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Around 70 per cent of working Canadians report that their work experience impacts their mental health, cites the Canadian Psychological Association.
That means, for many professionals, anxiety is just part of the job – tight deadlines, difficult colleagues or uncertainty about the future can all spark emotional responses. But how do you know when that anxious feeling is something to work through on your own and when it’s time to seek outside support?
Phoebe Gavin, a Washington, D.C.-based career and leadership coach, says anxiety is central to the conversations she has with clients.
“Anxiety is the primary emotion that I deal with as a career and leadership coach,” she says. “It makes sense, given the role that work has in our lives.”
“We are very much taught to view our purpose and our value and our identity as it relates to our profession,” she says. “So if things are not happening in your career the way that you would like, if you’re having trouble at work, if you’re between jobs, it can be very destructive to your self-image.”
Ms. Gavin, who was featured on the 2022 Netflix documentary Take Your Pills: Xanax, says there are non-chemical tools workers can use to manage that anxiety. The first step is identifying it and how often it’s showing up. She encourages people to look at three key factors: frequency, intensity and duration.
She says if you’re experiencing intense anxiety but infrequently and not lasting too long, it may not be a signal you need support. However, if it’s happening frequently, even on a low level, it may be time to ask for support.
She says the same thing goes for intensity and duration. If your anxiety is so high you can’t function or it lasts longer than you might consider reasonable, you likely need to take steps to reduce and manage it.
So what kind of support should you seek? That depends on the root of the anxiety.
“If it’s about your feelings, talk to a therapist about it. That is a perfect place for you to be talking about your workplace distress. If it is more about what you can or cannot do, what you need to do or things you need to change, you probably need to talk to a coach about that,” Ms. Gavin says.
In fact, Ms. Gavin says many clients come to her after hitting a wall with therapy when it comes to workplace-specific issues. She says that while a therapist can talk about your emotions, it doesn’t always translate to how to talk to your boss.
For workers experiencing anxiety and having trouble separating work from their identity, Ms. Gavin recommends cultivating a strong support system, which may include family, friends and a therapist, finding purpose outside of your job and regularly engaging in activities that boost confidence and reduce stress.
“Your situation only changes if you take action,” she says.
Stay tuned for next week’s newsletter where Ms. Gavin shares insights specifically for managers who have employees who are dealing with anxiety.
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