Keep Calm And Carry On

Anxiety is our body’s natural response to stress. At moderate levels, psychologists classify anxiety as a normal, even healthy emotion. It may look like a feeling eating us up as relentless worry from the inside or as an internal voice that deters us from taking risks, signaling ‘This is danger’. Since the human brain is wired to keep us safe, we are constantly scanning our environment for potential threats and uncertainty. It has been observed that geniuses and people with above-average intelligence have twice as much anxiety as the average population.

But too much of anything can upset the delicate balance of life. Disproportionate levels of anxiety can disrupt concentration, cause feelings of constant unease and discomfort, and in severe cases even lead to physical symptoms (jitters, nail-biting, restlessness) and negatively affect day-to-day life. Anxiety poses a considerable obstacle to attention and focus as the mind is overwhelmed with anxious thoughts related to impending danger regardless of whether it is real or merely perceived, taking one away from the present moment.

According to a Forbes article, in any given month, 18% of people at work are experiencing a mental health condition, of which depression and anxiety are most common. More often than not, highly productive and creative people in the organization often fall under this statistic. If not addressed, the adverse effects of anxiety can disrupt critical thinking and decision-making, often spiraling across the workplace.

It is proven that line managers who want the best out of their teams can no longer adopt a directive approach, merely making decisions and expecting the team to follow through without understanding their issues up-close. Line managers are increasingly adopting the coaching methods to bring out the best in people, which requires them to be good listeners, relationship builders, and performance enablers. Hence it is essential that line managers possess some tools to support team members in dealing with workplace anxiety.

The following model is a simple 4-step tool (CALM Model) that can help organizations and managers manage anxiety at the workplace and its related issues: