Anxiety at Workplace - How to Support Your Co-Worker?
Your colleague is struggling with anxiety.
When you sit in your chair, tuck your shoulders in and get ready to start a killer work week, remember that there is one among you struggling. He is incessantly counting the hours left to go home, away from all the pressure.
"Anxiety disorder is not only regressive for the one struggling, but the effects are also contagious and might significantly drop down your team spirit," says the best anxiety therapist in North Kolkata.
You might be wondering, "is there anything you can do to support?" Sure you can!
How to Help
Helping a colleague in distress will not only make their life a little easier but also do wonders in spiraling up your team spirit and productivity. Anxiety psychologist in North Kolkata lists five suggestions which you can follow –
Be empathetic – Talk to your colleague and try to understand their perspective rather than trivialize them. "Oh, it's nothing to worry about," "I am sure you are just overreacting," "It doesn't matter," these phrases of reassurance will only do more harm than good. Your colleague may perceive this as invalidating or trivializing the person's experience. Instead, try to say, "This must be hard for you," or "It must be difficult for you."
Create a safe space – Try to make your colleague feel comfortable and assured that they could talk to you about their problem. Ask open-ended questions like "You seem tense," "Can I help in any way? Would you like to talk about it?"
Point out their negative thoughts – People with anxiety tends to over-think and blow a situation out of proportion in their head, causing unrealistic negative thoughts. You can help by pointing out their irrational judgments that your colleague might pass onto themselves. Help them re-focus their attention on the task at hand rather than themself during a given social situation.
Start small – Remind and encourage your colleague to slowly stop avoiding situations they fear. Help them get started with easy situations for practice and then gradually move on to what might be more difficult. For instance, you can encourage them to start a conversation with a small group of people or let them lead a presentation where the stakes are not high.
Encourage them to seek professional help – If you see your colleague struggling even after following the above suggestions and trying their best, encourage them to seek anxiety counseling. The best anxiety therapist in North Kolkata says that cognitive behavior therapy can significantly reduce your colleague's anxiety.
Be empathetic – Talk to your colleague and try to understand their perspective rather than trivialize them. "Oh, it's nothing to worry about," "I am sure you are just overreacting," "It doesn't matter," these phrases of reassurance will only do more harm than good. Your colleague may perceive this as invalidating or trivializing the person's experience. Instead, try to say, "This must be hard for you," or "It must be difficult for you."
Create a safe space – Try to make your colleague feel comfortable and assured that they could talk to you about their problem. Ask open-ended questions like "You seem tense," "Can I help in any way? Would you like to talk about it?"
Point out their negative thoughts – People with anxiety tends to over-think and blow a situation out of proportion in their head, causing unrealistic negative thoughts. You can help by pointing out their irrational judgments that your colleague might pass onto themselves. Help them re-focus their attention on the task at hand rather than themself during a given social situation.
Start small – Remind and encourage your colleague to slowly stop avoiding situations they fear. Help them get started with easy situations for practice and then gradually move on to what might be more difficult. For instance, you can encourage them to start a conversation with a small group of people or let them lead a presentation where the stakes are not high.
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