Anxiety is something that everyone experiences from time to time when facing new and unfamiliar situations that are seen as threatening. A common area that most feel anxiety is when starting a new job.
We want your start with Halo Staffing to be as enjoyable and as stress-free as possible.
Below you can find information on anxiety and stress and how to manage it in the workplace.
What is anxiety?
Feelings of worry or fear, varying from mild to severe. Anxiety is also present when facing stressful situations.
If your feelings last longer than six months and affects your day-to-day life, making it become more difficult then you may have an anxiety disorder.
Are you struggling with anxiety?
It can affect us in four different ways – The way we feel, the way we think, the way our body works and the way we behave.
Psychological symptoms:
- Feeling nervous, worried, or scared
- Feeling tense
- Feeling stressed and irritable
- Difficulty concentrating
- Feeling like other people can see when you feel anxious
- Low mood and depression
- Worrying about the future and/or past
- Feeling like people are looking at you
- Having a sense of danger and panic
Physical symptoms:
- Aches and Pains
- Increased heart rate
- Feeling weak or tired
- Feeling like you can’t breathe properly
- Sweating or hot flushes
- Trembling
- Grinding teeth
- Feeling sick
- Unable to sit still or feeling restless
- Having panic attacks
Other effects of anxiety include:
- Avoiding situations that you find triggering
- Difficulty looking after yourself
- Not enjoying what you used to
- Holding down a job becomes hard
- Maintaining relationships becomes a challenge
What causes anxiety?
It is not fully known why we experience anxiety as everyone’s anxiety is experienced differently. However, some of the factors that could play a big role are:
Anxiety being inherited
If close relatives experience anxiety then this might increase your chances of experiencing it as well. However, there is no evidence whether genes play a part or if it’s what is learnt when growing up.
Childhood/Past Experiences
Experiencing stress or trauma when growing up can trigger anxiety problems for many. Having parents who are overprotective or don’t treat you well can also play a factor when exhibiting anxiety.
Some possible causes:
- Being Neglected
- Abuse
- Isolated from others
Current life situations
Big changes in day-to-day life can become a trigger for anxiety, changes such as:
- Money problems
- Moving house
- Feeling lonely or isolated
- Exhaustion
- Build-up of stress
Covid-19 and other worldly news are also big changes and affect the way we react and cope with life.
Other mental or physical health problems
It is common to develop anxiety while living with mental health problems and/or serious health conditions.
Anxiety can also be a side effect of drugs, alcohol, and medication.
How to manage your anxiety
It can be helpful to learn more about the symptoms you have so that you can find ways to develop useful habits to cope with the anxiety that you are experiencing, rather than trying to get rid of the symptoms completely as this is not always possible.
Some things you can do to help yourself with your anxiety is by:
- Staying active
- Getting enough sleep
- Trying new things
- Staying offline
- Spending more time outside
- Connecting with those in your life
- Staying present
- Making time for yourself
Many find that breathing exercises are good when experiencing high levels of anxiety. Here is one you can try:
The 5-4-3-2-1 technique – pay attention to your breathing while doing this exercise. Then go from 5 to 1.
5 – Look for 5 things you can see around you. A person walking by, a light, a pen etc
4 – Find 4 things you can touch. Your clothes, your hair, the ground etc
3 – Acknowledge 3 things you can hear. Any external sound
2 – Focus on 2 things you can smell
1 – Acknowledge 1 thing you can taste.
Other useful things you can do for yourself:
- Give yourself short breaks throughout the day
- Develop habits and a routine you can follow for work
- Reward yourself for the achievements you have made at work
- Keep a diary/Journal
- Talk to those you trust
- Talk to people going through similar experiences
Considering therapy as an option could also be useful for some. However, this is not always easy to do, especially if experiencing social anxiety. Seeking help can become challenging for those in this situation. One option to consider could be online therapy. Some practices also allow others to ring up and book for you.
It is also important to remember that while you might start introducing some of these things into your life, recovery takes time, and it doesn’t look the same for everyone.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is something we can all do at any time, it helps us to notice the ways we react in conversations and certain situations, allowing us to realise the feelings and judgements we associate with what is being said/seen. Instead of automatically reacting, mindfulness can help you to take a step back and listen to what is being said and allows yourself to feel all the emotions that come with it. Helping to create a better understanding of your experiences and emotions, giving a better approach to everyday life, making it more enjoyable.
This can be done by using mindfulness to stay present and create an awareness of surroundings and what is happening in the very moment because focusing on the past or future can become exhausting.
Many people associate mindfulness with meditation, although it can play a part for many people, it is not the same for everyone. For many, it is simply being surrounded by things they enjoy, nature, art, family, friends etc.
There are many resources and videos online that can teach you how to add mindfulness into your life.
Self-care
Creating healthy habits is very important for a healthy mental state. Some things you can do to improve this are:
- Making sure to get enough sleep, if this is difficult for you creating a sleep routine could be useful. What would it look like? What does it include? What are the main distractions you have when trying to sleep?
- Eating enough healthy food, making sure to take time to prepare full meals
- Setting boundaries with the people in your life, it’s important to do so. Self-love is not selfish, saying no and setting boundaries is okay, it’s okay to prioritise yourself
- Disconnect from devices, give yourself time where you can stay offline to focus on the present and what’s going on around you
- Organise the environments you spend the most time in
- Make time for things you love to do
A lot of these can be done with a plan. It can be helpful to plan out how your week might look like and to start creating a steady regular habit to focus on will also help you to stay grounded. This will also help you to be productive as much as you can be when working as well as making sure to give yourself time to recharge.
