Conundrum: Anxiety at a Stable Job
If you ask my team how is Yash performing, they would all say, it’s been decent. That’s the least I’d expect given I’ve had a fairly good year since joining a new place after getting laid off.
Even though I’ve had the opportunity of working with two teams that should probably win awards 😅 for empathy and understanding one another, I find myself always in a flight or fight mode.
Like being nervous and anxious is my default way to work.
Even when folks tell me to relax and calm down, I’d still wait for something to go wrong.
Though there are things that have been helping me and I guess I’d share them with you — so if you’re one of the nervy folks — for a bit of respite.
Organizing on Sunday eve
Whenever I take 30-minutes to an hour on a Sunday eve before bedtime to give work a thought. Look at how I’ll start the week, I find myself 90% at ease.
Take a notebook, open your calendar, or just use your notes app to write down what are the things you did last week, and what are you going to do this week.
It has a surprisingly calming effect on the nervous bit we all have.
Focus on being self-aware and give yourself credit
The first coping mechanism would be to take a moment and look back. I can guarantee that there are at least 2 things you would have done right at work in the past few weeks.
When I acknowledge that I’ve also been fairly productive in the past, it slows down my heart a bit and I can breathe much more easily.
It’s very similar to how you uplift a friend by telling them what they’ve achieved even though they are not in a comfortable spot right now. The same behavior applies to ourselves as well.
Set realistic timelines and expectation
Understand that no one is perfect. We’ll time and again mess up and make mistakes. Everyone does. Google recently unveiled Gemini, and their viral video was entirely staged. Yet, they came forward and acknowledged that they made a mistake.
When one of the top five companies in the world could make a colossal mistake in front of millions, well, you’re just an individual.
So it’s alright.
But what needs to change here is that you should take a moment before setting expectations or timelines. It’s better to take 4 extra days rather than do things on the dot.
Think about how much effort this will take, the scope, and the impact of your work, and then set realistic timelines and expectations, where you also account for setbacks and mistakes.
Self Care
This was my first step when I was trying to figure out how to address this always-being-on-high-alert thing.
And the first thing I did was join a gym. See working out was my way of self-care. I have 2 hours where I can disconnect and focus on nothing but just going to the gym and lifting weights.
And it worked out. I am less anxious because I have something else in my life apart from work.
From there, I then diversified myself into reading fiction, cooking, and well well, creating my blog after an 8-year break from writing personally. And look where we are today.
We got this, bro!
Remember that overcoming workplace anxiety is a gradual process, and it's okay to seek help and support along the way. By taking proactive steps and developing healthy coping mechanisms, you can gradually reduce your anxiety and enjoy a more positive work experience.