Studies have shown that the stress that a person regularly receives in the process of work, over time, leads him to prolonged depression, the risk of heart problems, and cancer. Such consequences are especially dangerous for people who are responsible and have strong feelings about their superiors’ reaction to their work. They are the ones who are most nervous at work, which means they put themselves at risk more than other employees.
But how can you stop worrying if your boss constantly shouts and demands that complex tasks be completed in the shortest possible time, colleagues are constantly “washing up bones” and gossiping on every corner, and the work itself is impossibly boring and monotonous? Let's figure it out.
Causes of anxiety at work
CONTENT:
Stressful influences not only affect an employee’s productivity, but also their overall well-being. Psychologists have identified a number of common reasons that can turn going to work into an ordeal. These include:
Too much work
Some managers do not know how to correctly assess the labor potential of their employee and literally overwhelm him with all sorts of assignments and tasks. As a result, a person quickly loses interest in activities, feels tired and exhausted, he does not get enough sleep and when he comes to his workplace he dreams of only one thing - to get home faster.
Too little work
As paradoxical as it may sound, a small number of work responsibilities also negatively affects the individual. He begins to doubt his value to the company, becomes frustrated by his precarious position in the social hierarchy, and constantly fears being fired.
Inconsistency in management instructions
If a company has several bosses, each of whom sees the work process differently, then this often ends with the employee not understanding what the bosses want from him. In psychology, this is called role conflicts, and the usual reaction to them in an ordinary employee is stress and a feeling of depression.
Monotonous activity
Experts have found that people who do interesting and useful work are less nervous at work than those who consider their work a boring and thankless task. Indeed, monotonous, event-less work is fraught with consequences in the form of stress disorders in the employee. He constantly longs for time to pass faster, and therefore remains in a permanent state of mental tension, expressed in the form of existential emptiness and low self-esteem.
"Toxic" team
In some cases, the cause of unnecessary unrest at work is malicious and vindictive colleagues who create conflicts out of nowhere and try to solve personal problems at the expense of other employees. Finding a person in such a society quickly leads to a devaluation of professional qualities and a negative perception of oneself as a “scapegoat.” As a result, he will think less about work, worrying about his survival surrounded by such mental “sharks” and “snakes”.
Authoritarianism and intemperance of management
If a manager constantly monitors his subordinates in the hope of catching them not following the rules of the organization, shouts at them to his heart's content, indulging in his own importance, and also allows himself to have an unethical and cynical attitude towards employees, then his employees are unlikely to be able to boast of a strong nervous system.
So, having found out the factors that provoke nervousness at work, let’s move on to directly solving the problem.
Nervous at work during pregnancy
Pregnancy is the most pleasant thing in your life! Remember this! But sometimes hormones have their own way. For any reason, and even without it, they make us “boil and seethe.”
What to do?
- So, the situation “pregnant, nervous at work” is familiar to many mothers. And simple healthy lifestyle helps: get enough sleep, drink a lot, do exercises, eat right.
- Focus on tasks that are achievable for yourself. Don't overdo it!
- Take care and appreciate yourself! Someone starts screaming? Leave the office. You shouldn’t even listen to this, etc.
- Immerse yourself in your world so as not to see the world around you with its shortcomings. Meditate, read jokes, sing funny songs.
- Work is not a prison. If you feel stressed, take a couple of hours off and go for a walk in the park, shops or cafes.
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How not to be nervous about an angry boss at work: psychological recommendations
Experts agree that the bitterness of management is the first reason for the unnecessary nerves and anxiety experienced by the employee. A person may tolerate the boss’s antics due to the fear of losing his job and the thought that “others tolerate it, and I will tolerate it.” However, such a strategy is fraught with both psychological and physical disorders. There are two ways out of the situation - either quit or change your attitude to the situation.
But if you can “leave slamming the door” at any moment, then staying and overcoming difficulties is more difficult, but there are also more advantages from this. Besides, no one guarantees you that at the next job the boss won’t be even angrier than he is now. Let's find out what psychologists suggest to do when faced with a similar problem:
- Put yourself in the boss's shoes . Managers often live in an atmosphere of constant lack of time, and this contributes to the emergence of irritability and anger, which they pour out on the employee who comes along. Try to treat your boss's outbursts of anger more calmly, as an inevitable but harmless event. Let him scream if he feels better, and at this time you smile internally and do not show that you are afraid of him. Over time, the boss will understand that you are not a “whipping boy”, and therefore will switch to a less balanced colleague.
- See the boss as an ordinary person . Yes, your boss is a person just like you. He also doesn’t always have time to drink coffee before work, his shoelaces may come undone in a crowded place, or he may get his tie tangled while eating. Awareness of the leader’s “ordinariness” will help you experience his attacks not as a disaster, but as evidence of weakness.
- Look for the reason for what is happening within yourself . If your boss often snaps at you, then ask yourself, “Why did he choose me to attack?” Perhaps something in your behavior irritates him? Or are you regularly late for work? Or do you like to chat with colleagues during working hours? If this is the case, then simply change your destructive habits and your manager’s attitude towards you will immediately change for the better.