When to see a doctor
These feelings might not always go away on their own and it’s important to seek further help so that you can feel your very best.
Things to look out for:
- Consistent feelings of worry and/or dread.
- You sense yourself getting worse.
- Not enjoying what you used to.
- Avoiding certain situations, even ones that used to bring you comfort.
- Suicidal thoughts/threats/attempts.
Anxiety disorders are also easier to treat if symptoms are found early so if you find yourself exhibiting these symptoms for a long period of time then it might be time to get some support.
Different types of anxiety disorders
While this guide is about anxiety, it mainly has information for generalised anxiety disorder. Below are other anxiety disorders and ones where anxiety is present.
- Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) – Regular and uncontrollable worrying
- Panic disorder – Regular or frequent panic attacks without a clear cause of trigger
- Social anxiety disorder (social phobia) – extreme fear or anxiety triggered by social situations
- Phobias – extreme fear or anxiety triggered by a particular event e.g., spiders
- Agoraphobia – often avoid places or situations that might cause panic
- Separation anxiety – fear of being away from home or loved ones
- Selective mutism – consistent failure of children to speak in certain situations
- Substance/Medication-induced anxiety disorder – intense anxiety or panic, a result of misusing drugs
- Perinatal anxiety (Perinatal OCD) – developed anxiety problems during pregnancy/first year of giving birth
- Health anxiety – experience obsessions relating to illness, excessive research and checking to see if you have them
Some other disorders that can create anxiety are:
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) – anxiety problems involve repetitive thoughts, behaviours, and urges
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – develop anxiety symptoms after going through something traumatic
- Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) – experience obsessions relating to physical appearance
- Depression – low mood and lack of energy, comes with feelings of anxiety
What is stress?
Stress is a natural response to high triggering areas in our day-to-day lives and it becomes built up over time, especially when ignored or left untreated. Stress is a result of not having enough resources to face the situations going on in our lives.
How to spot it?
Psychological symptoms:
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Feeling worried, anxious, or scared
- Feeling irritable
- Not feeling interested in life
- Racing thoughts
- Feeling neglected or lonely
Physical symptoms:
- Feeling sick, dizzy, or faint
- Aches and pains
- Trouble sleeping
- Blurred eyesight or sore eyes
- Trouble breathing
- Headaches
- Tired all the time
- Clenching your jaw
Changes in behaviour:
- Drinking or smoking more than usual
- Eating more or less
- Picking at your skin
- Difficulty concentrating
- Changes in sleeping schedule, sleeping more or less than usual
- Loss of confidence
- Difficulty making decisions
- Avoiding certain situations
Causes
Stress is usually triggered by demanding circumstances going on in our lives that become hard to avoid.
Some of those include:
- Life experiences
- Changes in personal lives
- Money problems
- Health issues
- Looking after children
- Difficult work environment
- Lonely and/or unsupported
- Covid-19
Reducing stress
Some things you can do to help reduce stress is by:
- Talking about how you feel with someone you trust
- Eating well
- Staying active
- Taking time for yourself to do things you enjoy
- Deep breathing exercises
- Meditation
- Listen to music
- Write it down
- Spend time outside
Managing stressful situations at work and how to ease pressure
Some steps you can take to do this are:
- Take regular breaks so you don’t become overwhelmed
- Talk about any difficulties you’re facing at work
- Ask for help if needed
- Set limits for yourself
- Make a plan for working and a time scale on what needs to be done
Supporting those experiencing anxiety and stress at work
How to Identify whether someone is struggling or not:
Not everyone is comfortable talking about what their mental health state is like, sometimes they are not even aware themselves. Therefore, it’s important to take note that there might be a possibility that someone is struggling.
It can be challenging to spot if someone is having a difficult time because not everyone shows stress and anxiety in the same way. Your idea of what you think both are might be different to what the next person thinks and feels.
Top tips for helping the people you work with:
- Ask how the people you work with are doing
- Listen to those you work with
- Ask questions
- Be patient
- Offer practical help
- Take time for yourself if you end up listening to someone’s problems
- Check-in with your mental health
If you think someone at work is struggling with their mental health, it is important not to pressure them into speaking about it unless they tell you.
What to do if someone tells you?
It is important to offer the space for them to speak as much as they’d like to about what’s going on as anxiety and stress affects our capabilities to work well. Offer support and resources that you know of. Ask them what you can do to help.
Creating an environment for staff to be open about their mental health:
It’s important to note that we all struggle from time to time, including people who have mental health disorders such as, anxiety. Therefore, allowing a space for everyone to be open about any challenges they may face when working is important.
As well as offering a space for people to speak about any challenges they may face at work, another good thing that can be done is to offer any support that someone may need.
Checking up on them from time to time to see how everything is going could also be a good idea.
In need of further information/help?
What we can offer you:
Useful links if you’re struggling with stress or anxiety:
- Mental health | NHS inform
- Living Life to the Full | helping you help yourself (llttf.com)
- moodgym – Interactive skills training for depression and anxiety
- Home – NoPanic
- Self Help Leaflets – Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne, and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (ntw.nhs.uk)
- National charity helping people with Anxiety – Anxiety UK
- NHS England » Adult Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme
Some apps that are available to download for help with stress and anxiety are:
