Work Anxiety

Having anxiety disorder is bad enough, but having anxiety disorder and working in cubicle world is even worse. Before we moved into a new office we had cubes that were tall enough so that people could not see me without coming over to visit. Now the cubes are just below shoulder level so everyone can see me, all day long.

If I didn’t have anxiety this would not be a big deal, but because I have a high stress profession (talk about irony) I don’t feel like I can have any me time and not do anything for a few minutes every now and then. With the cubes set up the way they are and because the overseers, sorry I meant supervisors, can always see what you are doing it really puts a cramp on my meditation time. But worst of all, having anxiety makes it that much more difficult to handle everyday stress and frustration. Everyone gets stressed at work, but I have had full on panic attacks at work. One got so bad I had to have a co-worker drive me to the E.R. because I thought I was having a heart attack. I had shortness of breath, chest pain, vertigo and was extremely anxious. Of course I was checked out and told to go home because I was fine.

I have often wondered about what it would be like to change jobs. I suspect it could really reduce my stress level, but the truth is that there is not a whole lot out there right now. I dislike my job, but I get paid a descent wage, benefits, etc. I wish it was as easy as just walking out and getting a dream job with little or no stress. The reality is that it is hard to find good paying jobs, not to mention ones that don’t pound you into the sand. I end up having to cope with my job like I cope with my anxiety and that’s one day at a time.

To help me along I frequently take short walks around the office, I go to the rest room to wash my face with cold water or go and sit in my car for lunch and listen to good old NPR before a I take a power nap for about 20 minutes. That is the trick to coping with anxiety at work. When you feel it coming on you just have to get away, even if its only for a few minutes to gather yourself. Getting those precious few moments and deep breaths can help bring you back down to a more tolerable level of anxiety. I find that sometimes I feel like I am about to slip into a full blown panic, only to stop, breathe deeply and gather myself again. Another helpful tip is when you get home from work you should find a few minutes if possible to decompress. It is generally not good to be stressed out then walk into your house to start working on something else frantically. If at all possible I recommend 15-30 minutes of nothing. No radio, no T.V., no computer, etc. Just sit in a comfortable seat or lie down and just relax. You’ll find that doing this will unwind you just enough to knock the edge off.