Coping at work when you're anxious

Hi Ashleigh,



The thoughts and feelings you describe are very typical for someone who is experiencing an anxiety disorder.  When a persona has an anxiety  disorder, negative or catastrophic thoughts can come into your mind and then you start to feel the emotions that accompny these thoughts (in this case anxiety).  These feelings then often lead you to refocus on the thoughts which escalate and build up, making the feelings more intense and so on. 



It is really important that you learn to identify exacly what the negative or anxious thoughts actually are, write them down, and then really challenge them.  This is called cognitive therapy.  Also, you can learn to bring the symptoms of anxiety under control by practicing deep muscle relaxation, breathing retraining and relaxation.  This will combat the feelings of anxiety, give you mind something to focus on and stop the feelings escalating This is called behaviour therapy.



Put these strategies (and others) all toghether and you have what we call cognitive behaviour therapy or CBT.  There are a number of ways that you can access this, including from a psychologist (funding available under medicare) or even there are really effective online therapies - many are free. 



Can I suggest you start at the beyondblue website, download some information about the different types of anxiety disorders and treatments, and there are specific fact sheets and resources to guide you in changing your thinking.  We also have a great book “taking care of yourself and your family” which has some good tips and strategies in there.  All of these resources are free and can be ordered via the website www.beyondblue.org.au or you can order them via the beyondblue information line 1300 22 4636 - and the infomation will be sent to you either way at no charge.



Please feel free to email back if you have any other questions - and well done for taking the first step!

Kind regards,

Nicole

Hi Ashleigh, I admittingly feel somewhat relieved to know I'm not the only one who has these experiences, I have the exact some attacks happen to me at work & I'll then also feel like I'm being judged or not accepted at work & I feel the only way to let out this built up emotion is to cry, which is not a great feeling at work either. I have recently learnt some breathing techniques through a counsellor & have recently tried starting to exercise before work, when I do I feel as though my mind is a lot clearer for the day, although it doesn't always work. I have also downloaded to my phone positive quotes, I will take myself outside for a minute & read some of these & practice my breathing techniques, I do find it quite often helps to calm me. Know your not alone :) 

As you described in your own words, anxiety can produce feelings of panic and dread, and it can get worse the more you think about it. This cycle of negative thoughts that trigger the anxiety need to be interrupted, to stop the anxiety recurrence.

Just to recap on the great advice already extended by Nicole. Indeed, there are many ways to try and get relief when anxiety gets a grip on you. Breathing is a very important part of the relief, as is muscle relaxation and visualisation. I would like to add that self-hypnosis is also of help in bringing relief from stress, anxiety and panic attacks. I hope the attached link to a self-hypnosis script helps, with simple and easy steps to follow. These simple steps can be used anytime you wish to experience a sense of relief from anxiety attacks. 

Here is the link to an article how to release anxiety with self-hypnosis

The symptoms you are describing certainly sound like anxiety. Nicole has described the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy approach to helping you cope with these symptoms. Katherine has offered self hypnosis and Jaye talks about using relaxation and positive affirmation.

However, if you want to find a resolution to these anxious reactions, rather than a management approach, you might think about emotionally focused psychotherapy or hypnotherapy.

If you take a deeper pathway to finding a resolution, then you are more likely to get the resoultion you need. Deeper therapeutic interventions that focus more on the emotions rather that the cognitions and behaviour will assist in not only helping you to understand the underlying causes of your anxiety, but also find a resolution that is real and potentially complete.

Most people I talk to find this pathway much more meaningful as it takes into account who you are and where your life has been. It is also very effective and evidence-based.



Jeremy Barbouttis - Clinical Hypnotherapist & Counsellor
www.clinicalhypnotherapy.net.au

“Quite an experience to live in fear, isn’t it? That’s what it is to be a slave”.
This is a line from a favourite film of mine, to be a slave of anxiety attacks is how it can feel, not being sure if you may even be initiating them yourself? The word attack is so apt too, as it's such a surprise when it happens again and there seems to be no warning or control.
But there is some thing that you can do about it and in the previous posts there have been some great suggestions. It can start off as coping strategy enabling you to manage the attacks better and leading to minimising them to the point that they are no longer an issue.
And here are some suggestions of mine and I realise they may over lap the previous ones some what.

Breathing techniques, tried and tested for over 6000 years called pranayama. Pranyama is a Sanskrit word meaning "extension of the prāṇa or breath" or "extension of the life force". Easy to learn and works rapidly, this art is taught in Australia and here's one link to a great resource http://www.artofliving.org/au-en.

Another great resource is a book called 'Beat Anxiety Now', by Alistair Horscroft (who is a world class hypnotherapist and NLP'er who personally suffered terribly from anxiety for years), available at Amazon for about $10.

Another cutting edge research that I have personally found very useful is a new psychological strategy by Kelly McGonigal, reference: Kelly McGonigal: How to make stress your friend
http://www.ted.com/talks/kelly_mcgonigal_how_to_make_stress_your_friend

Hypnotherapy and NLP are wonderful tools to assist people with this condition and I work with clients in my Sydney CBD clinic.
Here is a link to some more information on hypnosis for anxiety https://timthornton.com.au/hypnotherapy/anxiety-treatment/ .

Good luck with the future and know that you're not alone or helpless. You already have the resources within you, you just need some assistance to uncover them.

All the best, Tim.

Ashleigh, you have been given excellent solutions to help you to cope with what you are experiencing. An additional suggestion is to apply ACT - Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. While CBT involves identifying a thought and challenging it, ACT is all about DEFUSING.

This means that when you notice a negative thought, you do not give it any time or energy. You do not fuse with the thought. The premise of ACT is that thoughts can pop into your head at any time and they are only that, thoughts. By learning to not engage with those thoughts, you are able to quickly return to the task at hand. 

You may need to try different approaches till you find the one that helps you the most. But as you can see, there are several tried and tested solutions to choose from.