Solve a Problem- 5 Ways to Reduce Anxiety During Work, School or both

 Anxiety in your place of work, education or both is very common amongst this generation. From 1990 to 2021 there was a 52% increase in individuals diagnosed with anxiety, that's a lot! This article is here to provide you with 5 ways to reduce your anxiety at your job, school or both. 

1. Build a realistic, sustainable schedule to avoid procrastination 

Avoiding your job and education will not make the workload disappear. Letting work pile up will only make problems worse. I know tasks from work and homework from school can get to be a lot, one task making us anxious, but letting it go over time is not the solution to ease your anxiety. In fact, it makes it worse. This is called procrastination and has become a problem in our society amongst all age groups. Start by allowing yourself time to plan out your tasks or assignments. Set aside time for larger tasks and try to avoid scheduling so much for yourself in a week to avoid having to do it in the present time. For example, if you have a large assignment due in 2 weeks, and a plethora of small assignments also due in 2 weeks, try to plan them all out in a timely manner. Do not wait until the week of the due date to crank out all of those assignments. Stop letting your work pile up, break the habit. With that being said, also set realistic expectations for yourself with appropriate breaks. Do not plan to get everything done in a day or two. I know you may feel this will help your mental health get a break in the future, but it will actually only create more of an overwhelming, stressful or anxious feeling as this tends to create a job or academic burn out. Give your brain a rest while also doing your duties at your job and in school. 

2. Identify what triggers you 

When it comes to anxiety in your place of work or education, try to catch on to the pattern. What tasks are making you anxious? What assignments are making you anxious? Are you noticing smaller or longer tasks are making you anxious? Is a coworker, classmate, teacher making you anxious? Start asking yourself questions and help yourself by finding the answers to them, thus allowing you to prepare for them. In your place of work or education there are obviously things that can’t be changed. For example, your teacher or boss. However, you can help yourself identify why they are making you anxious so you can find resources that will help you deal with those anxious tendencies towards them. If you are noticing a pattern in anxious tendencies towards work you are getting assigned, figure out why. Why does that assignment in particular make you anxious? Is it the length? Are you confused? Ask yourself these questions, fixing your anxious tendency in a work and school environment starts with you. Allow your brain to comprehend why this is happening and find ways to solve them. 

3. Get enough sleep 

Getting good sleep is so overlooked in this generation of time. So many individuals have created bad sleep habits and schedules by accident. Getting bad sleep triggers the brain into what is called fight-or-flight response. If you as an individual are feeling anxious yet have no particular reason behind it, this may be why. If you are constantly getting minimal or bad sleep, you are putting your body in a constant state of high alert. Signs of this may be a fast heart rate which is often correlated with anxiety or a panic attack, when in reality you may just be needing sleep. I am not here to tell you you don’t actually have anxiety and that it's all due to needing sleep, however I am here to tell you that creating a good sleep schedule for yourself will more than likely reduce those anxious feelings. With working and going to school, the time you are waking up is more likely early. Functioning from 6 in the morning to 3 o'clock in the afternoon on four hours of sleep will absolutely alter your brain chemistry, making it hay wire thus causing a panicked reaction, day in and day out. Prioritize your sleep, allow your brain to get the proper rest it needs. 

4. Physical/movement breaks 

Sitting behind a desk whether it's at work or school can be stressful within itself. Lack of movement and sitting still for long periods of time can make individuals antsy. For me personally, whenever I would have an anxiety attack, sitting still focusing on everything making me anxious did not help. Try to give yourself a physical, movement break. Stand up, stretch your body, walk to the bathroom or to get a drink. Try to continue moving thus focusing your mind on something other than the thoughts creating panic. Distract your mind for a few minutes with physical activity, further helping you with tasks that need to get done. When you are feeling anxious, doing a task or assignment is extremely hard. Allow yourself some time to regroup and go back into your duties with a clear mind. 

5. Ground yourself with tools 

When in a workplace or school, doing tasks all day can create anxious thoughts within itself. There doesn’t have to be a specific duty of yours that's making you panicked, it can simply be working or attending school is too much for your brain. For days like this, create go-to coping mechanisms or tools for yourself that help calm you down. For example, listening to music. When your brain is spiraling, music is shown to help individuals relax their brain so that they can continue to have a productive day. Finding something to ground yourself with that works to calm you down is very important to get through work and/or school days. Remember to make these tools easily accessible during your days and try to find something for yourself that isn’t a lot of work to achieve. We want this to help calm you down, not spiral you more!