Work anxiety is a negative emotional response that arises when faced with difficulties at work. Some of the ways to control this condition include therapy, meditation, physical exercise, and effective management of time and work responsibilities. Nowadays, many people around the world suffer from work anxiety. In these cases, there is often the idea that one does not respond adequately to work demands and this gives rise to work anxiety. This usually causes worry, uncertainty and nervousness about their future at the company. On the other hand, the social relationships created in the workplace can also be a great source of anxiety due to the constant evaluation of performance in different activities.
In this PsychologyFor article, we will explain what work anxiety is and how to manage it.
Work anxiety is a physical, emotional and behavioral response related to the workplace ygenerated by future ideas about the work. This type of anxiety is usually associated with presentiments, fears and uncertainties about work performance in the present that has an impact on the future. Due to its characteristics, work anxiety can be included within the group of anxiety disorders proposed by the DSM-V.(1).
The diagnostic criteria of work anxiety include:
Excessive anxiety and/or worries.
Concern.
Irritation.
Muscle tension.
Deterioration of work, social and family relationships
Duration of six months or more.
The alterations cannot be explained by the ingestion of a medication and/or a toxic substance.
The difficulties cannot be contemplated by the presence of another mental disorder.
However, it is important to emphasize that the diagnosis must be made by a mental health professional.
Symptoms of work anxiety
Work anxiety has a series of physical, emotional and cognitive manifestations. Below we show you what its most common symptoms are:
Excessive fears.
Fear of dismissal
Low self-esteem.
Distress
Catastrophic thoughts.
Difficulty getting to sleep.
Fatigue
Fatigue.
Stress.
Eating disorders (lack of appetite or excessive hunger).
Involuntary electrical movements.
In this article you will find information on How to manage work stress.
Causes of work anxiety
This problem can have different origins, from environmental factors to genetic issues. In the next items, we will display the causes of work anxiety:
Environmental factors
Firstly, environmental factors encompass the contextual variables under which a person works This consists of relationships with bosses and colleagues to unpleasant moments in the family environment. With respect to work relationships, one of the causes that triggers work anxiety is believing that the expectations that others place on the person are not met.
On the other hand, the family problems and personal They can also influence the appearance of work anxiety. For example, if the person is going through a romantic separation, fights with loved ones or some important loss, among other circumstances.
Genetic factors
Second, people with work anxiety may have a genetic predisposition Let it be the basis of your reactions in your workplace. In fact, a scientific study has shown that genetic inheritance responds to job performance and causes anxiety in this area.
How to manage work anxiety
These difficulties can be resolved through specific techniques that reduce levels of work anxiety. In this section we explain how to manage work anxiety:
Perform psychological therapy: Going to a mental health professional provides the person with tools to reduce stress levels at work.
Write your concerns: Writing down the reasons that cause work anxiety will allow you to distance yourself from it. Try writing down everything that causes you worries on paper or in a digital document. In this article you will find some therapeutic writing exercises.
Establish an order of priorities: knowing what your priorities are and what is really important is essential to organize work activities and reduce anxiety.
exercise: Physical activity reduces muscle tension levels and produces relaxation of both the body and mind.
Communicate with people at work: It is crucial that bosses and co-workers understand what the limits are when performing an activity. In this way, misunderstandings are avoided.
Find a hobby: Doing some activity outside of work to disconnect your mind will generate serotonin, the hormone linked to happiness.
Set achievable goals: the objective should not be to complete tasks with a difficulty that is impossible to face. In these cases, the best option is to create a schedule with achievable goals to help you.
Drink infusions: There are certain drinks that relax the central nervous system and reduce work anxiety. The most notable are valerian, chamomile, linden, lavender, passionflower, etc.
Take magnesium citrate: This supplement can be consumed if the dose is gradually increased until the body’s maximum tolerance is known. To take it correctly, place the magnesium citrate powder and ingest it. This preparation improves the person’s functioning in work environments.
Understand personal virtues Another tip in cases of work anxiety is to reflect on our positive qualities, which can improve our mood.
This article is merely informative, at PsychologyFor we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to What is work anxiety and how to manage it we recommend that you enter our Clinical Psychology category.
References
American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental disorders (5th edition). Arlington: Panamericana Medical Publishing.
Bibliography
Cabrera Armijos, RA, GarcÃa Junia, HD, Tapia Viteri, MG, López Acurio, OR (2022). Mental health and anxiety in the workspace. Mitigation strategies. Scientific Magazine Domain of Sciences, 8 (3), 621-639.
