Work Anxiety

[dottie]

does anyone else's anxiety peak when they are at work?

i can handle shopping, going to school, going out because i can cope with it. in those environments i only have to interact with people on a superficial level and i am free to leave and hide away by myself if i feel too much pressure. there is escape. but work creates so much intense anxiety. when i am at work i do not have the option of leaving to be by myself, i have no say in anything, i am being judged on my performance, and have to maintain relationships (which i keep on the most superficial level) with other employees. i don't mind work in and of itself. i can fill out forms for hours, clean, get shit done- whatever- as long as i am left totally alone. if there are other people around (especially of higher authority or customers- because they are ALWAYS right) then i am fucked in terms of anxiety.

 

[Predacon]

I know what you mean most other things I can handle because at the end of the day, I can leave if I want to. But work always tenses me up because I feel like I'm always being watched and judged. I'm always worried about making mistakes or looking incompetant.

 

[alex29]

i feel really intimidated at work. my boss is actually really nice and understanding but i constantly feel like im being watched and judged and even when she makes jokes i have trouble joking along with her. i feel this way around a lot of people who have any kind of authority over me.

i also feel like i have to get everything right the first time. for example, i worked a job that involved a cash register and i couldnt work it for the life of me. everytime i made a mistake i felt like people were judging me - that i was stupid and incompetent and somehow less of a person. but i know this is irrational. i just dont know how to think any differently

i find myself not applying for what other people consider "easy" jobs because they either involve people or involve being watched while i work. id much rather do something independently or something slower paced. it makes finding work really difficult

also once im at work i feel like i have to be working every minute of every shift. other people feel fine taking breaks and hanging out somewhere with other coworkers but i am so time conscious and i worry that i appear lazy or not hardworking enough. im afraid to ask for things too. i used to work 7 straight hours without taking any breaks or talking to anyone else and id be exhausted

 

[PhantomPod]

I have major anxiety at work. I sit in an office where the cubicle walls are low, so I feel uneasy as if everyone is looking at me all the time. I wish the cubicle walls were taller and it would be like i had my own little room.

Also, if I have a question to ask, it takes me nearly an hour to work up the courage to speak up and to come up with how exactly I am going to phrase my quesition.

And when I am emailing clients, I read and re-read the email a ridiculous amount of times, because I get worried that I spelled something wrong or didn't make sense and the client is going to think that I am a complete idiot.

also once im at work i feel like i have to be working every minute of every shift. other people feel fine taking breaks and hanging out somewhere with other coworkers but i am so time conscious and i worry that i appear lazy or not hardworking enough. im afraid to ask for things too. i used to work 7 straight hours without taking any breaks or talking to anyone else and id be exhausted

I am the same way! There are some days where I don't even take breaks because I'm all concerned that others will perceive me as lazy or not taking my work seriously. Yet others around me are taking breaks left and right.

 

[Richey]

It literally feels like you've been locked in a prison all day and you can't escape and so you just have to deal with whatever challenges are thrown at you, so yeh its definately my biggest barrier is being at work and school classes where if you are having a trying day you can't just walk out ... the freedom should be there to walk away for a while but of course the system wouldnt allow it unless you are sick ....

Alot of this anxiety is from lack of control, you don't have full control over your tasks or your day in general is in the hands of the people up the ladder ..

however there are jobs that may be fun to be involved in or would suit you more then other types of environments at jobs

 

[dottie]

also once im at work i feel like i have to be working every minute of every shift. other people feel fine taking breaks and hanging out somewhere with other coworkers but i am so time conscious and i worry that i appear lazy or not hardworking enough. im afraid to ask for things too. i used to work 7 straight hours without taking any breaks or talking to anyone else and id be exhausted

I am the same way! There are some days where I don't even take breaks because I'm all concerned that others will perceive me as lazy or not taking my work seriously. Yet others around me are taking breaks left and right.

me three. i am afraid that if i am not working for one second they will scream at me or think i am a slacker. i am always on my toes, on guard, on edge. literally. if someone says something to me i feel i have to respond instantaneously, like i'm not important enough to wait for an answer. i always have to blurt out something within 2 miliseconds, anything, so that they can get on with their business and stop wasting their precious time around someone like me.

what is wrong with me? i don't know but i can't turn it off. i do not want to be a doormat. i do not want to be george mcfly.