- Voice your complaints . Oddly enough, this method really works. Sometimes it is enough for a boss to hear a straightforward confession from an employee in order to correct his own behavior. Therefore, do not be afraid and directly tell him that you are very worried about the constant fear of being punished.
- Threaten with dismissal . If you are a highly qualified specialist in your field, then one of the methods of influencing your boss may be the threat of dismissal. However, it must be served in the most delicate form possible. For example: “Yakov Borisovich, I respect you as a person and a leader, but if you don’t stop yelling at me, then keep in mind that I will submit my resignation today.”
Relaxation tips
To begin with, here are a few more examples of effective relaxation exercises related to breathing and muscle function.
Simple exercises for relaxation
As we have already said, when the human body is in a stressful and tense state, its pulse and breathing increase. This mechanism is necessary for intensive saturation of cells with oxygen, but this does not always have a positive effect on the physical and mental state. It will be much better if you learn to breathe deeply and calmly. And here are some exercises for this:
- Slowly inhale air through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Inhalation should be done in four counts, and exhalation in two counts. You need to do 10 repetitions.
- Do the previous exercise, but concentrate not only on the count, but also try to relax the muscles of the chest and shoulder girdle. Due to the fact that the diaphragm is used in breathing, it will become deeper. For one approach, 10 repetitions are enough.
- Lie down on a bed or sofa and place one hand on your stomach. Inhale air so that your hand is pushed up through your stomach. Keep in mind that you need to breathe through your mouth. Do 10 reps.
When it comes to muscle relaxation specifically, learning to do it on your own will help you rest and recover quickly. A few exercises on this topic:
- Lie on your back on a bed or sofa with your legs straight. Slowly raise your arms up, and then spread them to the sides and lower them. Try to relax as much as possible for 15-20 seconds. Breathe as deeply as possible. The exercise must be repeated 5 times.
- Take the same body position. Lying on your back, slowly pull your knees bent to your chest one by one. Then stretch them out and try to relax as much as possible for 15-20 seconds. The exercise must be repeated 5 times.
- Lie on your stomach. Extend your arms along your body. Slowly raise your shoulders and head and stretch forward a little. Then return to your original body position and try to relax as much as possible for 15-20 seconds. Repeat the exercise 5 times.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Clench your fists and raise your arms up. Tighten your entire body, and then suddenly relax, allowing your arms to fall down. Stay in a relaxed state for 15-20 seconds. Repeat the exercise 5 times.
Now let’s move a little away from techniques and exercises, and let’s talk a little about proper nutrition, or rather about foods, the use of which helps relieve tension.
Stress Relief Products
Nutrition is one of the main components of human life, because together with food, all the necessary vitamins, nutrients and microelements enter the body. And if a person eats right (by the way, we have good material on the topic of proper nutrition), then it is much easier for his body to cope with tension and stress, and it is much easier for the person himself to relax and rest faster. To increase your body's resistance to negative external influences, try to follow these simple nutrition tips:
- Make sure you have fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet. This is “live” food that has a beneficial effect on the nervous system and the body as a whole.
- Include fish in your diet. It contains iodine and phosphorus. The first promotes muscle relaxation, and the second helps maintain normal hormonal levels.
- Eat more millet and buckwheat porridge, nuts and legumes. All of these products contain magnesium, a natural antidepressant.
- Eat apricots, rye bread, dairy and offal. They contain large quantities of B vitamins, which increase resistance to stress and stabilize the activity of the central nervous system.
- Don't forget to eat potatoes, sweet fruits and honey. They are a source of glucose, the deficiency of which causes nervousness and tension.
- Drink green and herbal teas. They are rich in antioxidants that remove harmful substances and toxins from the body. The cleaner the body, the easier it is to endure stress and restore strength.
Also, take note of this small list of products that help calm your nerves, relieve tension and increase your body’s resistance to stress:
- strawberries, raspberries and blueberries (contain natural antioxidants and vitamin C);
- cereals and grains (help the body produce serotonin);
- Brazil nuts (contain selenium, which has sedative properties);
- spinach (contains vitamin K, which synthesizes hormones that are responsible for stress resistance and good mood);
- apples (rich in vitamin C, iron and fiber);
- dark chocolate (contains anandamine, which causes a feeling of calm and relaxation);
- bananas (contain vitamin B, potassium and magnesium).
And in addition to all of the above, here are a few more life tips that will help you strengthen your nerves and help you cope better with stress.
How to calm down easily
These simple steps should be performed any time you feel nervous, physically or emotionally tired, exhausted, or under stress:
- Change your activity . If, for example, you sat at the computer for a long time or wrote a report, do some physical activity: walk, go to the store, do a warm-up, etc. This will help you take your mind off the monotonous and routine work.
- Go out into the fresh air and breathe a little . Your blood will become more oxygenated, which in turn will make you calmer.
- Drink some water . Remember that even mild dehydration can cause irritability, confusion, and mood swings.
- Listen to calm music . It has a wonderful effect on the psyche: it calms the nerves, promotes inner harmony and relaxation.
