Understanding & Managing Workplace (and home) Anxiety | Free Udemy Course

Anxiety is a normal reaction characterized by feelings of fear or apprehension. One of the leading places that individuals will experience anxiety or excessive stress is the workplace. While it is normal to have some fear or feel out of place at work occasionally, it can become a serious problem when the anxiety becomes unmanageable and keeps you from performing your everyday activities.

Anxiety can have a negative impact on your quality of work, work performance, and affect your relationships with colleagues. Identifying your workplace anxiety and learning powerful coping strategies will help you to work with your anxiety, rather than against it.

With this Understanding & Managing Workplace Anxiety course, you will learn resources and effective skills that will help you recognize and manage anxiety in the workplace. You will feel more confident in your professional environment, as well as more prepared to overcome the challenges that the workplace may bring.

The objectives for this course are as follows:

1. Understand anxiety and be better prepared to handle it in all situations

2. Explore types of workplace anxieties;

3. Learn to recognize symptoms and warning signs;

4. Determine ways of coping and managing;

5. Recognize common triggers and accelerants;

6. Learn the difference between anxiety and common nervousness.

We all react to stressful situations in different ways. It’s a normal biological reaction to experience anxiety or fear when faced with stressful situations, such as taking a test or making a very important decision.

However, long-lasting feelings of extreme anxiety that interfere with our daily activities may be indicative of an anxiety disorder. Anxiety cannot be defined as one, isolated condition. It has many faces and can have hundreds of symptoms.

Before you can begin to manage any type of anxiety, it is important to know the common types, symptoms and characteristics of various disorders.

10 simple questions to help you retain the knowledge you acquired in this module.

Anxiety is more than just a feeling; it can be a physical element. It does not only affect us emotionally and cause various mental symptoms, but it can also cause a long list of physical symptoms that can harm us.

Physical symptoms accompanied by anxiety are often mistaken for some other form of physical illness, which can create a dangerous circle of continuous worry over medical concerns.

In order to seek proper treatment for anxiety disorders, it is essential to recognize the physical symptoms as well. Common physical symptoms of anxiety disorders that we will cover here include headaches, nausea, increased heart rate, and muscle cramps.

10 simple questions to help you retain the knowledge you acquired in this module.

An anxiety trigger is something that sets off our feelings of anxiety. In other words, triggers are specific actions or experiences that can initiate anxiety, or worsen it. Anxiety triggers are different for everyone. We will cover here some of the most common triggers encountered by people suffering from anxiety.

10 simple questions to help you retain the knowledge you acquired in this module.

Everyone gets nervous when it comes to stressful situations. Nervousness is a natural response to specific, stressful situations, in which this passing worry can be controlled. On the other end, anxiety is not temporary; it goes beyond nervousness with symptoms that can be crippling or debilitating, and typically interfere with our ability to complete certain tasks. Distinguishing between these two stages is a big step in successfully managing anxiety symptoms.

10 simple questions to help you retain the knowledge you acquired in this module.

If anxiety does not have a strong impact on your own life, then chances are you at least know someone or work with someone who is affected by it. Many people who suffer from anxiety each day will not exhibit signs of having anxiety, or may not be comfortable with telling the world how they feel.

It can be difficult to see those around you suffering from anxiety, whether it is a close friend, family member, or coworker. Sometimes, it can take someone else to recognize these symptoms in others. Being aware of the signs and symptoms can be a great starting point for helping others get the help they need, in a timely manner.

10 simple questions to help you retain the knowledge you acquired in this module.

Once we have identified what type of anxiety problems we may be facing, we can focus on how to cope with them, and keep them from controlling our everyday life. Coping strategies for anxiety are lifestyle changes that are designed to help you take control, and better manage your anxiety.

Since anxiety and its symptoms will affect everyone differently, so too will the strategies for coping with anxiety.

It is best to find what coping strategies work with YOU. Luckily, there are many treatments, therapies and self-help strategies available to the public that can be customized to your own needs.

10 simple questions to help you retain the knowledge you acquired in this module.

Coping strategies emphasize self-help tactics that can help you get a handle on your anxiety, and prevent it from interfering with your everyday life.

Good coping strategies, whether they are social, emotional, or physical, can make all the difference.

While there is a wide range of strategies, you will want to make sure that you are choosing healthy strategies.

With just a little effort and motivation, you will be amazed at how successful you are at managing your anxiety, and at the same time, feeling more like yourself again.

10 simple questions to help you retain the knowledge you acquired in this module.

There is a common belief that if we ignore our anxieties, they will go away.

Some people will use distracting measures to ignore anxiety, such as reading or cleaning. While this may provide temporary relief, it is a damaging perspective to have.

With anxiety, it is critical to face the truth and acknowledge the problem.

Recognizing that anxieties are present is the first step towards resolving the problem and feeling better. Anxiety will only continue to linger and intensify if it is not addressed.

10 simple questions to help you retain the knowledge you acquired in this module.

Anxiety is a normal feeling that everyone experiences at some time or another. When we experience overwhelming feelings of extreme anxiety or obsessive thoughts, it may seem impossible to believe that there are positive aspects associated with anxiety.

However, if these feelings are channeled the right way, there are good qualities that one can learn and benefit from. Feelings of fear and anxiety can serve a very important purpose; preparing our body for “flight or fight”.

10 simple questions to help you retain the knowledge you acquired in this module.

Although self-help methods and techniques can be incredibly helpful, learning to control and manage our anxieties can sometimes be challenging on our own.

We may need help and guidance from others, in order to help ourselves. When you’re feeling trapped, or finding that you are in a state of fear or worry, then it is best to seek help.

Reaching out to someone and seeking help early-on can prevent your anxieties from interfering with your everyday life.

10 simple questions to help you retain the knowledge you acquired in this module.

Introducing Carol Dysart who will share her expertise in the PeopleSmart Communication System to help people suffering (or not) from anxiety.

Carol Dysart explains the PeopleSmart DISC approach, and how it can apply to you at work, at home, and anywhere else.

PeopleSmart uses the world renowned DISC personality profiling approach. Here Carol Dysart introduces the system. 

This first of 2 parts exposes the personality traits of the D's and I's so that you can better communicate with them.

This second of 2 parts exposes the personality traits of the S's and C's so that you can better communicate with them.

Understanding the emotions of the person you want to interact with puts you at a great advantage.

The most important aspects of communication is knowing how to adapt to the different types of people, and how to best interact with them from knowing how they want to be talked to.

Access your complimentary Personality Profile Report, thanks to the Renor Foundation (renor.org) offering this assessment at no cost to all this course's students.

HR Strategist Steve Martinez answers key questions about how Anxiety is perceived by employers:

How do employers perceive employees suffering from anxiety, can you be fired, how should you communicate with your manager, or as a manager, how should you best work with anxious employees.

I hope that your journey to Understanding and Managing Anxiety at work and at home is just the beginning of a happier life for you.

For this short section, I could have picked any of the thousands of quotes related to the subject of anxiety. My final choice for you, comes down to the words from three people: R.A. Bloch, Susan Jeffers, C.S. Lewis.

Some of the most comforting words in the universe are ‘me too.’

Access the companion ebook in the course's resources

Access the companion audiobook in the course's resources