How to manage anxiety in the workplace

This week is mental health awareness week in the UK. The official theme for this year, as set by the Mental Health Foundation, is ‘anxiety’. 

Anxiety affects many of us in the UK. According to Mental Health UK, 1 in 10 people in the UK experience living with an anxiety disorder which equates to 7 million. The most common age group to suffer from anxiety disorder is people over 25 and under 60. 

What exactly is anxiety? Anxiety is a feeling of unease, worry or fear. It can also manifest into physical symptoms, such as feeling faint or dizzy, cold sweats or hot flushes, palpitations, shortness of breath, muscle tension, trembling and restlessness. 

Anxiety happens because our body reacts to certain situations in different ways. This is often known as the fight or flight response. The body reacts in this way to keep us safe from certain threats. But with anxiety disorder, people are more likely to feel intense anxiety from situations that are not considered threatening. Perhaps it's public speaking or running late for a certain event – these instances can cause intense reactions for people struggling with anxiety disorder on a more frequent basis. 

With the number of people being affected by anxiety being so high, it comes as no surprise that anxiety transfers over into the workplace. Mental Health UK’s workplace report has revealed that a staggering 60% of UK employees are experiencing anxiety. 

Last week, some State of Us members attended a webinar hosted by Mental Health UK on ‘how to manage anxiety in the workplace’. In this webinar, experts discussed ways in which anxiety can be managed in working environments. 

Important topics of discussion were:

• Creating space for people to share their stories – especially stories from senior management who’ve experienced anxiety. 

• Having fully integrated support systems (such as Wellbeing Action plans and EAPS) that not only work for you but are also easily located and regularly highlighted. 

• Using awareness days to start conversations – but making sure managing anxiety goes beyond just one week a year.

The webinar also touched on several helpful resources to support people in implementing lasting change. These resources can be found here. 

If you are struggling with anxiety, it’s important to remember that you are not alone. Anxiety is one of the most common mental health conditions. You can get free help from the NHS by speaking with your GP and there are local and national support groups that you can reach out to. 

Help is out there, and no one should feel like they have to struggle alone.