Feeling anxious about work is normal.
Feeling anxious about work is normal. The nature of work requires that we do tasks and work with people which may trigger stress responses. However the intensity and the frequency of this distress can really vary between individuals and depend on the specific situation. It can be easy to group everything in one big bucket called ‘anxiety’ but it is important to learn to recognize and navigate the stress triggers. And there is an exciting new approach to this work to offer lasting shifts in your health and wellbeing.
Understanding stress triggers.
It is common to think that it is a demanding customer, angry boss or annoying coworker that triggers your stress responses. And yet new medical research shows that it is mental imagery that triggers stress responses. You may recognize this as distressing images in your head. Some of these images may routinely appear in the space in front of you. Others operate outside of your awareness. And yet, as humans, we all experience mental imagery and it triggers automatic reactions. I often think of this as our survival mode. It allows us to do things without thinking but it can keep us stuck in ‘fight, flight, freeze, fawn’ modes.
Logosynthesis as a coaching model to relieve distress.
Logosynthesis is a coaching and psychotherapeutic model that is being used internationally by executive coaches and psychiatrists. It works to identify and resolve the underlying mental imagery that triggers distressing thoughts, emotions and physical sensations. At times, you may be aware of the mental imagery but often, given its energetic nature, it is outside of our awareness. Frozen mental imagery, in the form of images, sounds, movies and other sensory representations, trigger automatic reactions.
Anxiety is a name for the combination of these reactions and it is an easy way to say that something is activated. The challenge is that the demanding customer can trigger a different mental image from an angry boss. Yet we often classify both sets of thoughts, emotions and body sensations as anxiety. The power of Logosynthesis is that you can address specific situations to identify and resolve the underlying mental imagery for immediate and lasting relief. Yes we have lots of frozen mental imagery but by working layer by layer, issues fall away. You feel calm when your customer is not and when your boss is angry. You realize that you no longer react to your coworker.
Working with Logosynthesis, you are empowered to notice when you feel anxious so that you can resolve your stress triggers. You no longer need to wait for other people to change so that you can feel better. Here is an example to show how Logosynthesis works.
An example of resolving anxiety about work.
Sara is feeling anxious about a new job.
Sara is starting a new job after being out of work for 8 months. She struggles with high anxiety and mental health issues, which have been present for a very long time. In the past, these issues interfered with her ability to go to work and to keep her job. She uses Logosynthesis to help move forward. When she found out about the new job, she sent me this note:
“I’ve been thinking about how I’m going to deal with anxiety at work. If something triggers me or I feel uncomfortable or my thoughts go into overload. Is it worth me saying the sentences quietly to myself?”
I sent a message back that it could be helpful and asked her when she started work.
“I’m hoping Monday. I have orientation tomorrow. I’m worried about dealing with anxiety. I don’t want it to affect this job and I can’t afford for that to happen.”
The anxiety is causing ongoing distress.
The thought of ‘anxiety’ was causing significant distress. I replied to ask how she had been lately and if she wanted to get together for a call. She replied:
“I feel I have gained back the control that I felt I had lost. The last couple of weeks have been ok and less angry. My emotional side has been a little more steady than normal. It’s not been all over the place. I’m now threatening with the idea that anxiety will try and ruin this job. I’m aware that if I keep thinking that, it’s not going to help me. It will make it worse. Been trying to figure out how I can tackle it when I’m at work. I don’t want to have to go to the extreme and try and find in work support. If I can handle it myself, that would be great and also healthier.”
I sent her a message to see how her orientation went.
“It went well. I was there for 2 hours. I feel mentally tired because there was a lot of information to take in. The anxiety has already set in.”
There were two issues expressed. One was that there was new information in a new job. That is normal and of course, that will trigger a stress response. But also, ‘the anxiety’ was a consistent theme that was expressed.
Sara uses Logosynthesis to address feeling anxious.
Sara has been using Logosynthesis over the past several years to help her get through challenges. At times she uses it for self-coaching. For more difficult challenges, I guide her. As we begin this session, I ask her about her to tell me about her new job.
“I made it through a week of work. It was more intense than expected. I have to work to a very high standard. I don’t dread the work. Once I’m there, I’m ok. I’m anxious thinking about work. The lead up is horrible.”
I guide her to connect with the thoughts, emotions and body sensations. She describes it as stressful, with tension in the shoulders and headaches. The headaches occur while at work so that is probably a different issue from the anxiety about going to work. We continue to explore.
I ask her to consider the statement: “I’m scared of losing my job.” She rates the distress as a 9 on a scale of 0 to 10 with 0 being no distress and 10 being maximum distress. We use one of the Logosynthesis protocols to use specific words to shift the energy in this statement. At the ends, she rates the distress as a 1 on this same scale. The distress is gone.
Sara notices what shifts after using Logosynthesis.
I now ask her to think about the anxiety related to going to work the next day. She rates the distress as a 4. It could be ok so leave things here but it is not a 0. There is still something related to ‘anxiety’, so we explore the thoughts, emotions and physical sensations. We use another Logosynthesis protocol to shift the energy in the statement: “I am anxious.” After the protocol, I ask her what she notices.’so we explore the thoughts, emotions and physical sensations. We use another Logosynthesis protocol to shift the energy in the statement: “I am anxious.” After the protocol, I ask her what she notices.
“I feel calm. When I think about going to work, it doesn’t bother me. I think about “I am going to lose my job.” and it’s not true.”
Together we discuss that yes, a new job naturally triggers stress. It takes time to learn the job and get to know the people. Yet, if your body is stuck reacting to ‘the anxiety’ about work even before it steps in the door of your workplace, that is not setting you up for success. As we closed the session, Sara laughed and told a ‘small world’ story about how she used to work with her boss in a previous role.
“I look forward to working with him.”
For Sara, feeling anxious is a normal part of her everyday life. There was a strong belief: “I am anxious.” When she is able to shift some of the energy that is frozen in this belief, the belief no longer feels so true.
Sara sent me a note the following day, saying that she felt calm and in a good frame of mind. She felt like she was responding rather than reacting.
Get started now to use Logosynthesis.
You can get started using the links below. You can also watch the guided video below to experience what can shift. Firstly, grab a glass of water and find a quiet, uninterrupted place. Allow at least 30 minutes so that you are not rushed. And then, simply follow my guidance on the video. Energy shifts can feel subtle or intense, so take some time to notice what shifts over the next few days and weeks. Enjoy!