- Light the aroma lamp . Essential oils of jasmine, chamomile or bergamot mixed with water and heated with a candle will easily calm the nerves and restore vitality.
- Look at the nice images . If you look at a photo or video of space, mountains or the ocean for at least 5 minutes, you can quickly relax and calm your racing thoughts.
- Get out into nature . The beauty of Mother Earth and fresh air are one of the best means for relaxation, relieving stress and putting your inner world in order.
- Go to the bath, shower, pool or sauna . Water relieves fatigue better than other remedies and takes away negative energy. It is especially useful to swim in a river or sea, i.e. where the water is not stagnant, but constantly renewed.
- Go for a massage . A specialist will help your muscles relax and your body to produce serotonin, which in itself will weaken the effect of emotional stress. By the way, you can ask someone at home to give you a massage, or you can do it yourself - massage those areas of the body where your hands can reach.
- Get creative . By creating something with your own hands, you create the perfect environment to reduce anxiety and stress. You can just as easily go to the cinema or theater, visit a museum or art gallery.
- Start meditating daily for at least half an hour a day . This activity is great for calming thoughts and achieving inner harmony, with long-term effects. We have a guide to meditation and relaxation on our website.
- Limit your consumption of coffee and alcohol, as well as smoking cigarettes . All this not only dehydrates the body, but also increases fatigue and susceptibility to stress (and this is not counting the well-known facts about the dangers of coffee, alcohol and nicotine).
We also advise you to always consider any events that occur objectively, i.e. not only from my point of view, but in general. All problems can be resolved. What seems difficult or unfair now may well lead to better consequences in the future. Therefore, you need to look at everything from different sides, and also not take anything to heart.
As you can see, learning to relax and rest quickly is not that difficult. Remember that there are two fundamental factors here - your desire and knowledge of certain techniques. If you decide to read this article, then you already have the desire, and if you have finished reading it, then the techniques are now at your disposal.
And in conclusion, we bring to your attention another video on the topic of relaxation. Save it to your playlist or browser bookmarks and watch and listen (preferably with headphones) when you want to relax and calm your inner world.
We wish you a good mood and a positive attitude every day!
We also recommend reading:
- Storytelling
- A short guide to developing concentration
- How to run correctly
- Rebirthing: being reborn through breathing
- 7 Scientific Ways to Take Effective Breaks
- Methods of mental self-regulation
- Breathing and thinking: a way to calm down in a stressful situation
- 10 Popular Exercises to Relieve Stress
- Ways to fall asleep faster
- How to learn to meditate: in accessible language about the most important things
- How to choose a meditation technique
Key words:_D1036, 1Psychoregulation, 4Psychoregulation
Unhealthy atmosphere in a team: how to maintain nerves and peace
Sometimes the source of nervousness at work is colleagues who trip up a person and annoy him with nagging, gossip and unrealistic expectations. You can preserve the nervous system in such an atmosphere in the following ways:
- Realize that it is not your fault that your colleagues are bad people . And do not try to change them, as they will not appreciate your attempts to be a source of enlightenment and prudence. Therefore, come to terms with what is happening and feel like an explorer who has found himself in the wild jungle. This will significantly weaken the impact of any provocations on you.
- Find allies . It is easier to resist the bad influence of the team in tandem with one of the employees. If a lonely person is an ideal target for attacks, then two people who mutually support each other are no longer so easily angered.
- Don't react to inappropriate behavior . Psychologists recommend that those who are constantly “harrassed” at work learn “psychological aikido,” that is, agree with any accusations without any emotional reaction. To put it simply, live according to the wisdom “the dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.”
- Avoid gossip . Discussion among colleagues is a rust that slowly eats away any team from the inside. Schemers indulge their ego by gossiping about other people and savoring the details of their personal lives. They gain confidence with the help of affection and flattery, presenting secrets to others in exchange for mutual revelations. As a result, after some time, everyone in the team hates each other, and the gossiper benefits from others’ hatred, thereby strengthening his position in the hierarchy of the organization.
High requirements
From history, we all remember what a revolutionary situation looks like: The leaders demand; the lower classes are dissatisfied. The only catch is that the “revolution” is brewing only in your head. And until you get rid of it, problems will remain.
What to do?
Don't overwhelm yourself with thoughts! Your darling will calm down only if:
- Stop communicating with colleagues and at home on the topic: “Lyolik, everything is bad, everything is lost.”
- Look at the situation from the perspective of an unemployed person who has been assigned a paid task.
- Boast to everyone, and above all to yourself, that management trusts you with important assignments.
Will help? Everything will depend on how sincerely you do it all!
4Don't forget about yourself
If you burn out emotionally at work or develop hypertension, who will appreciate it? That's right, no one cares about this, everyone lives in their own personal world. Therefore, do not let life pass you by, do not deny yourself the pleasure of taking a vacation or a day off and spending it with your family in nature. This will strengthen your psyche and eliminate the risk of overwork.
In conclusion, I would like to say that it is impossible to completely get rid of anxiety at work. But a person can always make the impact of stress on himself as insignificant as possible. To do this, it is enough to carefully monitor your condition, relate to problems more easily and not focus on negative events.