Struggling to Manage Anxiety and Work? Give Yourself a Break

How many fingers would you need to count the number of times “the new normal” has worked its way into a conversation? I’m up to 14 hands at my last count.

The new normal feels ... heavy. It's as if each of us is carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders. And while each experience of this moment is unique, many of us are struggling to balance our ability to stay engaged and productive with our work while managing a pervasive sense of anxiety.

Myself included.

My days of the new normal are filled with client calls, supporting my kids through virtual school, following the news, fretting, calling friends and family, more news, more fretting, more clients, baking cookies, news, clients. Cookies.

The anxiety is warranted. Times truly are scary and require our vigilance. We can’t put our heads in the sand. But how do we also find ways to stay focused on our jobs, and keep performing at work?

I asked my friend Amy Dombach, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychology at Felician University, for advice. Our conversation gave me comfort and a path forward. Today, I’d like to share some of her advice with you.

State your fear out loud

What’s happening right now isn’t the bogeyman. It’s not made-up monsters under your bed. What you fear is real and valid. So start by letting it in. Say it out loud. “I’m anxious right now. And I’m doing the best I can.”

Say it out loud—'I'm anxious right now. And I’m doing the best I can.'

By naming our fear, we invite the rational part of our brains to engage with it. As Amy said, we [Americans] went collectively from denial to full-on toilet-paper hoarding in moments because we didn’t give ourselves time to really think about what was happening. We just let the primitive lizard part of our brains respond.

So start by letting that fear in. Invite your brain to engage it. 

Practice radical self-care

In short, add things to your days that lead to wellness, and subtract things from your days that don’t.

Anxiety is exhausting, and many of us are running on fumes right now. So find moments of rest, whatever that might look like for you. Nap, pet the dog, play with your kids, bake, meditate, take a bath. The right activity is the one that recharges you.

Anxiety is exhausting and many of us are running on fumes right now. So find moments of rest, whatever that might look like for you.

And, at the same time, cut off sources and voices that are wearing you out. I...

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips