Managing Workplace Anxiety Course

Course Introduction

Just like stress, anxiety can be productive. However when it becomes counter-productive, its time to attend this workshop and learn how to deal with anxiety in the workplace.

Course Outline

Let’s be clear from the get-go, there is a normal amount of anxiety and stress in any given situation, including work, and then there is anxiety which is a real psychological and physiological problem. The latter should be addressed with a professional, this is not a psychology course, it’s a self-help course for those who are self-aware and experience a little bit of nervousness now and then. That kind of anxiety is good and our aim is to help you harness that stress and anxiety and make it work for you. To be able to help ourselves and others we need to be able to distinguish between types of anxiety, there is social anxiety; general anxiety disorder, panic disorder and phobias. Social anxiety manifests in high anxiety/fear levels when you are in a crowd or about to address a crowd. The difference between normal and abnormal is sweaty palms, a rapid heart rate coupled with excitement and a view of the situation as an opportunity, irrational fears, such as the walls closing in on you, or the feeling that you are going to die right now is abnormal. Fear is the difference.

General Anxiety disorder usually develops from a trigger, but sometimes there is no cause at all. Panic disorder is probably the most debilitating disorder because as soon as you start to panic, all rational thought stops and irrational thinking takes over as far as your brain is concerned, your behaviour is not irrational, your fight or flight response has been triggered and the brain now makes autonomous decisions to keep you alive. If the walls are closing in you’d run out of the building, it’s irrational to everyone but yourself. Phobias are a common source of anxiety, we all fear something. Phobias can also be helped by self-help techniques, but sometimes a professional needs to talk to you as well, again with phobias, the killer is the irrational thought.

TIP: The paper bag and the what-if game. There are two things you can do once an anxiety or panic attack is triggered. Note your heart-rate, slow it down by breathing into a paper bag. Take a few quick shallow breaths in the bag and then breathe without it, inhale deeply and exhale as slowly as you can. If your heart-rate is not slowing, breathe into the bag again. The second, is the what-if game – the irrational thoughts will come, and when they do they will terrify you. Play it out, if your thought is that you’re going to have a heart attack, ask yourself: Then what? You die; the end will be three minutes away. That’s what. Suddenly the thought loses its power to terrify you. You accept the answer because it is a logical conclusion. You are dying, right now. But your eyes are still open and you can still think and see and hear. You are not dying. You will accept the answer because of its logic. A last word about the paper bag, we breathe in oxygen and we breathe out carbon-dioxide. When you take a few shallow breaths in a paper bag, you are breathing in carbon-dioxide and momentarily depriving your brain from oxygen. You will be relaxing the part of your brain which became over oxygenated in the first place. That is also where the irrational thought originates.

The trigger to fight or flee is working, but there’s no danger and so your brain creates danger. There are a number of coping strategies which can also help, keeping a journal is one of them, and thinking positively is another. Talk about your stress and anxieties with family and friends. Ensure that you get enough sleep and exercise. For those with social anxiety, don’t avoid the situation, avoidance can become a cycle of anxiety in itself. There is a multitude of other practical self-help activities and ideas in the workshop for you to conquer and manage normal stress and anxiety. We end off our course on when to seek help.

1. Introduction
Workshop objectives

2. Common types of anxiety
Social anxiety
Generalised anxiety disorder
Panic disorder
Phobias
Case study

3. Recognising symptoms in others
Avoiding social situations
Difficulty in accepting negative feedback
Difficulty in focusing on tasks
Irrational fears
Case study

4. Coping Strategies (1)
Keeping a journal
Power of positive thinking
Have a “me” place to go
Establish attainable goals
Case study

5. Coping Strategies (2)
Talk with friends and family
Get enough sleep
Eating well and exercise
Begin small and build up to larger challenges
Case study

6. Don’t avoid the situation
It’s okay to make a mistake
Accept the situation, and move on
Avoidance can cause anxiety
Identify the trigger
Case study

7. Normal nervousness versus anxiety
Anxiety spectrum
Anxiety can occur without a cause
Length of time symptoms last
Exaggeration of normal feelings
Case study

8. Physical symptoms
Rapid heartbeat
Panic attack
Headache
Trembling or shaking
Case study

9. Recognise the positive aspects of anxiety
It alerts us to danger
Improves self-awareness
Can be a great motivator
Prevent mistakes
Case study

10. Common anxiety triggers
Fear of the unknown
Holding in feelings
Public speaking/Speaking up
Trying to be perfect
Case study

11. When to seek help
Feeling overwhelmed
Physical changes
Unable to work or function
Panic attacks
Case study

12. Topics not discussed
Post Workshop Review

Course Duration

1 day/s

Who should attend

This course is for anyone who wants or needs to reduce workplace anxiety.

**Quote does not include Any Exam Fees (if applicable)

IMPORTANT ACTION: Do Not Wait To Improve Your Skills.  

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