Have you ever had a situation where you need to turn in a project or just get to work, but your thoughts are somewhere far away and your condition is anxious? In such cases, it can be really hard to focus on the work, but after all, it needs to be done. Or should you take some time off or sick leave?
What Is Anxiety and Why It Occurs
Anxiety is a negatively colored emotion that expresses a sense of uncertainty, the expectation of negative events, and difficult to determine premonitions. Why does it arise?
Anxiety may be short-term, associated with a particular situation. For example, a loved one calls you and informs you of his or her ill health and that it is necessary to call an ambulance.
Anxiety can be a character trait. Anxiety occurs when a person is faced with any difficulties in life. For example, a person experiences anxiety when caught in a large crowd or city, that is, the level of anxiety rises in a certain situation, but there is no reason for it.
Anxiety can be a coping mechanism passed on from generation to generation, that is, it can be part of a family script. For example, one of the parents exhibited anxious behavior in everyday life. In such a scenario, parents often repeat the phrase, “I have a bad feeling, it’s necessary to be more careful.” The child unconsciously copies the parents’ behavior and can react in the same way. And even as a grown-up, he or she keeps this pattern until he or she decides to change it.
Anxiety can arise due to lack of sleep or other physical and hormonal manifestations; due to iron deficiency (hemoglobin and ferritin) in the body.
Anxiety can be a consequence of mental disorders, such as depressive disorders, delusional syndromes, phobias.
Types of Anxiety
Anxiety can be similar to fear, but unlike it, anxiety occurs for no reason, and fear is a reaction to a specific situation. According to the level of manifestation, anxiety can be strong, medium and weak. A person may experience anxiety episodically, permanently, or face it frequently.
Background Anxiety
Mild anxiety is characterized by a negatively colored feeling about the future: “I am afraid that something bad is going to happen soon, but I cannot understand what.” At the same time, the person can feel a slight burning sensation in the chest. It’s usually a background, poorly realized anxiety. Attention in such a state is focused and the person can perform work tasks, switching from his or her anxiety state to work. But because the level of anxiety is weak, a person may not pay attention to his condition, and then there is a high probability of transition of anxiety from weak, background to strong, up to panic attacks. But this isn’t always the case for everyone – everything is strictly individual.
Severe Anxiety
With a pronounced, strong anxiety man feels a sudden terror, attacks begin suddenly and unexpectedly, as if for no reason. Fearful, all-consuming panic: the heart is ripped from the chest, there is no air, it seems that the body will fail now, and the person will die. It may feel as though limbs and the tongue are going numb, the head is not thinking straight and concentration is affected. Fear of death – this is what is inherent in panic. One wants to immediately run somewhere to save oneself.
Should You Report Your Condition to Your Supervisor?
It’s almost impossible to work in such a condition – acute anxiety causes cognitive disorders. For example, the girl mentioned above could not add up simple numbers, to shift her attention from anxiety to something else.
Each case of anxiety is individual, so you should rely on your own feelings. Listen to yourself. How much does anxiety allow or hinder you to work and accomplish your tasks? Can you concentrate on your work? Are you paying enough attention at the moment? If you ignore the anxiety and keep working, your condition may worsen. The body needs rest.
In such situations, it makes sense to go on vacation or, if possible, take time off. Whether or not to inform your bosses about the reason – it’s up to you. You can also take sick leave, citing ill health because an increased level of anxiety is not something to be ashamed of. We’re not ashamed of a runny nose or a cough. But don’t expect anxiety to go away on its own if you just rest at home. For severe anxiety, a therapist or psychiatrist can help. It isn’t uncommon for them to work together.
What to Do to Reduce Severe Anxiety
If for some reason you can’t take vacation or sick leave and you need to pull yourself together to get work done, you can try:
- Put on some classical, relaxing music while you’re working – it will help calm you down.
- Try to do something you enjoy. It can be cooking, playing Vave crypto casino games, or having a conversation with a friend.
