Latest / Wellbeing Solutions - Ask A Counsellor / What are the signs of workplace anxiety?
Transcript
- 0:00SPEAKER_00: What are the signs of workplace anxiety?
- 0:05SPEAKER_00: If you are experiencing some of the blow signs, it's probably time to address causes before like the work anxiety becomes too difficult to manage and long-term unaddressed can lead to you having to have time of work.
- 0:21SPEAKER_00: So number one, quite a common one, is a feeling of dread that intensifies on a Sunday evening before returning to work on a Monday.
- 0:30SPEAKER_00: So this is so common and it has been called many different things.
- 0:34SPEAKER_00: So we've got the Sunday scaries, the Sunday blues, and the Sunday night dread, so it is a thing.
- 0:42SPEAKER_00: Number two, inability to get to sleep every night or on a Sunday night where work problems or just feelings are really intensified, and you know it's around going to work.
- 0:59SPEAKER_00: Number three, regularly feeling that you're not good enough, which is also known as imposter syndrome.
- 1:05SPEAKER_00: So you're always doubting yourself and your ability and skills.
- 1:10SPEAKER_00: Number four, finding yourself thinking the worst.
- 1:13SPEAKER_00: When you see an email come through, someone asks for something, or you see your boss's name or a troublesome colleague's name, immediately your body goes into that fight-flight-freeze state, and you think you've done something wrong.
- 1:28SPEAKER_00: Number five, pushing yourself so hard at work that you see your that your home life or relationships start to be affected, and this can look like being snappy with those you love or putting work before family or social events.
- 1:43SPEAKER_00: Number six, not being able to switch off mentally from work when you leave the office or shut down the laptop.
- 1:50SPEAKER_00: So that's that's almost like the previous one, but you know, not having that clear cut-off point between work and home.
- 1:58SPEAKER_00: So number seven, skipping work, breaks, lunches, or or just getting through the day on coffee and stimulants to keep going.
- 2:08SPEAKER_00: You know, this is unsustainable, it shows that you're needing to you're not paying attention to your nutrition and your cognitive, you know, you're needing artificial means to keep going.
- 2:20SPEAKER_00: Number eight, being on high alert both mentally and feeling on edge physically.
- 2:26SPEAKER_00: And again, those stimulants aren't going to help, but you know, if you're always looking for problems, that if you're always feeling you you've got an increased heart rate, you're just feeling that on edge all the time.
- 2:39SPEAKER_00: That's a clear sign.
- 2:41SPEAKER_00: Number nine, if there are mistakes at work made, you assume that you're the one that's made the mistakes, and even if you know you're not the one, you still feel responsible for them.
- 2:52SPEAKER_00: So it's a bit of a sign.
- 2:54SPEAKER_00: Number ten, now this is the last one, and you know it takes some self-awareness and reflection, but if you find yourself reacting defensively to well-meant feedback, you know, if you're having a performance review or or someone points something out to you, immediately you know you're getting defensive because something in you is saying that you're at fault or something.
- 3:21SPEAKER_00: So, yeah, just watch your reactions again, that could be a sign.
- 3:25SPEAKER_00: Whether the anxiety you're feeling is driven by external demands and expectations of others, or your own internal inner critic or high standards, it can feel very uncomfortable.
- 3:40SPEAKER_00: So, I hope this has helped you to identify the signs and you know, really question yourself are you experiencing workplace anxiety?
- 3:51SPEAKER_00: So then it's time to communicate what you're feeling, and that is the first step to changing either the environment or how you feel about your environment.
- 4:02SPEAKER_00: So, please take care and thank you for listening.