Anxiety About Going to Work Every Day: What to Do

Just about everyone has days when they’d rather stay in bed than go to work. But if you get to the point of having anxiety about going to work every day, that can be a sign of a serious problem. 

Learn more about our Georgia mental health programs or verify your insurance now. 

What Causes Anxiety About Going to Work Every Day?

There are myriad reasons why people may get anxious about their jobs, and it would be impossible to create a complete list. But it can be helpful to look at some of the more common contributors to work-related anxiety, such as:

Conflicts

The people you work with (and for) can have an outsized impact on your desire to get to work each day. You don’t need to be best friends with your employer or colleagues, but the workplace will be a much more inviting space if you share it with people you respect. 

If, instead, your work environment regularly involves conflicts or personality clashes, it can be difficult to summon the motivation to head into the office or log on in the morning. 

If the conflicts involve a supervisor or someone else who can influence your career trajectory (or even threaten your continued employment) that can understandably be a source of particularly intense emotional distress.

Harassment

Workplace harassment can take many forms, including verbal abuse, sexual harassment, and physically threatening behaviors. None are acceptable, and all can cause targeted employees to experience considerable anxiety about going to work.

Plainly stated, it is extremely difficult to maintain good mental health when you are regularly subjected to bullying and other types of harassment. If your employer either looks the other way or condones the harassment, the psychological toll can become even greater.

Performance concerns

Work-related anxiety is often related to fear of subpar performance. This can range from temporary nervousness about an upcoming presentation to persistent worry that you’re not keeping up with your colleagues or otherwise fulfilling your responsibilities. 

Pre-presentation jitters are normal, and can even be beneficial by keeping you focused on what you’re doing. But if they become so extreme that they begin to degrade your mental health, that’s obviously a problem. 

And you have ongoing concerns about the amount or quality of your work, the pressure you put on yourself can intensify until you get to the point of having anxiety about going to work every day.

Burnout

In the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), burnout is included as an “occupational phenomenon,” but not as a standalone mental health disorder.

However, that doesn’t mean there’s no connection between burnout and mental health symptoms such as anxiety. The ICD-11 describes burnout as the result of chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.

According to Mental Health American (MHA), symptoms of burnout can include physical and emotional exhaustion, sense of emotional detachment or numbness, difficulty focusing and concentrating, irritability, and anxiety.

What Does Work Anxiety Feel Like?

Anxiety is often used as a synonym for excessive worry or nervousness. This comparison isn’t wrong, but it doesn’t capture the range of feelings that anxiety can cause. 

For example, anxiety about going to work isn’t just a brief period of emotional unrest that occurs before your workday begins. It can also involve:

• Fatigue and lethargy
• Persistent muscle tension
• Headaches
• Stomach aches
• Restlessness
• Distractibility
• Anhedonia (difficulty experiencing pleasure in any parts of your life)
• Pervasive sense of dread
• Disrupted sleep
• Disturbing nightmares

If you don’t address your work-related anxiety, the social and behavioral effects can include:

• Frequent absenteeism
• Poor nutrition (including an overreliance on comfort food)
• Substance use (which can lead to an addiction)
• Downturn in performance at work
• Increased conflicts at work and at home
• Loss of interest in activities that you used to enjoy
• Withdrawal and isolation
• Worsening mental health

The good news is that there are a range of options for dealing with anxiety about going to work. 

Strategies for Managing Anxiety About Going to Work

An appropriate response to anxiety about going to work every day may involve making changes at work, strengthening your stress-management capabilities, and seeking professional input.

Structural changes

If your anxiety about is related to a specific workplace concern – such as a conflict with a co-worker, unreasonable demands from a supervisor, or harassment – changing the situation could change your mindset.

Of course, it’s not always easy to implement structural changes at work. But if your organization has a responsive HR department or you have a supervisor you can trust, consulting with them may resolve the problem.

Self-care

If your work-related anxiety doesn’t have one easily identifiable cause, or if you haven’t been able to address that cause yet, there are also a variety of self-care options that can help. For example:

• Practice mindful breathing or other grounding techniques to help you get through moments of significant stress.
• Incorporating some type of enjoyable physical activity into your regular schedule can improve your mood and help you cope with stress.
• Resist the urge to use alcohol, other drugs, or unhealthy eating habits as a way to assuage your emotional pain. These may provide momentary relief, but in the long run they will do more harm than good.
• Talk to a close friend or trusted family member. Putting what you’re going through into words can give you a new perspective or help you brainstorm solutions. Also, knowing that you’re not alone can be a source of emotional support.
• Write about what you’re dealing with. Whether you prefer a pen-and-paper journal or an electronic document, writing can also help you gain perspective. Recording your thoughts and feelings can also help you process your experiences, identify patterns, and explore potential solutions.
• Write about what you’re grateful for. It’s easy to become hyper-focused on problematic areas of your life. A gratitude journal forces you to look for positive aspects as well. This doesn’t mean you should ignore the problem, just that you shouldn’t let it dominate your thoughts.
• Explore alternate employment opportunities. If you can’t improve the situation at work, and you’re not able to resolve your anxiety, the healthiest thing for you may be to find another job.

Professional help

If your self-care efforts haven’t led to meaningful improvements, it may be time to talk to a therapist or counselor. A professional can help you address the causes of your work-related anxiety, explore how this anxiety has affected other parts of your life, and identify the steps you can take to improve your mental health and overall satisfaction with your life.

Learn More About Anxiety Treatment in Atlanta

If your life has been disrupted by severe anxiety, other mental health concerns, or substance use disorders (addictions), Time Wellness Georgia is here for you.

Our mental health treatment center in Atlanta, GA, is a safe and highly supportive place where you can receive customized outpatient care from a team of highly skilled professionals. Our services include a partial hospitalization program (PHP), an intensive outpatient program (IOP), an evening IOP for adolescents, and virtual (online) treatment.

A member of our team will be happy to discuss the features and benefits of each option with you, and help you determine which program is best for you.

To learn more about how we can help you or a loved one, or to schedule a free assessment, please visit our Contact page or call us today.