Managing anxiety when you can’t step off the hamster wheel
Let’s face it, work sometimes sucks. If you find you’re surrendering to creeping panic, here’s a few things I’ve found useful to stifle the screaming ab-dabs.
I’ve tried to encompass things that have helped when I’ve been in jobs where I’ve had little control over my time as well as the jobs where I have so treat this as pick ‘n mix according to your circumstances.
Do everything slowly for a while, describing everything that you do silently in your head. It helps ground you in the present moment and you can do it while you’re moving around.
Concentrate on what you are doing with your body, rather than “I’m going to shove this bread roll up the nose of the bloke on table 4”.
Divide your tasks down to very small chunks – the advantage here is you’ll still probably achieve what you need to, without being overwhelmed by the vastness of the whole process of the thing that you’re trying to achieve.
Tell an understanding someone that you are struggling. Even a text.
Set boundaries and plan if that’s an option for you.
(if you can) do the thing that will bring you the most joy at that given moment. (Within reason – getting someone to cover you so you can go to your child’s sports day, rather than slipping laxatives into your co-workers’ tea.)
Lock yourself in the staff toilet and watch a Kitten/Panda/Puppy video so you can regroup.
Go for a walk and look at trees.
Pop over to Pinterest and find a quote that resonates and that you can use as a mantra that you can read silently to yourself until you feel calmer. This has the added advantage of you can be doing this while doing something else – even while being customer facing.
Remember everyone is winging it.
Remember that unfortunately some people are assholes and this is not your problem.
Remember that other people can’t see what’s going on in your head so they probably aren’t judging you, and if they are see point 10.
