Work anxiety is becoming an increasingly common challenge in today’s high-pressure, fast-paced professional world. With rising workloads, performance expectations, and blurred work-life boundaries, many people are finding it harder to cope with daily job demands without experiencing anxiety-related symptoms.
Unlike temporary stress from a deadline or presentation, work anxiety can feel constant, affecting your thoughts, feelings, behaviours, and even physical health. Left unaddressed, it can lead to reduced performance, low morale, and more serious mental health issues.
Recognising the signs early is vital. Whether you are an employee feeling overwhelmed or a manager trying to support someone in your team, taking steps early can prevent things from escalating.
At Macildowie, we partner with businesses to create healthier, more resilient workplaces. Our approach combines recruitment expertise with strategic support to embed wellbeing into every level of your organisation.
What Is Work Anxiety?
Work anxiety goes beyond everyday stress. It is a form of persistent, often debilitating worry or fear that is directly related to your job or work environment. While occasional nerves are normal, chronic anxiety at work can affect your well-being, performance, and long-term career satisfaction.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UK mental health charities like Mind, anxiety becomes a concern when it is excessive, ongoing, and interferes with daily functioning. In the workplace, this might show up as dread on Sunday evenings, constant fear of making mistakes, or physical symptoms during meetings or tasks.
Unlike short-term work stress, anxiety often involves a sense of dread or fear even in the absence of immediate threats. Common triggers include fear of judgement, performance pressure, interpersonal conflict, or feeling unsupported or overwhelmed. It is also often linked to perfectionism, imposter syndrome, and unrealistic self-expectations.
Symptoms of Work Anxiety
Work anxiety can show up in many different ways: physically, emotionally, and behaviourally. It may build gradually or appear suddenly, but recognising the symptoms is the first step to managing it.
Physical Symptoms
Physical responses to anxiety are often immediate and hard to ignore. You might notice a racing heart, shortness of breath, sweating, trembling, or dry mouth. Muscle tension, especially in the neck and shoulders, is also common.
Other symptoms can include fatigue, headaches, digestive issues like nausea or IBS, and a general sense of restlessness. Many people with work anxiety struggle with sleep, whether it is difficulty falling asleep, waking frequently, or waking up already exhausted.
These symptoms are your body’s way of responding to perceived threats, even if those threats are psychological rather than physical.
Emotional and Cognitive Symptoms
Mentally, work anxiety often presents as persistent worry, overthinking, or catastrophic thinking, where you constantly anticipate the worst-case scenario. You might fear being judged, making a mistake, or appearing incompetent.
This can lead to a lack of concentration, difficulty making decisions, or a mental “fog” that clouds your thinking. You may feel constantly “on edge”, irritable, or easily overwhelmed. For some, anxiety leads to a complete lack of motivation or an emotional shutdown.
It’s common for people to dread going into work, particularly on Sunday evenings or after time off. That persistent sense of dread is a key emotional marker of work-related anxiety.
Behavioural and Performance Symptoms
Work anxiety often alters your behaviour at work, sometimes in ways that others notice before you do. You may start avoiding certain situations, like meetings, presentations, or phone calls. Procrastination becomes more common as tasks start to feel mentally or emotionally taxing.
You might find yourself withdrawing from colleagues, declining social invitations, or staying silent in meetings. Some people go the other way; overcompensating by over-preparing, staying late, or working during breaks in an effort to “stay ahead” of their anxiety.
Over time, this can lead to a noticeable drop in the quality or speed of your work, despite working harder or longer hours.
Quick Coping Strategies
If you are feeling anxious at work, there are practical techniques you can use to calm your nervous system and regain a sense of control.
Breathing Techniques: Try box breathing - inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4. Or use the 4‑7‑8 method to slow your heart rate and reduce anxiety.
Grounding Exercises: Use the 5-4-3-2-1 method. Name five things you can see, four you can touch, three you can hear, two you can smell, and one you can taste. This brings your focus to the present.
Micro-Breaks: Take 5-minute breaks each hour to stretch, walk, or get fresh air. These help reset your nervous system and break the anxiety cycle.
