1. Be Aware of Anxiety Triggers
Try to get a better sense of what causes your anxiety to rise. Your anxiety might be elevated when you have to write detailed emails, or when your desk is disorganized.
Start maintaining a journal to track your day. Go through the journal and look for potential patterns. When you have a better sense of what increases your anxiety, you can identify the challenges you’re facing. From there, you can come up with a plan to cope with these triggers and get through your day.
For example, you might discover that you feel anxious when you have to rush to get ready for something. To avoid this trigger, you can develop a routine that will help you to get ready and prepare for what lies ahead. When you have a big meeting, you could set aside 20 minutes to hydrate, come up with questions, and go over the meeting agenda.
You could make sure you arrive in the conference room early and settle in before the meeting starts. You could even spend some time casually talking with your co-workers. Planning ahead of time could keep you calm, even when you’re in a nerve-wracking situation. When you’re aware of what makes you anxious, you can find solutions to these triggers.
2. Find Techniques That Ground You
When we’re anxious, the fight or flight response in the body is activated. This can cause a number of symptoms, such as tunnel vision and sweating. With grounding techniques, you can keep yourself in the moment, maintain control, and feel more like yourself. Try CBD spray to help you feel calm at work.
There are all kinds of techniques you can do to stay grounded, such as breathing exercises, talking with a friend, or even stretching your muscles. Different techniques work for different people, which is why you’ll want to search for techniques that work for you. You’ll also want to consider what you can do to calm down when you’re in the office.
Some companies offer yoga or mindfulness classes. You may even be able to take a power nap during the work day to boost your productivity level. Taking better care of yourself can help you to keep your anxiety in check.
Navy SEALS use a technique known as Box Breathing to remain calm in stressful situations. This requires you to slow your breathing and focus on controlled breaths. It doesn’t attract a lot of attention, and it’s something that can be done during a meeting if you feel yourself becoming anxious.
3., Prioritize Self-Care
A lot of people put self-care at the bottom of their list of priorities. However, if you’re able to improve your overall well-being, you’ll find that it’s easier to keep your anxiety at a manageable level. You could try to work near a window that provides plenty of natural light. You could limit your caffeine intake. You could use headphones to reduce the amount of noise in your workspace. Work to create an environment that you’ll be able to thrive in.
You should also make sure you’re getting the rest that you need. According to research, 50% of people feel less anxious when they get a sufficient amount of sleep. You should try to build strong boundaries between your personal and professional life so that it’s easier for you to relax when you’re out of the office. Decide when you’ll be putting your work away for the day, and stick with the schedule that you’ve set. You can also schedule relaxing and fun activities for after your work is done.
4. Don’t Be Afraid to Speak Up For Yourself
When it comes to mental health management in the workplace, you have rights. The Americans with Disabilities Act allows you to request accommodations, such as regular breaks, a flex schedule, and more time to complete your assignments.
If you can think of a request that would make it easier for you to keep your anxiety in check, and that request is reasonable, you shouldn’t hesitate to make it. For example, you could request that your boss avoid sending out emails late at night, or ask people to submit questions before you give a presentation.
If you’re clear about what your needs are, dedicated to producing high-quality work, and respect the schedules of others, there’s a good chance your team will be happy to honor these requests.