Anxiety at the job

Anxiety

My day at work.

I work with some of the most amazing therapists. As a manager I have the privilege of supervising their work and witnessing their growth. It is extremely rewarding.

I spend my days monitoring administrative tasks, processing documentation, and providing insight when necessary. I have the ability to witness the good and bad within their lives and their clients. I have noticed some commonalities between them and myself.

We forget that we have limits.

We forget that we are human. I manage some of the most “you can depend on me for everything” individuals.

They and I sometimes forget to set boundaries. We struggle to accept that “We have done enough, or that we are enough.”

We foster a climate that always expect more.

How can anxiety manifest in the workplace?

Anxiety can include the fear of failure, having negative perceptions of oneself, and catastrophizing over what a wrongdoing.

I notice my therapist and I avoid conversations, speak fast, apologize excessively, doubt our decisions, distrust our actions, ignore achievements, come to work worried about how well we are doing and leave work feeling like we have much more to do. I find myself constantly reassuring my clinicians and myself.

Reassurance is key.

Reassurance includes praise, practicing saying “no,” engaging in positive self-reflection and incentivizing when possible. We are not perfect, but many of us are good people who are trying our best. We should practice giving ourselves due credit, grace, affirmations, and rewards.

Key takeaways.

There is no perfect therapist or human.

If you have anxiety in the workplace, I encourage you to take a moment to appreciate all the work you are doing and focus less on your inadequacies. You are enough.