Worry Time: Set aside a dedicated 10–15 minutes each day to write down your worries. Outside of that time, gently redirect your thoughts.
Reframing Thoughts: When you catch yourself thinking “What if I mess this up?”, ask “What’s the evidence?” or “What would I say to a friend in this situation?”
These techniques are most effective when used consistently. They don’t eliminate anxiety, but they reduce its intensity and help you stay functional throughout the day.
Medium and Long-Term Solutions
While short-term strategies can help manage symptoms, long-term improvement often requires structural or lifestyle changes.
Personal / Individual Actions
Start by examining your work/life boundaries. Are you checking emails after hours? Are you taking regular breaks? Reinforce boundaries around start and finish times, and build in recovery periods.
If your workload feels unmanageable, speak to your manager about prioritisation or support. Seeking clarity on tasks can reduce uncertainty and anxiety.
You might also benefit from therapy or counselling. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is especially effective for anxiety, and can be accessed via the NHS through Talking Therapies or privately.
Alongside this, investing in your wellbeing through regular sleep, nutrition, exercise, and social connection will help build resilience and reduce baseline anxiety.
Workplace / Organisational Supports
Employers have a responsibility to provide psychologically safe workplaces. This includes designing roles with realistic expectations, supporting flexible work arrangements, and creating open channels of communication.
Access to Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs), quiet spaces, and Wellness Action Plans can all make a difference.
Managers can help by reducing unnecessary meetings, adjusting workloads, or simply allowing space for difficult conversations. Sometimes, small changes like flexible hours or phased returns can prevent serious escalation.
Supporting Colleagues and Teams as a Manager
If you're a manager, knowing how to spot and support team members with anxiety is essential. Many people will not disclose anxiety unless they feel psychologically safe.
Start with a non-judgemental, private conversation. Try: “I’ve noticed you seem a bit quieter than usual - how are things going for you lately?” Give them time to respond, and listen actively.
Avoid minimising their experience or jumping straight into solutions. Instead, acknowledge what they’re feeling and ask how you can support them.
Consider reasonable adjustments; whether it’s reducing pressure, adjusting deadlines, offering hybrid working, or allowing time off to recover. Collaborate with HR and encourage the use of resources like EAPs or Occupational Health.
If you’re ever unsure, escalate with care - looping in senior HR professionals or mental health leads to ensure the person receives appropriate support.
When to Seek Professional Help
If anxiety is impacting someone’s daily functioning, lasting several weeks, or getting worse, it is time to seek professional help. Signs include:
- Inability to sleep, eat, or focus
- Physical symptoms that do not improve
- Ongoing dread or panic
- Withdrawal from work and social life
- Thoughts of self-harm or hopelessness
In these cases, a GP is the first port of call. They can refer you to NHS Talking Therapies, prescribe treatment, or recommend next steps. Mental health charities and helplines like Mind, Anxiety UK, or Samaritans also offer support.
Remember: anxiety is common, treatable, and nothing to be ashamed of.
How Macildowie Can Help
At Macildowie, we work with businesses to help reduce anxiety in the workplace and build stronger, healthier teams. Our people-first recruitment and strategy services are designed to improve well-being as well as performance.
We support:
- Role design and team structure, reducing overload and uncertainty
- Employer Value Proposition (EVP) strategy to support a wellbeing-focused culture
- Manager coaching on how to support mental health
- Employee engagement audits that identify early signs of anxiety and burnout
By embedding wellbeing into recruitment and HR strategy, we help organisations create the conditions where employees can thrive.
Conclusion
Work anxiety is more common than many people realise, and it’s nothing to feel ashamed of. With the right tools, support, and awareness, it can be managed and even prevented.
Early recognition and open conversations are key. Whether you're an individual feeling overwhelmed or a manager supporting others, taking action now can lead to a more balanced, healthy, and productive work life.
Macildowie is here to help. Together, we can create workplaces where wellbeing is more than a buzzword; it’s a foundation for success.
