Is fear leading you down a one-way street to unemployment?
This question may seem extreme but I have lost several jobs due to excessive anxiety that crippled my productivity and creativity.
Almost everyone suffers from some form of stress at work, but when it becomes so acute that your entire career falls into oblivion, it's time to address some of the underlying causes.
I want to share 5 little philosophies that I have adapted to my professional life that have allowed me to not only keep a job but to thrive in my new career, as well as reduce my overall anxiety level.
Prepare for the pressure
Some people excel under pressure and produce their best work when the flames of hell are licking their ankles. However, for most people this is simply not the case and especially not when you are prone to anxiety.
When we are stressed, we can learn quickly but we will not learn well. Over-motivation fueled by fear of doing a particular job can also lead to interference in our reasoning abilities. All of this together can lead to a loss of clear thinking and a descent into a fixed, narrow response, leading to more anxiety, frustration and tension.
In order to reduce and alleviate the unavoidable pressure moments at work, we must “prepare” and “practice” away from the hot zone.
This can be achieved by making sure you plan and research potentially problematic tasks well ahead of schedule, at your own pace if needed, so that you feel better understood and aware of what will be involved.
Think of this like a fire drill. Practice and prepare without pressure and whatever the situation, you will have a heightened awareness of the task at hand and a more relaxed state of mind, open to better judgement, interpretation and improvisation.
