7 Mindfulness Techniques for Managing Work-Related Anxiety

Whether you love or loathe your job, you need your job. But thinking about your job, and even doing your job, triggers anxiety and fear. Here’s how to manage your anxiety so you can focus and perform optimally at work.

That awful second-quarter meeting keeps you up at night. Why didn’t you speak up when you got shot down?

Or your stats have dipped far below quota: Will you be able to keep your job?

And then there’s AI: You’ve been using it to perform your tasks in half the time, but how long will it be before your bosses use it to eliminate your job?

Anxiety is a common disorder that affects almost 20% of women and men in the United States. Anxiety presents in a variety of forms, such as:

Generalized anxiety disorder
Panic disorder
Social anxiety disorder
Phobias
Stress
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Unmanaged anxiety can negatively affect every aspect of your life, including your work life.

At The Soho Center for Mental Health Counseling, our expert counselors understand that your anxiety may make your job or career extra hard. We offer work-related anxiety counseling in person at our offices in Greenwich Village, New York City, or through HIPAA-compliant teletherapy.

However, in addition to treating your anxiety, you can learn mindfulness techniques that help you manage your emotions in the moment. Here are seven that can help you calm down and focus at work.

1. Start with a reset

Spending hours in meditation to achieve sustained focus isn’t necessary. Before you start your day, take just a few minutes to calm your body down. You can:

Meditate
Do breathing exercises
Do a body scan
Journal
Listen to soothing music

Any of these practices allows you to relax into the present moment. Mindfulness is simply the practice of being here now, instead of getting swept away into the anxiety of “what if.”

2. Organize your space

An easy way to feel more at peace at work is to create a peaceful environment. Clutter can be distracting and overwhelming.

At the beginning of the day, sift through the papers you may have left on your desk or emails in your inbox, and discard those that you don’t need. Organize the rest so that you can easily find what you need.

You might also decorate your office space to induce tranquility. Consider a plant or two, or a small fountain.

3. Concentrate on a single task at a time

All the tasks you must accomplish in a single day may feel overwhelming. Take a few minutes to set priorities so that you can turn your attention to the most important tasks first.

Focus on either completing that task or taking it to its next logical stage. Resist the urge to work on other tasks at the same time. Multitasking may seem efficient, but it isn’t. In fact, multitasking has been shown to increase errors, elevate your blood pressure, and make stress and anxiety worse.

To focus on a single task, eliminate distractions. Set a specific time to check your emails or your phone. If working for hours at a time on a single task feels unbearable, set a timer for 20-60 minutes. After that, you can switch to another task that takes 100% of your focus, or continue on the first task.

4. Take stretching breaks

Schedule actual breaks that allow your mind, body, and emotions to reset. Set that timer for 20-60 minutes. Keep your attention on your task. But when the time rings, get up and stretch. Do a few squats. Take a brief stroll around your office or down the hall. Keeping your body active helps your brain stay focused, too.

5. Meditate or visualize before meetings

Whenever you’re faced with a potentially stressful situation, take just a minute or two to reset. Breathe deeply to relax your body. Imagine the meeting going exactly the way you want it to go. Hold that image as you move into the meeting itself.

6. Transition with intention

Throughout the day, you move through a variety of tasks and activities. Even taking a few deep breaths can help your body let go of the last task and move on to the next one.

7. Practice “letting go”

When the day is over, allow it to be over. In our 24/7 workaholic society, it’s tempting to bring work home with us, either actually or emotionally. Design an “end of the day” routine that lets you transition away from work and toward your personal, home time.

If you suffer from anxiety at work, call us or book an online appointment at our Greenwich Village, New York City office or via HIPAA-compliant teletherapy sessions. In addition to teaching you mindfulness techniques, we help you get to the root of your anxiety so you can better manage it.