Work can be stressful.
A new manager, a difficult colleague, an important presentation, a mistake, a new responsibility, a promotion, or a change in department can quickly trigger anxiety. Sometimes nothing has actually gone wrong, yet our minds are already imagining everything that could. The problem is not always the situation itself. Often, it is what our minds are telling us about the situation.
Take Jason for example.
Jason has worked in the same department for several years. He knows how things work, who to call when there is a problem, which tasks are urgent and even where to find the good coffee. He feels confident because his workplace is familiar.
Then one day, his manager tells him that he is being transferred to another department and will join a new team the following month. At first, Jason is excited. It is a new opportunity. He may learn new skills, meet new people and grow professionally.
But as he thinks about the change, another voice begins to appear: Why am I being transferred? Did I do something wrong? What if the new team doesn’t like me? What if they expect me to know things I don’t know? What if I fail?
Nothing has happened yet. Nobody has criticised him. The new team has not rejected him. He has not failed. But Jason’s mind is already living in a future that has not happened.
That night, he cannot sleep. The next morning, he looks at his workload and feels overwhelmed. He has to complete his current responsibilities, prepare a handover and learn about his new department. Each task is manageable on its own, but anxiety makes everything feel bigger. He starts jumping between emails, messages, handover work and preparation. By lunchtime, his shoulders are tight, his desk is messy and very little has been completed.
Jason is not lazy. In fact, he is working hard. He cares so much about doing well that anxiety has taken over his attention. He is working harder, but he is not moving forward.
Many of us know that feeling. When anxiety turns into a cycle. Anxiety often begins with something that happens. Perhaps you are asked to lead a project. You receive a new responsibility. Your manager gives you unexpected feedback. You make a mistake. You have to give a presentation. The event itself is only the beginning.
A simple way to understand the process is:
Something happens → we interpret it → our body reacts → we respond → the result can reinforce our anxiety.
For example, the event might simply be: “Jason, I’m transferring you to another department.”
That statement does not say that Jason has failed. It does not say that his new team will reject him. It does not say that he will be unable to cope. But his mind quickly adds its own meaning: “Maybe I’ll fail.” “Maybe they won’t like me.” “This is going to be terrible.”
The word maybe is important. An anxious thought can sound like a fact even when it is only a possibility. Anxiety scans ahead for what could go wrong. A possibility can gradually begin to feel like a prediction.
Our bodies may respond as though the threat is already happening. Our jaw tightens. Our shoulders rise. Our heart beats faster.
We struggle to relax or sleep. When this happens, our thinking can become less clear. We may overthink, avoid, overwork, become defensive or irritable, or struggle to prioritise.
Eventually, the consequences can reinforce the original anxiety.
- Fear of failing reduces focus.
- Reduced focus affects productivity.
- Lower productivity creates more stress.
- And then the mind says, “See? I knew this was too hard.”
This is the anxiety cycle.
The goal, however, is not to eliminate anxiety. The goal is to respond to anxiety differently.
Here are four mindset shifts that can help.
1. See anxiety differently: From “Anxiety is the enemy” to “Anxiety is preparing me”
Many people want to get rid of anxiety: “I don’t want to feel this way.” “I just want to calm down.” “I wish I wasn’t so anxious.”
But anxiety does not necessarily mean that something is wrong. It can be understood as a preparation system. It draws our attention toward something that might require preparation.
Think about a traffic app. If the road ahead is red, you do not automatically conclude that you will definitely be late. The information simply tells you that congestion is possible. You might leave earlier or take another route.
In the same way, anxiety can act like a warning signal. It says: “Pay attention.” “Something might be challenging.” “Perhaps there is something you can prepare for.” The important distinction is: Anxiety is a preparation system, not a prediction system. It cannot accurately tell you what the future will be.
- So instead of asking: “Why am I feeling anxious? Something must be wrong.”
- Try asking: “What is my anxiety preparing me for?”
- Then ask: “What can I prepare that would actually be helpful?”
For Jason, this could mean asking questions about his new department, finding out what he needs to learn, clarifying expectations and preparing for the handover. The feeling changes. Instead of “Danger! I need to protect myself,” the question becomes: “What might be challenging, and what can I do to prepare?”
That is a very different way of relating to anxiety.
2. Trust your ability to respond: From “What if something goes wrong?” to “If it does, I can respond”
Anxiety wants certainty. It asks: “What if something goes wrong?” “What if I can’t handle it?” “What if I make a mistake?”
