Does anyone have any advice or experiences they could share about anxiety at work?
If you do experience it at work, is it only involved with work or is it something you battle with regardless (e.g. Generalized Anxiety Disorder)
What are some tips you've undertaken to help overcome it? (Both long and/or short term solutions)
Has anyone tried a corporate wellness program?
Thanks,
-EmJ
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How is your caffeine intake like?
I will second this question as well. Cut the caffeine out if you are a heavy user. I love my caffeine, but on days that I have some serious deadlines I try to cut it down if I'm feeling stressed out.
Hi Opie,
I used to/kinda do have horrible anxiety but it is getting better. The best coping mechanism that is working the best is to realize you can't manage everything and anything. In other words - if you don't have control of the situation then let it go - the best that you can do is put your best foot forward. Additionally, (and not to sound lame) I believe everything that happens happens for a reason to an extent, I used to be in the mindset that the world is eat what you kill and although I still hold true to that mindset (again to an extent) for me there has always been a guiding force as much as I don't want to admit. To be honest I think it is my dead ancestors, and I am not kidding.
In sum - if you can't control it learn to separate and let go from the situation. Also talking to people helps. Crying too - I used to put on Andrea Bocelli, sit in my bathroom, and cry because my anxiety was so bad. Another perspective is to realize how insignificant you are in the universe.
I guess you learn to live with it.
That's all.
Hi Opie, do you know why it got so bad? And was it work-related?
lol nah i have always had it. My upbringing and genetics in my opinion. All good though
xanax
Can you state some specific reasons for your anxiety? are you just feeling overwhelmed with the workload or scared of making a mistake??
For me, it always helps to have a cool co-worker that I can trust and someone to talk to about anything. Try to find some new friends at work. Maybe even someone older and more experienced.
Don't give up, it will get better.
Depending on the type of anxiety you're feeling, breathing techniques can help tremendously. Focus on breathing from your stomach (when you breath your stomach should rise, not your chest) and breath in through the nose.
Maybe try meditation? It helped me a lot. Same with running.
Get counseling, probably the best way.
Yoga or LSD
It's all about perspective. Remembering how fortunate we are to work in finance compared to 99% of the world may help your stress to disappear. That is what works for me, at least!
NEVER grow animosities between seniors who have made you upset. People who get mad at you during work never mean it personally. Failure to understand that could equal either unhappy worklife or you out of a job/promotion.
Come in early. Leave late. Be 100% confident in the work you produce. Exercise.
Stress, anxiety, and failure - methods for success (Originally Posted: 02/17/2015)
I spent some time browsing through previous threads on here and was unable to find anything specifically geared toward stress, anxiety, and failure. I think it could be highly beneficial to the community as a whole if we could share some of our methods for dealing with stress, anxiety, and failure. They are something that we all have to deal with and some people are significantly more resilient than others when it comes to bouncing back.
I have personally found transcendental meditation (I was skeptical at first) to do wonders for me mentally, I exercise on a daily basis to reduce stress/anxiety, and a few drinks here or there never hurt anyone.
On the money
I was gonna suggest meditating, but you already beat me to it. It can really help, but I imagine that it can be difficult to do when working banking hours.
It seems like every monkey on here that does well seems to have some method of exercise in their lives. I think it's a crucial way to de-stress and can provide a great break in your day to regroup. One thing that helps me is implementing some type of organizational method to de-clutter and take my mind off of the thousands of things that are out there for me to do. Exercise, clean eating, organization, music, and a drink every now and then are my current schtick to get rid of anxiety and stress.
Excellent point regarding the importance of eating healthy. Your point about implementing an organizational method to de-clutter is interesting. I think I'll have to try it. If you don't mind sharing, what are some of your effective organizational methods?
The gym and g a n j a.... (work PC)
Can you share more on the transcendental meditation?
I actually listened to an recent podcast interview with Arnold Schwarzenegger where he discussed that early in his career that was something that kept him sane, and he is still repeating the benefits of the the meditation he did in the 70's.
Of course. What would you specifically like to know?
Yeah it's surprising how many successful people cite meditation as a contributing factor to their success.
Used to drink a good amount of soda or coffee with my meals as an refreshment, felt sluggish and oily after lunch. Recently started to get a cup of ice+lemons from the cafeteria, and constantly refilled it during the day. Good to curb your appetite, detox, hydrate the body, and I feel it keeps you focused and clean feeling.
High Anxiety (Originally Posted: 05/06/2013)
Heart attacks are no laughing matter, but if you have spent any time in this business, you will recognize that if you called emergency every time you felt the symptoms of a heart attack listed on tee vee, you would be headed to the hospital on a weekly basis. This is why when you see an ad about these symptoms, which have all the hallmarks of a stress filled day on a trading desk, most traders I know will laugh in sympathetic recognition.
There are many different things that can generate the feeling of stress, and those feelings are often confused with other maladies. So before you get out the Xanax you might want to consider some other approaches to your plight….which includes skipping the side effects section of said concoction.
Here are some examples of stress producing situations and some things you can do to minimize, avoid and or take control of these circumstances….instead of:
There are many causes of stress in life, and your work will be a significant source of these. Stresses of a positive nature can drive you to success in a venture or provide amazing insights in fluid situations. Negative stresses that develop into anxiety are problematic and have the potential to become exacerbated by poor decisions.
Self-medicating with booze and drugs isn’t the answer you are looking for, and it will make the situation worse, for you and those around you.
Stress can lift you up or destroy you. Choose wisely.
If the anxiety struggle is overbearing, it might mean that you are not providing yourself with enough balance in life. Exercise, meditation, reading books could help. Just something to cool you down and take your mind off of work. If you can't find any time to do that, it might be time to find a less stressful job. Not everyone is made out to be working long hours consistently. I know I'm not and that's why I'm in ER and not banking.
If it isn't overbearing, it could just be a a temporary funk. Take some time to travel. Doing the same routine thing can get boring.
Though long, this was worth the read. Good post.
Thanks for sharing. Great read.
I am personally somewhat of an introvert and sometime can easily feel anxious for almost no reason whatsoever.
One of the best ways for me to deal with stress it so do a "power stance". it sounds really stupid and maybe its all a placebo effect, but if I do a power stretch for even a couple minutes, I always feel better. I got it from this TED talk-
Great idea. Glad it gives you some relief.
I don't get anxious when I'm high... just the opposite in fact.
I hadn't seen that TED talk, really enjoyed it. Thanks for posting it.
I've battled anxiety at work (cause of demanding bosses, workload etc..). I've had days where I just had to sneak into the toilet to compose myself again. Shit was crazy stressful. That's when I realized that I may also have GAD, which tends to make matters worse.
This is what worked for me - - exercise - realizing you can't control everything - finding a girl. god damn this helped! All of a sudden I had something to look forward to outside of work. And the normal work stuff that used to bother me, no longer did.
>tfw
I found green tea and lots of water to be a really good option. It sounds very generic but it worked wonders with my stress and anxiety levels.
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