- Perform breathing practices. Close your eyes, take a comfortable position, take a deep breath in through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Continue to breathe like this for several minutes. Concentrate all your attention on the breath. It’s better to do the exercise sitting down, as you may become dizzy because of the rapid flow of oxygen to the brain as a result of the breathing practice.
- Ask yourself: “Is there really something wrong with me? What is the cause of my anxiety?” After answering this question, transform the phrase from negative to positive: “I’m calm, I’m safe.”
- Control your thoughts. If an anxious thought comes to you, you realize that it is for no reason, say to yourself: “Thought, thanks for participating, but I have….” and change the negative phrase to a positive one. It’s important not to banish the bad thought, but to thank it and replace it with a positive one. Why? The law of paradoxical phenomenon: the more we try not to think, the more often the thought comes to us. That is, in the case of replacement, we do not forbid ourselves to think bad thoughts, but to thank and focus on the positive thought, thus forming new positive neural connections in our consciousness.
- Shift our attention from observing our condition to another external process, work, hobby. For example, look out the window and start looking at what’s in your field of vision.
- Share with a colleague, loved ones, or therapist that you are anxious right now. Sometimes just talking it out is enough to make you feel better.
- Do a short, relaxing meditation to relax and calm your thoughts and overall condition.
- In a moment of increased anxiety, recall positive moments from your life or a pleasant place, an image that you created using an image generator as an anchor. This will help dislodge anxious thoughts.
- If possible, watch family photos or videos.
In general, you need to establish sleep – it’s optimal to fall asleep before 11:00 pm. And also keep a balance: work, rest, hobbies, development, family. It’s also useful to fill deficiencies in the body and adjust the hormonal background.
What to Do if Anxiety Has Turned Into a Panic Attack
You need to realize that this is all a temporary phenomenon. Your body is healthy, just your brain makes you think that you are sick and will die soon, but it’s not so. You are physically healthy and the attack will be over soon.
Three deep breaths through your nose with slow exhalations through your mouth. If possible, you can make any vocal sounds you want.
Also, during panic attacks, no matter how bad and scary you feel, start smiling with your whole mouth. Even if you don’t feel like it, smile through force for at least 15 minutes. Smiling helps you switch from your negative state to a positive one, and activates the neurons in your brain that are responsible for your emotional state. When you smile, you kind of trick your brain and you feel good.
Having consistent anxiety can make it difficult to concentrate on completing tasks and reaching your goals. Unfortunately, anxiety can also affect one’s productivity. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to help you focus on work even when you’re feeling anxious.
The first step to focusing on work when feeling anxious is to practice deep breathing exercises. Deep breathing will help slow down your heart rate and reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety. Start by taking slow, deep breaths. Count up to five as you inhale then out to five as you exhale. Repeat this several times until your anxious feelings are reduced.
Another helpful technique to focus on work when feeling anxious is to create a calm environment. Make sure the area where you work is organized, clean, and comfortable. If possible, play some calming music or keep some plants in the area.
Prioritizing your tasks is also essential as anxiety can make it difficult to focus on a single task. Begin your day by writing down a list of tasks that are priorities. Break down complex tasks into smaller, more manageable subtasks. This will help you focus on one task at a time and prevent the procrastination that can come with anxiety.
Breaking tasks into intervals is also helpful for those dealing with anxiety. For example, if you are trying to finish up a report, instead of working on it for a few hours straight, break it up into intervals. Work on it for twenty to thirty minutes then take a short break. This will help keep your focus and boost productivity.
Finally, make sure to take breaks throughout the day. Take some time to practice calming activities such as reading, going for a walk, or taking a yoga class. This will help you regroup and refocus your mind and body, allowing you to better handle any anxious feelings that come up so that you can stay focused on work.
When it comes to dealing with work and anxiety, these strategies can help you stay focused even during times of stress. Remember to stay organized and to make use of breathing exercises, breaks, and intervals to manage anxiety and stay productive.