Most people worry about work and bring the anxiety home with them. This worry can include keeping a mental record of things that happen at work and then thinking about why you may get fired. When stated out loud, it might sound ridiculous, but it is very common. While an amount of concern for your job is healthy (you want to do well and succeed), if you are having anxiety-provoking feelings on a daily basis, you may have naturally formed a bad habit. Here are a few tips for stopping yourself from always thinking the worst at work. Things are probably not as bad as you think!
1) Stop Going to Your Friends for Advice
Your friends should be a good support system, which means that you are going to want to go them when you are stressed. The reason that going to them for your work anxiety is not always the best thing to do, is because your friends are usually not physically with you at work. They will either tell you that everything is okay or they may validate your nervousness and convince you that things are really bad. Either way, they are probably not going to make you feel better if this is constantly happening. You can vent to your friends and lean on them, but if you notice that you are seeking their advice frequently about work, you may benefit from working with a talk therapist who can help you get to the root of this anxiety once and for all. To work with a therapist who specializes in anxiety, click here.
2) Ask Your Boss if Everything is okay
This is something that may seem obvious, but is easily forgotten. Your boss is likely the one you are nervous about, so they may be the only one who truly knows what is going on. It is okay (and probably healthy) to have an open conversation with your boss. Ask them if everything at work is okay or if there is anything you should be doing differently. They may give you helpful advice or tell you that everything is alright and you are overthinking things. Just be cautious and use the time with your boss wisely. You shouldn’t be having these conversations frequently or concern your boss. Think about what you want to address prior to entering their office so you don’t have to repeatedly have this conversation.
3) Take an Actual Break From Your Work
When you are constantly thinking the worst at work, it may be sign that you have been working too much and need a break. Sometimes, continuing to work is actually counterproductive. If you find that taking a day to stay home is consumed of thoughts of work anyway, try to plan something fun or distracting. Take a mental health day and go to a theme park or plan a vacation. While it is not always possible to take a break, you want to take at least some time to unplug from work. Unless your boss has actually said that layoffs are imminent, you shouldn’t worry. Things will not fall apart if you take some time to breathe!