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What is performance anxiety at work? · Wellbeing Solutions - Ask A Counsellor

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  SPEAKER_00: What is performance anxiety at work?
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: So performance anxiety refers to the anxiety that people experience before or during carrying out important tasks.
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  SPEAKER_00: Performance anxiety is also known as stage fight, and it can be linked to professionals, in particular public speakers, musicians, athletes, actors, or even someone giving a speech at a wedding.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: So students experience test anxiety, which is very similar, and I myself have experienced driving test anxiety where you have a limited time or a one-off window of opportunity to do your best, and it has to be your best.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: In a general workplace, performance anxiety can look like worrying about meeting a tight deadline or completing a long and sometimes unrealistic list of tasks set by management.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: So underlying anxiety performance is fear, the emotion of fear.
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  SPEAKER_00: This can be a fear of failure, a fear of losing your job or your role, a fear of criticism or judgment, or and a fear from your own negative self-beliefs of not being good enough.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: Performance anxiety can help or hinder our performance, believe it or not.
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  SPEAKER_00: Some people perform much better with tight deadlines to meet, or when wanting to beat their own, say in sport, their own personal best, or beating others in competition.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: So it can really push us to perform to our best.
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  SPEAKER_00: So at the other end of the spectrum, it can feel overwhelming, and this performance anxiety can stop us doing things.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: So we're avoiding situations such as deciding to not apply for a progressive job role, which would may involve public speaking or presentations, or you indeed fumble through a presentation, or you miss a deadline.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: So you know it can work against us, and anxiety insinuates that's what the context is for this podcast.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: Some people, again, when they're feeling watched or micromanaged, experience performance anxiety, which will affect their productivity and focus to do their job.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's detrimental really.
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  SPEAKER_00: So performance anxiety is sometimes caused by others' expectations of us or our own expectations of ourselves.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: Emotional symptoms of performance anxiety can be fear, worry, apprehension, embarrassment and self-doubt, and ability to focus on a task is reduced.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: So cognitive symptoms of performance anxiety can lead to negative thought patterns such as excessive self-criticism, heightened focus on failure and catastrophizing.
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  SPEAKER_00: Physical symptoms can look like increased heart rate, shortness of breath, shaking, sweating, a dry mouth, digestive issues and muscle tension.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: And relational difficulties can manifest too, such as tension in colleague relations and increased frustration outside of the workplace and family settings.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: So I hope this information has given you a bit more insight into what performance anxiety is.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: There are therapies and strategies that can help with performance anxiety, such as CBT, cognitive behavioural therapy, and act therapy, which is acceptance and commitment therapy, and mindfulness.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: It's all about building confidence, knowing your boundaries.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: So please take care and thank you for listening.