For example, have you ever been picked on by a boss? Who can ever forget that ill-fated day that you became the official office target of the boss?
Have you ever been accused with a blunder that you never committed. Not contented with what she/he did, the boss startled you with words that you have never even heard of before. To top it all, she/he did it in front of the whole office/work unit. Left with no choice but to keep your mouth shut, you just allowed your boss to unreasonably splatter her/his saliva all over your face. Still, you manage to fake a cherry grin.
These kinds of situations is just a normal office scenario but tends induce stress and anxiety. Stress first was attributed to external pressures like workloads, competition and other stimuli that could induce a distress one’s body. Recently, however, stress was described not only as external stimuli but it may very well be the reaction of a person to another individual’s negative perception, capacities and understanding.
Meanwhile anxiety is described as an overwhelming fear, worry, or apprehension. These intensified feelings are always accompanied by bodily manifestations like chronic sweating, uneasiness, heart palpitations, nausea, shortness of breathing, and headaches.
Work-related stress and anxiety, and chronic cares of same sorts can affect one’s work performance. Anxiety induced by a past negative encounter with an office friend, worrying on multitudes of paper works labeled urgent, and apprehensions to confront a boss can affect indeed office performance. The apparent effect of it to a professional is not only depressing but could also be a one- way ticket to unemployment.
No one wants to be fired right away right? And companies don’t give into excuses like, Sorry, I’m just stressed. See the practical anxiety treatments.
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Start with a proper diet. Others might raise their eyebrows with this practical self-help tip but actually it has scientific explanation.
Anxiety conditions are the avenues for the usual response of fight or flight. This is a condition where people who are confronted with anxiety challenge or flee from anxiety. With a healthier diet, the body becomes more stable, and eventually, event the anxiety reactions are lessened.
Have a proper attitude. Don’t put unnecessary stresses to your life by going through unnecessary notions. Yes, your boss may have shouted a couple of times but harboring resentment would do no good either.
Focus your strength and energy where you really need it most on the work. Anxiety would be gradually obliterated by taming one’s mind. Instead of using your energy to backstab a tyrant boss or get even with a co-worker with hideous attitude, learn to channel those energies and compartmentalise them to a more worthy cause. Proper attitude is an excellent anxiety treatment.
Life’s full of stress and we can’t afford to add insult to the injury. Greater stress would entail greater risk for anxiety.