Don’t Let Stress Or Anxiety Stop You From Getting Ahead In Your Career!
Walking through the office door every day, everybody feels different. Some people feel content and ready for the challenges the day will bring; others feel excited to tackle their next project and a fair few are just looking forward to catching up on some good old water cooler gossip. All these are perfectly normal, and subject to change depending on your social and family life. But one thing you shouldn’t be feeling is worry.
In a world where work often comes home with us, anxiety in the work place is becoming an increasing issue for young women. Stress, fatigue and insomnia are all by-products of career anxiety… But, luckily, it’s a problem which can be solved!
As with most things, the key to overcoming anxiety at work is taking control. If you feel like you’re buckling under your workload, speak to your boss about reducing your responsibilities for a short time, to give you the chance to get back on top. Rather than doubting your capability, it is likely that your manager will be impressed by your pro-active way of dealing with issues.
However, it’s likely that this kind of step isn’t even necessary. Often, with the right organisation, almost any workload can be dealt with. I’m a real advocate of the power of the list. By condensing everything you need to do onto paper, you can get a handle on your goals and work through them in a logical, structured way. By doing this, you can avoid the stress which comes with having tens of ‘to-do’s’ whirling around your brain. I also find it helps to stick in a couple of things you’ve already done, just to make yourself feel better but that’s probably not very productive… Fun, though.
Something else which can help to tackle working anxiety is changing your diet. Although magazines, doctors and (probably your parents) will have drilled this into you from an early age, working life can easily help you to forget the importance of a pure and balanced. Those cupcakes your desk buddy brought in for her birthday contain bundles of sugar which affects glucose levels by causing a rapid spike, then a subsequent drop, which causes fatigue, mood swings and, as a result; stress. To control levels of glucose, you should also decrease your caffeine consumption (yes, you read that correctly!). Of course, we’re all about the great things that a cup of coffee can do, but perhaps make a couple of your daily lattes decaf, just to avoid the caffeine shakes and light-headedness which can often be confused with anxiety.
Most Doctors also recommend exercise as a form of stress relief. If you have time, have a workout in the morning or pop to the gym in your lunch break to give you some time away from the office. You’ll also get to reap the rewards with leaner limbs and bask in those happy endorphins. If you’re too busy working through your to-do list (what a good idea?!) to take a gym break, studies have shown that taking a deep breath can have almost the same effects… Apps such as Breathing Zone (available for iPhone and Android) guide you through breathing exercises which allow you to remain calm, prioritise and focus.
The most important thing is to remember that you are not the only one feeling stressed or anxious at work; studies show that anxiety affects over 40 million adults in the US alone. Try out these simple techniques to be in control of your work and always seek help if you need it.
Relax, you’re fabulous!
