New Job, New Worries? 6 Tips to Cope with Performance Anxiety

Are you experiencing some level of apprehension and trepidation at work? Does worry compromise your ability to operate and interact well? Have you become increasingly worried that you won’t be able to excel, despite the fact that you have all the skills and support required? 

If any of these troubles are becoming an everyday concern, you aren’t alone. Performance anxiety at work may be wearing away the confidence you need to reach your goals.

What can you do? Your productivity and professional promise are precious to you. Fortunately, your work performance anxiety doesn’t have to keep holding you back. First, it is important to examine your symptoms and gain some clarity. Then, you can make a plan for coping and support that will help you attain the success you’ve wanted all along.

Anxiety Treatment NYC: How Does Performance Anxiety Affect the Way You Function?

In short, work performance anxiety is a sense of uncertainty and worry regarding preparedness, professional skills, and the perceptions of your colleagues necessary to do your job well. You may feel unduly upset or paralyzed by presentations or taking the lead. You may also find yourself ruminating about perceived criticism. Despite being qualified and capable, you might experience an ongoing inability to tap into your strengths productively.

Signs & Symptoms

Like most forms of anxiety, many people with work performance anxiety experience key symptoms. Are you living with the following?

  • elevated pulse and rapid breathing
  • nausea and digestive trouble
  • dry mouth
  • dizziness
  • chest pains
  • inability to rest or relax
  • increased perspiration

Performance anxiety often triggers psychological symptoms, as well. Fear often takes hold long before the workday begins. You may even believe that failure and humiliation are imminent. This can lead to irritability, lack of focus, and awkward interactions with others. In addition to growing tension and negativity, you may also experience these issues:

  • racing thoughts
  • avoidance
  • a sense of dissociation
  • memory problems
  • Panic
  • deep sense of inadequacy
  • perfectionism

If you’ve been living with these signs of work performance anxiety, you likely want relief immediately. An important part of feeling better is to accept yourself and face the beliefs that are getting in your way. How can you do that practically? The following strategies and the support of anxiety therapy can make all the difference.

Anxiety Treatment NYC: 5 Practical Tactics For Working Through Work Performance Anxiety

1. Accept, Rather Than Avoid, Your Work Anxiety

Your work anxiety is not a moral failure or a sign that you “just can’t hack it.” Mindful acceptance of your internal alarm bells is an opportunity to acknowledge your thoughts and needs rather than suppress them. You then have the chance to notice what bothers or concerns you and choose your response rather than manage a continually reactive mindset. 

It’s okay to be a whole person with all of the emotions involved, even at work. Practicing being present and processing your feelings will lead to a healthier mental and physical state as well as a more genuine state of calm on the job. A therapist can help you with mindfulness techniques to get you started.

2. Prize Your Time & Protect Your Mind

When you are trying to learn new things, manage new people, or get acclimated to a new environment, anxiety can easily get out of hand. In these situations, it’s important to tap into the routines, schedulers, and planning tools you have at your disposal.

Boost confidence in the quality and completion of your work by scheduling enough time to do them thoroughly, communicating with supervisors, and setting realistic parameters for the amount of work you can do. Don’t forget to plan time for fun and relaxation too.

3. Focus Less on Work Feelings & More on Work Facts

Your work performance anxiety is likely not about your abilities or even your current performance. If you look closely at the facts of your work with some emotional distance, you may find you are in a better position than you think. 

Obviously, you may need some help seeing yourself and your contributions clearly. Anxiety can lead to catastrophizing or all-or-nothing thinking. It may be wise to chart your performance, both positive and negative, so that you can get a clear perspective. Anxiety treatment too can help you parse out the specifics of your job, how well you perform it, and how valuable you are to those around you.

4. Reduce Analysis Paralysis with Manageable Goals

You want to fly high at work but anxiety and overthinking can weigh you down. To feel confident taking the necessary leaps for work success again, start with small, consistent goals that will affirm and encourage you. 

Keep these smaller goals realistic and achievable. Track them daily on your phone or in a planner. Consider them as valuable mood boosters toward optimal productivity and progress in your mind as well as your work relationships. Also, try not to be too rigid. Permit space for mistakes and backup plans. This can help you feel empowered however your work days pan out.

5. Force Yourself to Seek Feedback

Don’t let pride or fear keep you isolated. Look for trustworthy professional voices. People who know your work life and its pressures are invaluable to you. They can offer sound advice and be an encouraging sounding board.

Anxiety Treatment NYC: Therapy Can Help Put Work Worries In Their Place

Perhaps you are one of the scores of Americans who participated in the Great Resignation and accepted a new position with new responsibilities. Yet, you may now find that the novelty and excitement of your new job are hampered by new worries. Perhaps you’ve been in your position for a long time and achieved some level of expertise. However, you might be dealing with anxiety about the responsibilities and expectations that come with your reputation.

All in all, getting to the root cause of why performing makes you anxious is the best place to start. Once you have your triggers and reactions in hand, you can take a deeper look at the beliefs and thoughts that fuel your anxiety. 

For a long-term solution, anxiety treatment is often the best course of action. Working with a  therapist can help you feel seen and supported. Together, you can dig deeper into any underlying issues. Reframing your thoughts may help you adjust unhelpful perceptions and encourage more positive thinking and self-talk. 

Reclaim your productivity and successes. Let us help. Please read more about our Anxiety Treatment counseling services.

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