Anxiety and panic attacks are all too commonplace in today’s society. With workloads getting heavier, and life becoming more stressful than ever, there is little time for relaxation or downtime which is vital for our mental health and wellbeing.

The problem with Anxiety is that it doesn’t care where you are when it chooses to take hold of you, it just happens there and then even in the most inconvenient of times and places. Managing anxiety at work can be difficult; you want to come across as cool, calm and collected, but your body is screaming at you that something isn’t right. To counteract your fight or flight mode and calm yourself down, try these quick tips the next time your anxiety starts acting up.

1. Get Plenty Of Sleep – Having very little sleep puts us on edge and makes us agitated, two things you definitely don’t want to be when you’re already coping with anxiety. Make sure to get lots of rest before work, ideally 8 hours or more, and you will feel far more capable of handling whatever the day throws at you.

2. Avoid Coffee – You will probably need all that extra sleep when you stop drinking coffee! Coffee contains a lot of caffeine which can trigger anxiety and Panic Attacks, so avoid the black stuff and go for something calming and decaffeinated instead.

3. Morning Run – Go for a light jog in the mornings or a quick gym session before work. Exercise is proven to lower anxiety levels and is just all round good for your health, so work up a sweat before, after or even during work on your lunch break.

4. Decrease Your Workload – A heavy workload will only increase stress levels, which is bad news for anxious people as stress worsens the symptoms of anxiety and increases the possibility of having panic attacks. Reduce your workload in the office and at home and keep a healthy balance between both.

5. Open Up – You don’t need to tell everyone in the office how you’re feeling, but have one or two people who you can confide in and are happy to open up to about your anxiety issues. You will feel better knowing you have a support system around you and you might even find that people around you are going through similar things.

6. Take Breaks – Take small intervals throughout the day where you get up from your Desk and take a little walk, even just to get a glass of water or make some tea. Not only will you feel mentally refreshed and be able to concentrate better, stepping away from your desk will help to ease stress and take you out of your own head for a little bit.

7. Keep A Tidy Desk – When our desks are flustered looking, we start to feel flustered too. Stay organised with your work, keeping a minimal amount of stuff on your desk and keeping on top of emails and tasks. Once you feel like you have things under control, you will find coping with anxiety to be a lot easier.

8. Repeat A Mantra – Choose any sentence that works for you, even something as simple as ‘I am okay’ and repeat it to yourself over and over when your are starting to feel anxious. The words will start to become a safe zone and when you say them to yourself it will bring you back to a place of peace and calm.

Those were are tips for managing anxiety in the workplace. Have you ever experienced anxiety or panic attacks at work, and if so how did you deal with it?