Stifling Success: Is Anxiety Holding You Back at Work?

Roughly one-third of your life will be spent at work. That’s between 85,000 to 90,000 hours, on average, during your lifetime. Experiencing work stress is almost inevitable.

There are endless emails, projects, tight deadlines, scheduled meetings, and dynamics that aren’t always a walk in the park. As things continue to move around you, if you’re finding yourself stuck in a rut, it could be your anxiety getting the best of you. Here are indicators that anxiety could be holding you back.

Reduced Focus

Anxiety is often characterized by racing thoughts or an increased state of alertness, both of which can make focusing on work more difficult. Anxiousness can indirectly lead to avoidance of certain tasks, procrastination, and reduced focus. If you’re prone to feeling physical symptoms with your anxiety, you may experience aches and pains, tension, headaches, an elevated heart rate, or rapid breathing. These can all distract your cognitive processing.

Your brain may feel like it’s anywhere but where it needs to be. During these times, it can become difficult to focus on your emails, approaching deadlines, your to-do list, or completing a given project.

Poor Engagement

When your job becomes stressful or you have personal matters that are a source of stress, it’s common for your mind and body to enter a fight or flight mode. Anxiety may be a natural response to the stress you’re experiencing.

If your mind or body isn’t functioning normally, it can lead to less engagement in your work responsibilities. This lack of engagement can give the appearance that you’re not interested in your work or don’t care about your duties.

Missing Deadlines

When anxiety flares up and your mind starts racing, it’s hard to focus on your work. Reduced ability to focus can lead to procrastination and missed deadlines.

In some instances, it’s the deadline itself that is causing you stress. This pressure to bring the project across the finish line can cause negative thought patterns and self-doubt. Spending time refocusing your efforts or second-guessing yourself takes away valuable time that could be better spent on the project.

Lack of Confidence

Other key characteristics of anxiety include worry, low self-esteem, and lack of confidence. When you’re not confident in yourself and your abilities, it is much harder to advocate for yourself and your needs.

When you receive praise or positive feedback on your work, you may find it difficult to believe it. In instances where you receive constructive feedback, it can worsen your existing anxiety.  

Trouble Managing Emotions

Anxiety can manifest as irritability, anger, or impatience. It pushes these feelings to the forefront and makes it difficult to process them.

Struggling with these types of emotions in the workplace can impact your ability to fulfill your duties, as well as your ability to form productive relationships with your colleagues and supervisors. Additionally, if you are in a customer-facing role, it can affect your customer service skills.

Fear of Failing

Fear is commonly felt among those who suffer from anxiety. It’s more than just the typical human emotion. It can feel more intense and more debilitating.

This fear can cause you to doubt your abilities and create a sense of imposter syndrome. When you’re constantly doubting yourself and feeling like you are not good enough, it can affect your work. Fear of failing leads to avoidance, difficulty initiating tasks, and missed deadlines.

How to Overcome Anxiety

If you’re struggling with anxiety or experiencing negative impacts on your work successes, you’re not alone. With some daily modifications, you can work to overcome the anxiety that is stifling your career success.

Coping strategies include journaling, meditation, movement, grounding exercises, breathing techniques, and listening to music. No journey is the same, so different methods may be worth exploring.

You may also consider working with a trained professional to receive more personalized recommendations and guidance. Reach out to us to schedule your first appointment.