Anxiety in the Workplace
I want to address an issue that not enough people are talking about. I’m going to give a scenario that’s a reality for more people than you think. Here it goes:
It’s Sunday night. The weekend is coming to a close. It was a pretty good one. But your mind kept thinking about work. You try hard to fight those thoughts, but you can’t help it. Just the idea of Monday morning makes your mind spiral. At times, you are completely not present, disconnected, and consumed. And now that you have to go back tomorrow, these feelings are almost unbearable.
It’s normal to not be thrilled about starting a work week. It can be overwhelming to have to get up early, commute, perform all the tasks, and deal with difficult people. But when does this become something to be concerned about?
Anxiety is interesting. Let me start by saying, feeling anxious is a normal part of the human experience. Everyone is going to get anxious from time to time. However, if it’s impacting your enjoyment of life, that’s a different story. Anxiety is a sneaky condition. In many ways, it deviates from the stereotype of mental illness. Our society still likes to think that people with mental illness spend all day in bed. However, people with anxiety are often your best, most “got their stuff together” employees. Many times their symptoms are viewed as an asset in the workplace. And often, bosses and coworkers take advantage of an anxiety-induced high-performer. It becomes a debilitating cycle for the person with anxiety. This is what we need awareness around.
People in the workplace need education about mental health from professional sources. I’d love to see employers provide some sort of training about how it can show up at work, and the proper measures to take. Learning about mental health risks is as important as learning warning signs of physical conditions. Anxiety heavily impacts the person at work and in their home and social lives. We need to start admitting this to ourselves. As a society, we have to continue getting comfortable talking about this, because a good conversation is key to positive change! We need to work on not disregarding these feelings and letting people know it's ok to seek help. Keep spreading awareness of the impact this has on many people. Let’s keep up the conversation!
