“[Anxiety] often rears its ugly head in the workplace when you’re feeling especially stressed about an impending deadline, an important meeting or presentation, or a project that’s forcing you out of your comfort zone,” she says. What does anxiety look like? It often causes easy-to-detect symptoms like a fast heart rate, sweating, rapid breathing, and bouts of fatigue. “And, if you suffer from an anxiety disorder, these intense feelings of nervousness, excessive worry, or fear can seemingly come out of nowhere, consuming your day and interfering with your work-life,” Augustine adds. If you feel as if you aren’t able to cope, it’s essential to seek help from a mental health professional. However, there are some self-coping mechanisms you can turn to, as recommended by career experts and psychologists. Here are some of the biggest ways anxiety can impact performance and frame of mind in a professional setting—and how to work through it. Stensby suggests utilizing mindfulness techniques by training your brain to become stronger at refocusing your attention to bring yourself back to the present moment. “By creating a daily mindfulness practice, you’ll increase your ability to shift your focus and engage in the thoughts that you choose rather than automatically giving power to thoughts that are intrusive due to anxiety,” she explains. RELATED: 5 Everyday Routines That Are (Secretly) Perfect for Practicing Mindfulness A helpful way to picture anxiety—your swirling, stressful stream of thoughts—is a rushing river. It floods over you and takes control, and you’re left scrambling to come above the surface. When you find a ritual that helps you swim—maybe deep breathing or going for a walk—Stensby says you learn to pull yourself out of the river and sit on the bank. Then you can watch the river go by, without being swept away. “This [mindfulness-based] exercise helps to restructure the way you think about your thoughts,” she says. “You don’t have to believe everything you think, and you don’t have to engage in every thought that comes across your mind.” RELATED: I Gave Up on Meditation Apps Until I Discovered One That Changed My Approach to Mindfulness Thomas says it’s vital to find a healthy way to decrease your anxiety before heading into the office (or opening up your laptop at home). One tried-and-true solution is exercising for 30 minutes in the morning—a ritual that can help mitigate anxiety in both the short- and long-term. “By exercising before work, not only are you taking care of your physical health, but you’re also getting your emotional health back to a more appropriate place,” she says. “And this makes your work performance and interactions with co-workers less likely to be problematic.” RELATED: 5 Worst Foods to Avoid When You’re Feeling Stressed, According to an RD If you feel left out or as if your voice goes unheard, resulting in more anxiety, don’t be afraid to express your concerns. Make a conscious effort to integrate yourself as part of the culture. “To help manage the anxiety that leads to disengagement, it’s important to connect with others at work and try to develop friendships with colleagues,” Borenstein recommends. Whether it manifests itself as writer’s block or severe procrastination, Augustine says the best way to overcome this situation is to take a small step in the right direction. You can do this by channeling your nervous energy for good. This includes acknowledging your feelings rather than suppressing them and then finding the silver lining. “Remember, when you’re feeling anxious about something, it’s because you actually care about that project, meeting, or presentation,” she says. “Instead of stressing about your anxiety and wasting energy trying to manage it, look for ways to use this nervous energy to help accomplish your goal.” RELATED: What Is Impostor Syndrome—and Is It Holding You Back at Work? Here’s How to Beat It for Good As you may guess, the solution for this type of anxiety is to lean in to that discomfort. “If you change your mindset to think of every presentation and conversation as a practice that will help you improve, it may help get you over the fear,” she says. “As you do this, try not to judge the outcome. Even if you do something super awkward, it helps to remember that we’re all human. With more practice, standing in front of a crowd and chatting with others can feel like second nature.” RELATED: Burnout Is Impacting Women’s Careers and Finances More Than Ever—Here’s How to Avoid It
