Anxiety significantly disrupts everyday life. Whether you are a self-employed entrepreneur, an employee, or even a stay-at-home parent, anxiety can far too easily derail your daily activities. Knowing how to manage anxiety and stay on track is essential to success in every area of your business and your life.

If anxiety is weighing on you and you are struggling to stay focused at work, here are a few simple steps you can take to regain control and keep moving forward.

Managing anxiety: a few tips

Learn to recognise the warning signs

The first step is to recognise what you are feeling in the moment. Take a few minutes to observe the sensations in your body and the thoughts running through your mind. Stay attuned to your symptoms.

Anxiety often sends our thoughts spiralling out of control. If you can recognise your anxious thought patterns before they take over, it will be much easier to regain control and limit the damage.

Once you have identified what is happening in your mind and body, you can take steps to start feeling better.

Breathe

Taking a few minutes to focus on your breathing will almost always help you manage anxiety during a crisis. Practising breathing exercises can calm your body and mind, and help you sharpen your focus when the world seems to be falling apart around you.

Take the time to analyse what you are feeling

When it comes to managing anxiety, it can sometimes help to take a few minutes to analyse your feelings. Set a timer for five or ten minutes and put your work to one side. Then let yourself sit with your worries and examine them until the time is up.

During this process, you can ask yourself questions about what you are feeling. What are the facts? Are you relying on logic or emotion to draw conclusions? What are the possible solutions?

Get out your journal

Journalling is an effective method for processing your thoughts and untangling your emotions. During your break, pick up your journal (paper or digital) and write freely about what you are feeling.

Journalling is the best vehicle for reflection. Sometimes, when we see our thoughts on the page, it becomes easier to evaluate them objectively. In other words, we can literally separate our thoughts from our emotions by writing them down.

Focus on what you can control

If you need help working out how to manage anxiety, focus on the things you know you can control. Anxiety is often linked to feeling out of control of our environment. Reminding yourself which factors in your life you actually do control can therefore be very helpful.

Then concentrate on those things — and try not to dwell too much on the things beyond your reach. Attempting to control factors outside your grasp will exhaust you and worsen your anxiety.

Avoid suppressing anxiety

It is easy to suppress anxiety by turning to video games, social media, and other distractions. Although these methods may work in the short term, procrastinating on essential work tasks will undoubtedly make your anxiety worse later on.

If you need to give your brain a break for a few minutes, go ahead. Just remember to set a timer so you can get back to work.

Move your body

Mental health professionals widely recommend exercise as an effective way to manage anxiety.

There are many options for physical activity. Go for a walk, roll out your yoga mat, or follow a workout class online. If you need some moral support, ask a friend to join you — even from a distance!

Communicate more often with your colleagues

Talking with colleagues, superiors, or mentors can help lift your spirits and brighten your mood.

Anxiety tends to make you want to withdraw rather than ask for help. Yet there is a good chance that, if you are feeling this way, someone around you feels the same.

Connect and team up with other professionals in your sector to maintain human connections and support one another. Use video-conferencing software such as Zoom or Google Hangouts to chat, schedule meetings, or simply catch up for a few minutes.

Remember that it will not last forever

When anxiety hits us full force, it makes us believe it will never go away and that nothing will ever go well. But anxiety is momentary, and it passes — especially when you have strategies to help you overcome it quickly.

Whatever happens, it is very important to remind yourself that this will not last forever. The panic will subside, your breathing and heart rate will return to normal, and you will feel like yourself again.

Seek help from a therapist

If anxiety is disrupting your daily activities and simple techniques are not helping you manage it adequately, turn to support from a licensed therapist. Your therapist can help you learn to manage anxiety and panic in a productive way, and will provide you with a safe space to express your feelings.

To conclude

Many professionals experience anxiety. If you feel anxious or overwhelmed — especially during a period of uncertainty — you are not alone. Taking care of yourself is the first step towards overcoming the emotions you are feeling, and you can start today.

Are you an anxious entrepreneur or professional? What are your tips for overcoming anxiety? Share your advice in the comments.

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