Office anxiety: What can we do about it?

[David Baxter PhD]

Office anxiety: What can we do about it?
11 July 2006
By Roger Dobson, The Independent

Office anxiety is now so rampant that psychologists have identified it as a whole new syndrome. What can we do about it?

You're irritable and restless - sometimes impulsive - at work. You fidget through meetings, lose track of appointments and jump at the sound of a mobile phone. Sometimes you wonder if you are becoming overwhelmed by the stress of your job. But then you look around and you notice that others are working just as hard, enduring the same amount of pressure - and looking just as ragged as you are. Is there something wrong with you? Or is there something wrong with the modern work culture?

Attention deficit trait (ADT) is a newly recognised workplace disorder caused by the pressure of modern office life. When the pressure gets too great, fear takes over as the driving force, and the result, it's suggested, can be ADT, a perpetual state of low-level panic, guilt and fear, with difficulty in organising, setting priorities and managing time.

 

[foghlaim]

i think a lot of the pressure is from ppl forgetting that there are only so many hours in the working day,, and that you can only get so much done. but instead they take on too much and so get stressed out. I.M.O.

it's also been identified as one of the leading reasons why so many workdays are lost over here these past few yrs.
especially among the professional trades.. docs, nurses, ect ect..

nsa

 

[Halo]

Thank you Dr. B. for that great article. These days I can completely relate to the feeling of office anxiety. I tend to feel overwhelmed and overworked most days but slowly with the help of my psych I am trying to make better choices for me to relieve some of the stress. It is nice to see that I am not alone.

Perfect post at the perfect time!

Thanks

 

[Daniel E.]

Just to add to this old thread:

According to psychotherapist O'Connor (Undoing Depression), the human brain and nervous system cannot process the constant stress that is accepted as inevitable today, resulting in an alarming rise in chronic illness, depression and anxiety. Using current mind/body research, he shows how the brain and nervous system respond to stress; how the body manifests these changes; and how negative patterns become vicious cycles of mental, emotional and physical illness. O'Connor says there are many studies implicating stress as a major factor in heart disease, diabetes, cancer and such difficult to treat conditions as chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia, but the health-care establishment hasn't been able to adequately help patients make the lifestyle modifications needed for lasting change. To that end, he suggests mindfulness techniques to help readers identify mental and emotional programming and defense mechanisms, make healthy choices and form life-affirming habits. O'Connor's vast subject ranges from everyday stress to deep-seated emotional trauma and serious mental illness, and this work may overwhelm readers in the acute phase of a stress-related condition, although they will likely find O'Connor's compassionate understanding helpful. The book may be of greatest value to professionals who work therapeutically with patients, and readers interested in the mind/body connection who are ready to make major changes in their lives to combat stress.

--Publishers Weekly

Amazon.com: Undoing Perpetual Stress: The Missing Connection Between Depression, Anxiety and 21st Century Illness

 

[emofree]

this is also depends on the office environment that you were on to ... you can experience anxiety not even at work but the people that surrounds you. I experience this kind of things in the office also.