 

[Schmoo]

Dotti, I'm very similar to you. I can go shopping ok, tho' I dread the small talk at the cashier. But work, oh boy. I feel like a prickly porcupine all the time, so ill at ease. Then the stress of it, dealing w/social situations, builds up, then I start taking days off, and then finally I end up quitting. I wonder about the people who are on disability, b/c I don't know how long I can sustain this.

 

[NightTimeForever]

I get anxiety at work to, but unlike one of the above posters, my productivity has gone down hill because I have a hard time thinking and concentrating around people I don't know. I hide in the bathroom alot.

 

[frenchie]

I used to be paralyzed at work where I would have difficulty standing up for myself and then my anxiety level would get so high that I'd blow up.

Now, I'm a middle school teacher. I find it easier to deal because i truly love what I'm doing and I love these kids. I hate making mistakes in front of them though... which is ridiculous because I try to teach them that making mistakes is part of learning and is okay... but I blush and it's hard for me once I do to regain composure enough to feel comfortable again.

I've worked through a lot of my SA by choosing things that make me face my fears, but I can't get ahold of the blushing problem. It happened to me today when I was talking to colleagues and I feel like it makes me look embarrassed or not confident. I don't know how to fix this problem.

 

[hobo10]

i feel really intimidated at work. my boss is actually really nice and understanding but i constantly feel like im being watched and judged and even when she makes jokes i have trouble joking along with her. i feel this way around a lot of people who have any kind of authority over me.

i also feel like i have to get everything right the first time. for example, i worked a job that involved a cash register and i couldnt work it for the life of me. everytime i made a mistake i felt like people were judging me - that i was stupid and incompetent and somehow less of a person. but i know this is irrational. i just dont know how to think any differently

i find myself not applying for what other people consider "easy" jobs because they either involve people or involve being watched while i work. id much rather do something independently or something slower paced. it makes finding work really difficult

also once im at work i feel like i have to be working every minute of every shift. other people feel fine taking breaks and hanging out somewhere with other coworkers but i am so time conscious and i worry that i appear lazy or not hardworking enough. im afraid to ask for things too. i used to work 7 straight hours without taking any breaks or talking to anyone else and id be exhausted

Wow, you sound EXACTLY like me...100%! Especially about feeling like you have to work when other people are just fine taking a break. I too, feel like they think I'm being lazy if I am just relaxing. My irrational thought is that they are better at the job than me so they CAN take a break.

Other than not wanting to appear useless/lazy, another reason I never stop working is that usually when they are relaxing, they are talking amongst themselves. I however, never got close with them so I would just be.....sitting.

 

[jodiesmitham]

Hi all,

Wow, I feel like I'm looking in a mirror! I thought I was the only one that felt this bad at work! I have quit so many jobs and find it hard to stay.

I think the general problem is that we don't want to be perceived as incompetent. My manager used to be my friend, but I have changed my reaction towards her because she is now in a position of authority. I always try to do things perfectly in front of her and get very upset when I get things wrong.

I don't enjoy work and can't wait for retirement! That's a sad waste of life I think. We should all be enjoying life and not taking work so seriously, but trying to become this way appears to be sooo hard.

People tend to say things like 'try not to be negative' or 'stop worrying so much at work' etc but HOW?! What exercises can one do to get over anxiety? I think we'd all be prepared to work hard to get over it, but it would be nice to know exactly how.

Jodie

 

[worrywort]

YES! I am the exact same!....I am NOT lazy or incompetent. I know this because when I'm alone I can work very hard and push myself very far. But when I'm around other people my brain slows WAY down and THAT is when I appear incompetent and lazy.

I also keep all my work relationships very superficial.

 

[Kamen]

Same here. I can work hard when I am alone, but it's hard to focus on the job when I am around people - there is this noise of disturbing, anxious thoughts.