Is Anxiety Harming Your Productivity? Anxiety is a common problem with people of all ages today. It affects more than 19% of adults in the U.S. and is twice as prevalent in women than men. Anxiety can be caused by various factors, such as traumatic events, mental health disorders, genetics, and stress in personal life or at the workplace. It profoundly affects the psychological and physical health of a person.
Symptoms of Anxiety
Common symptoms of anxiety are listed below:
- Inability to sleep at night
- Panic attacks
- Nervousness and restlessness
- Excessive worry and fear
- Irritability
- Fatigue
- Overthinking
- Rapid heart rate
- Sweating
How Does Anxiety Affect Your Productivity?
Everyday people face pressure and stress in the workplace. Some common factors that trigger stress and anxiety in people at the workplace are fear of missing a deadline, long work hours, high work stress, meeting their manager’s expectations, and a lack of support from a supervisor/manager or colleague.
Anxiety is common and happens to everyone. But chronic anxiety can reduce work productivity and performance in the following ways:
- People who feel anxious all the time face difficulty concentrating on their tasks.
- The persistent feelings of worry and nervousness also affect their innovative and creative thinking.
- Anxious people feel irritated all the time and can not engage themselves at work.
- Anxiety creates a tremendous fear of failure in people due to which they can not make decisions in their professional lives.
- Additionally, lack of confidence and unclear goals can affect the overall productivity of a person.
How to Deal with Anxiety at the Workplace?
Here are a few easy tips that can help you deal with anxiety and improve your productivity.
1. Stop overthinking
Overthinking and over analysis elevate your anxiety and stress levels. So, it is better to stop thinking about situations that are not in your control. Instead, only focus on your work and the things you can change. You can also practice mindfulness to reduce stress and improve focus.
2. Accept things as they are
Try accepting things as they are. It helps eliminate anxiety, improves your mood, and enhances problem-solving and decision-making ability.
3. Do not have unrealistic expectations
Stress is one unavoidable thing in the workplace. Therefore if you are trying to increase your overall productivity, then you need to be practical. Ensure you set specific goals that you can achieve.
4. Establish boundaries
You should set clear boundaries to separate your work and personal life. Work-life boundaries help reduce conflicts, prevent burnout, and improve your mental and physical health.
5. Exercise regularly
Research shows that people who exercise daily are less prone to anxiety compared to people who do not. Therefore if you feel your productivity is getting hampered because of anxiety, start exercising. It is a great stress reliever.
6. Get adequate sleep
People who sleep less than 6.5 hours each night face more anxiety and vice-versa. Therefore, experts recommend that healthy people should get 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night. Consult a doctor if you have trouble falling or staying asleep regularly.
7. Take a break if needed
Sometimes late hours of work or work load can lead to burnout. Burnout among employees can result in absenteeism, poor performance, and high turnover. That's why it's so important to take time to sit down with your family and really get some quality talking time in. Take a day off from work to recharge yourself. Go on a vacation if you can spare more time.
Takeaway
Short-term anxiety is common and may go away on its own. But chronic or long-term anxiety can contribute to health conditions such as high blood pressure, depression, weight gain, and heart disease. If you have anxiety issues, take help from your friends and family members.
If you continuously face difficulty in dealing with anxiety, you can consult a doctor. The doctor can help you better manage your anxiety disorder through mindfulness, cognitive therapy, medication, exercise, dietary changes, and medications.