Workplace anxiety is remarkably common, even in confident, competent people. It often centers on performance, comparison, fear of feedback, or a background fear of being 'found out.'
The tricky part is that many workplaces reward the very behaviors anxiety produces: over-preparation, hyper-vigilance, working late 'just in case.' You get short-term praise for symptoms that are quietly wearing you down.
Notice your patterns. Do you replay meetings for hours afterward? Draft and redraft small emails? Feel physically activated before every one-on-one? Avoid asking questions you should ask because the ask itself feels dangerous?
Prepare what you can control — structure, notes, a few slow breaths before the meeting — and let go of the rest. Confidence often follows action, not the other way around. You don't have to feel ready to be capable.
Grounding tools work at your desk too: feet flat on the floor, three slow exhales longer than your inhales, cold water on your wrists, a two-minute walk between hard tasks. These aren't luxuries; they're maintenance.
Reframe feedback. Anxiety hears feedback as evidence of failure; a healthier lens hears it as information about how to grow. Small shifts in how you interpret your inbox can significantly change how heavy the day feels.
If work anxiety is chronic, therapy can help untangle whether it's the job, the pattern you bring to every job, or both. Both are worth understanding — and both respond to care.