Do you suffer from work-related anxiety? What exact aspects of your job provoke anxious feelings? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Work-related anxiety is a common problem\u2014to-do lists become overwhelming, dead-end jobs feel frustrating, and competition breeds insecurity. Finding a way to enjoy your work<\/a> can reduce your boredom and worry and increase your energy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are three actionable ways to get a handle on your work worries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n One of the most common sources of worry for many people is work. It\u2019s important to get your worries about your work under control because work occupies a huge part of your life. Naturally, worry about work starts to touch aspects of your life outside work such as your hobbies, your relationships, and so on. <\/strong>There are three ways to reduce work-related anxiety:<\/p>\n\n\n\n One significant way that work can contribute to your fatigue and worry is boredom.<\/em> It does this in two ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the other hand, when you\u2019re interested in what you\u2019re doing your metabolism picks up and you get a boost of mental stimulation, making you feel physically energized. This is why your energy suddenly picks up when a friend invites you out for a night of drinks and dancing<\/a> even though you were just pinching yourself to stay awake at the end of the workday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Besides simply making you less mentally and physically tired, reducing your boredom at work creates significant benefits in both your working life and your home life.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n To reap these benefits, you\u2019ll have to find ways to enjoy your work and feel energized by it\u2014even if you don\u2019t particularly like your job. <\/strong>There are four ways you can do this. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Try to add some interest, purpose, or challenge to your work by making small goals or games for yourself, or taking on extra projects that are more interesting than your regular work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Often, you\u2019ll find that <\/strong>acting<\/em><\/strong> like you enjoy your work leads to <\/strong>genuine<\/em><\/strong> interest\u2014if not in the work itself, in the challenges you\u2019ve made for yourself. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When you enjoy your work, you work faster\u2014this means you get everything done by the end of the day, and don\u2019t need to spend extra time in your workplace finishing up your tasks. And, working faster or more efficiently can line you up nicely for a promotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you\u2019re feeling resentful of your work, think about how many people would love the chance to work at your job. Reflect on how lucky you are to have<\/em> a job, even if it\u2019s not exactly the job you want right now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Talking to yourself positively before work and reflecting on your goals helps you approach your work with a positive attitude. This daily attitude adjustment will give you increased motivation to reach your goals<\/a>, and your positive thoughts<\/a> will help carry you through the tougher moments of your job. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While the methods of <\/strong>pretending<\/em><\/strong> to enjoy your work can reduce your frustration and worry, it\u2019s even better to <\/strong>genuinely enjoy<\/em><\/strong> it. <\/strong>When you dislike your work, you spend much of your life feeling resentful and uncomfortable, as if you don\u2019t quite fit in where you are. On the other hand, working in a job you love<\/a> positively affects your life in three ways. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately, many of us are tasked with figuring out what we want to do with our lives when we\u2019re young and still aren\u2019t sure what we\u2019re actually interested in, so we choose the wrong line of work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The good news is, you can always change the direction of your career.<\/strong> There are a few ways to figure out what you genuinely want to do for work.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n (Shortform note: Read our summary of What Color Is Your Parachute?<\/em><\/a> for advice on finding a career that aligns with your interests<\/a> and your abilities.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you\u2019ve gotten yourself into the right job, or at least are doing your best to enjoy the job that you have, you\u2019ll have the mental space to consider ways to make your working life more organized and stress-free. There are four actions you can take toward less tiring, less stressful workdays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You don\u2019t need to grind yourself to exhaustion or work nonstop to be efficient. Rest not only repairs and energizes you, but also prevents fatigue, which can make you more susceptible to negative emotions like worry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Taking regular moments of rest before<\/em> you\u2019re tired will make you much more efficient and sharp, and will keep your judgment clear. On the other hand, working when you\u2019re tired leads to sloppy, inefficient work and emotionally charged judgment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are numerous ways you can add moments of rest to your day, depending on the structure of your work:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Interestingly, most of your work-related fatigue isn\u2019t mental<\/em> fatigue, though it might feel that way. Your fatigue is more likely physical\u2014even if you don\u2019t work in a physically demanding job.