Understanding and navigating anxiety in the workplace

Everybody experiences anxiety. There is a certain level of anxiety that is common and potentially even beneficial, for example, alerting us to danger and helping us pay attention. Anxiety disorders, on the other hand, are typically considered an excessive level of fear or anxiety in situations that don’t call for it.

A brain with an anxiety disorder is different from a neurotypical brain. There are many ways to manage it, but you are not going to be able to have brain surgery and remove the part of the brain that is affected.

One thing that really helped me take control of my anxiety was simply accepting that it's there. It's not going anywhere. I pull up a chair for my anxiety and I just say, 'You sit there while I do this presentation. I'll get back to you later.' Just acknowledging that it is a part of me.

In September 2023, I went to the External Development Summit (XDS) for a work event. 

On the first night, they hosted a welcome party for attendees, but as I arrived I started to feel myself losing balance. I didn’t know it at the time, but I’d contracted a virus that attacked my inner ear, throwing off my sense of equilibrium. This caused a massive anxiety spike, so as a way to cope I started writing down everything I know about anxiety and my ways of handling it. About 10 pages later, this presentation was born.

Recognising and managing an anxiety attack

The first things to look out for are breathing rapidly or shortness of breath, sweating, trembling, a sense of choking, dizziness, or chest pain. It’s important to note that anxiety chest pain is very sharp and stabby, but it only stays in the chest area. Not to be confused with a heart attack, which is more of a crushing, squeezing, burning pain that can move to other parts of the body. Anxiety attacks usually start very quickly and end within about 30 minutes, whereas heart attacks start slowly and increase over time.

• Communicating: Do ask them if there's something that normally helps.
• Sensory shock: Something like sour candy to shock the senses and divert attention away from the attack.
• Distractions: Can sometimes help to shift focus away from the attack.

• Minimising: Telling someone just not to be anxious when they have an anxiety disorder is kind of like telling someone in a wheelchair just to stand up and walk around.
• Logic bombing: Don't try to apply logic or reason to the situation with them; the logical part of their brain is not responsible for the attack and therefore not the solution.
• Touch: Don't physically touch them without consent. The symptoms of anxiety may be heightened by additional stimulation.

Aftercare for someone suffering an anxiety attack

After the attack, this person will likely need to take the rest of the day off. After an attack, you can feel extremely drained and lethargic, so it’s good practice to give them the time to recover.

• Breathing exercises: You take a deep breath in, then at the last moment, you take another quick inhale, and then you let go. This technique has been proven to lower stress levels.
• Countdown Method: For grounding (5-4-3-2-1), you find five things that you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste.
• Self-grounding: Repeating: ‘I choose to be here. I choose to be still. I choose to breathe. I choose peace over panic.’ These exercises can give you back the control you feel you lost during an anxiety attack.
• Clear communication: Lack of context will potentially give someone with anxiety way more anxiety than needed. For example, booking a meeting that says 'meeting to chat' with no context could ruin that person's entire day.
• Empathy & Sharing: When you are vulnerable with people, they're more likely to be vulnerable with you. There is something incredibly powerful in feeling not alone

Kristie Dale is a member of our global internal neurodiversity network ‘Brainspace’, where colleagues share experiences, offer peer support, and discuss everything from hyperfocus strengths to navigating daily challenges. This network is open to all Keywords Studios employees.