Helpful Habits to Manage Your Anxiety in the Workplace

Workplace stress and anxiety are not only ordinary, but many people face it silently. More than 70% of millennials report experiencing persistent workplace stress. Even the youngest segment of the workforce is under stress, with nearly 70% of Gen Zers reporting work-related stress. While some level of short-term work stress is often unavoidable, persistent workplace stress and anxiety can have a detrimental impact on mental and overall health. 

The team at Horizons Wellness Family Health NP PLLC is raising awareness about the impact of workplace stress and anxiety and wants you to know that you can and should take steps to manage it. Professional help is available when you’re struggling to manage work-related stress, and it’s very effective. 

At Horizons Wellness Family Health NP PLLC, we offer comprehensive mental health services tailored to manage workplace anxiety and other related conditions. We’ve put together some helpful tips so that you can start reducing work-related anxiety today. 

Start your day with intention

Instead of rushing through your morning routine, try waking up a little earlier to allow yourself time to ease into the day. A few minutes of mindfulness, deep breathing, or a short meditation session can help you start with a clear and focused mind. 

Adopting a daily intention routine creates a mental roadmap that guides you through your tasks with purpose and calm. If you find that your anxiety persists despite these efforts, it may be time to explore additional support. You may benefit from our counseling or healthy lifestyle coaching.

Prioritize and organize your tasks

Anxiety tends to creep in when there’s a feeling of being overwhelmed by a mountain of tasks and not enough hours in the day. Combat this by breaking your day into manageable chunks. Start with a to-do list, but go a step further by prioritizing tasks based on their importance and urgency. 

Tackling high-priority items first can give you a sense of accomplishment, promote better time management, and reduce the anxiety of unfinished tasks hanging over your head. Studies such as this one have shown that time management training improves workplace anxiety and depression and also improves sleep quality. 

Through our counseling and healthy lifestyle services, our team can provide you with additional strategies to manage workplace demands and anxiety.

Practice mindful breathing

When anxiety strikes, the body often responds with physical symptoms like a racing heart, clammy skin, feeling uneasy, and shortness of breath. Learning to control your breath can be a powerful tool in managing these symptoms. Mindful breathing practices significantly reduce anxiety. 

Next time you feel anxious, try inhaling through your nose for four counts, holding for four counts, and exhaling through your mouth for six counts.

Repeat this a few times, and feel your mind clear and your body more relaxed. For patients struggling with more severe symptoms, we may discuss treatments like oral medications or Spravato® nasal spray, which can help alleviate more significant anxiety symptoms.

Establish healthy boundaries

One of the sneakiest causes of workplace anxiety is a lack of boundaries. It's easy to say yes to every request or to work late into the night, but this can lead to chronic stress and anxiety. Learn to recognize when you’re overextending yourself. It’s okay and necessary to say no sometimes. 

Set clear boundaries around your work hours and workload to protect your mental health and ensure you have time to recharge. If setting limits on your own feels challenging, professional guidance through counseling or healthy lifestyle coaching can be incredibly beneficial. Our team can help you develop assertiveness skills and self-care routines that support your mental well-being.

Build a support system

You don’t have to navigate workplace anxiety alone. Building a support system at work can make a difference, such as confiding in a trusted colleague or seeking a mentor in your field for guidance. Knowing that you have someone to turn to when things get tough can go a long way in relieving pressure and helping you feel better and more balanced.

You don’t need to wait for anxiety to take over. Contact Horizons Family Wellness Family Health NP LLC today to get on the path of reclaiming control and peace of mind.