<\/strong> At work, you naturally experience negative emotions, like frustration or anxiety, over the course of the day. These emotions cause near-constant physical tension, which exerts your muscles and tires you out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are three methods of reducing tension at work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are four habits that are crucial to an organized, uncluttered workday that won\u2019t drain your mental energy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s difficult to tackle your problems calmly and efficiently when your desk is crowded with reminders of everything you need to get done. Remove <\/strong>everything<\/em><\/strong> from your desk, except for whatever needs your immediate attention.<\/strong> This lets you focus on one problem at a time, instead of trying to navigate the tension between what needs to be done now and what\u2019s creating anxiety on the horizon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This concept also applies to your thoughts<\/strong>. Don\u2019t hold problems and issues in the back of your mind, resolving to deal with them \u201clater.\u201d This clutters your mind with tense thoughts of everything that needs to be completed. Instead, deal with issues, questions, and problems as soon as they come up. <\/em>In your workday, this can look like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two abilities that are crucial to good, efficient work are clear thinking<\/a> and knowing how to prioritize your tasks. This means thinking ahead about your day and the importance of each task you must complete, and scheduling your day<\/a> so that you can work through your obligations in the order of their importance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A good way to make sure your day\u2019s tasks happen in the order of their importance is to plan and write down your schedule ahead of time\u2014you might do this the night before, choosing to include your morning routine in the schedule, or wake up early and think about how you\u2019ll tackle the day over a cup of coffee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t delay decisions for fear of pulling the trigger\u2014when you have enough information about an idea or a proposed action, make a decision<\/a> right away. This \u201cdecision\u201d can take several forms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prioritizing clear decision-making<\/a>, instead of allowing hemming and hawing over possible actions and outcomes, quickly clears your to-do list\u2014which alleviates stress for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you don\u2019t learn to delegate work to others and trust them to get it done, you\u2019ll end up trying to do everything yourself. This overworks you, making you feel stressed out, resentful, and overwhelmed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n (Shortform note: Our summary of Dare to Lead<\/em><\/a> suggests tips for working through your reluctance to delegate work. For example, try delegating small, easy tasks to others. Once you see proof that others can accomplish the duties you give them, you can start giving larger and more important tasks.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many people deal with sleeping problems\u2014work-related and otherwise\u2014at some point in their lives. Insomnia is unpleasant as is, and its effects are compounded when you start worrying about how it’s affecting you and your work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you get caught up worrying about your insomnia, there are two ways you can help keep the worries at bay. First, you can take your sleeplessness as a sort of blessing\u2014use the time that you\u2019d ordinarily spend in bed thinking about how you can\u2019t sleep to dive into some work for the next day. Either you\u2019ll eventually fall asleep, or you\u2019ll be ahead on your work for the day. Second, keep in mind that no one has died<\/em> from insomnia\u2014and many of the health problems that come from insomnia such as a lowered immune system and anxiety are actually side effects of worrying about your insomnia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Shortform note: Since the 1940s, numerous studies have suggested that lack of sleep does<\/em> have a negative impact on your health. However, it\u2019s true that there haven\u2019t yet been any reported cases of death from lack of sleep<\/a>. In any case, Carnegie is correct in stating that worrying<\/em> about your lack of sleep will make the effects of insomnia worse.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are three ways to help yourself get to sleep\u2014without significant worry about it. <\/p>\n\n\n\nDealing With Work-Related Anxiety<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1) Search for Ways to Enjoy Your Work<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Method #1: Make Your Work Interesting <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Method #2: Think of the Gains<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Method #3: Reframe How You Think About Work <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Method #4: Start Your Day With a Pep Talk <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
2) Find Work You Love<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3) Establish Good Habits Around Work<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Action #1: Prioritize Rest<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Action #2: Relax as Much as You Can<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Action #3: Establish Good Working Habits<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Working Habit #1: Clear Your Desk<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Working Habit #2: Prioritize<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Working Habit #3: Come to a Decision ASAP<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Working Habit #4: Learn to Delegate Work <\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Action #4: Stop Fretting About Your Sleep Schedule<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n