The problem is that complete certainty is impossible. No matter how carefully we plan or prepare, we cannot control everything that happens at work. But there is something we can develop confidence in: Our ability to respond.
When anxiety becomes loud, we can easily forget that we have handled difficult situations before. We may forget previous problems we solved, mistakes we recovered from, difficult conversations we managed or new responsibilities we eventually learned to handle. We do not have to know exactly what will happen.
We can say: “Something might go wrong, but I can respond.” This is a significant shift. Instead of trying to prevent every possible problem, we begin to trust our capacity to deal with problems if they arise.
- For example: “What if my presentation goes badly?” becomes: “If something doesn’t go as planned, I can pause, respond and learn.”
- “What if my colleague reacts badly?” becomes: “I cannot control their reaction, but I can choose how I respond.”
- “What if I don’t know the answer?” becomes: “I can say that I don’t know and find out.”
You do not need confidence that everything will go well. You need confidence that you can respond when things don’t go exactly as planned.
3. Act despite anxiety: From “I need to feel confident first” to “I can act while anxious”
One of the traps of anxiety is believing that we must first feel calm and confident before we can act. “I’ll do it when I feel ready.” “I’ll speak up when I’m less nervous.” “I’ll start when I feel more confident.” But if we wait for anxiety to disappear completely, we may wait a very long time. Difficult work, new responsibilities and unfamiliar situations naturally bring some uncertainty. We may never feel completely calm before taking the first step.
So the mindset shift is: “I feel anxious, but I can still act.”
Confidence often follows action and experience rather than coming before them Imagine someone who is nervous about speaking in a meeting.
- The anxious thought might be: “I’m too nervous to speak.” The alternative is not: “I’m completely confident and ready to speak.” It can simply be: “I’ll ask one question.”
- Someone anxious about a presentation might shift from: “I’m not ready to present.” to: “I’ll prepare, practise and take one step.”
- Someone worried about having a difficult conversation might remind themselves: “I will remain respectful. I am responsible for how I respond.”
The anxiety may still be there. But now anxiety is no longer deciding what you can or cannot do. You take the anxiety with you and move forward. Every small step is still progress.
4. Take the next step: From “I have to solve everything” to “What’s the next thing I can do?”
Sometimes anxiety makes us carry the entire future on our shoulders.
We look at a large project and think: “How am I going to finish all of this?” We think about every possible problem, every possible conversation and every possible outcome. The load becomes so heavy that we either overwork or avoid the task altogether. But we do not have to solve the whole future today.
We only need to take the next step.
- If you have to complete a huge report, don’t begin by trying to finish the entire report. Start with the outline.
- If you are nervous about a presentation, don’t try to become an excellent presenter overnight. Prepare the first section.
- If you are worried about an upcoming conversation, identify one thing you want to communicate.
- If you are overwhelmed by a long task list, choose the next task. Ask yourself: “What is the next action I can take?”
This brings you out of the imagined future and back into the present. You don’t have to cross the whole river in one step.
One step. Then another. Then another.
Small actions create momentum, and momentum can make an overwhelming situation feel more manageable.
Turning Anxiety into Action
Workplace anxiety is not always a sign that we are weak, incapable or unprepared. Sometimes anxiety appears precisely because we care. We want to do well. We want to be responsible. We want to avoid mistakes. We want to do our work effectively.
But when anxiety becomes overwhelming, it can take the very things we care about and turn them against us. We overthink instead of preparing. We overwork instead of prioritising. We avoid instead of engaging. We wait for confidence instead of taking action.
The four mindset shifts offer another way:
- Instead of: “Anxiety is the enemy.” Try: “Anxiety may be preparing me.”
- Instead of: “What if everything goes wrong?” Try: “If something goes wrong, how can I respond?”
- Instead of: “I need to feel confident before I act.” Try: “I can act even while I feel anxious.”
- Instead of: “I have to solve everything.” Try: “What is the next small step?”
The purpose is not to pretend that anxiety does not exist or to minimise genuine workplace challenges. It is about changing our relationship with anxiety so that it becomes information rather than a command. Anxiety does not have to disappear before we move forward. We can feel anxious and still act.
Written by:
Mr. Lee Teck Ming
(Psychotherapist and Relational Trauma Specialist)