How a planner can help you to better manage anxiety
Keep track of your anxiety by monitoring your mood and sticking with healthy habits. Here we outline how the humble planner can help you to achieve your goals when it comes to anxiety.
How a planner can help you to manage anxiety
By Joyce Chong
Anxiety is part of life. It keeps you safe from danger - think of anxiety as your body’s alarm that is designed to protect you from threats in your environment. At times, your alarm may be overactive. This can be experienced in response to stressful events (job stress, global pandemic, relationship breakdown, cumulation of daily hassles), or reflect a longer-standing anxiety disorder (such as social anxiety disorder, panic disorder; learn more about when anxiety tips into an anxiety disorder here).
We’ve worked with many individuals over the years to build skills to manage anxiety better - skills such as tuning in to triggers and early warning signs for anxiety, learning relaxation and mindfulness skills, shifting thoughts that contribute to anxiety, and gradually facing triggers for anxiety that they have previously avoided.
As with most things, sustaining the skills to manage anxiety in the longer term takes regular practice, and can easily get lost amidst the busyness of everyday life. So how can you ensure those anxiety management skills stay with you for years to come?
Enter the humble planner…rather than just serving as a To Do list, a planner can help with setting anxiety-related goals, keeping anxiety management skills on your radar, and track your levels of anxiety (and related concepts) so you can better understand and manage anxiety. Below we’ll show you how to use a planner to better manage your anxiety - we’ve used our Productive Life Planner which has specific sections for projects (or goals) and managing your wellbeing, but feel free to use any planner that will suit your needs.
TIPS TO BETTER MANAGE ANXIETY USING A PLANNER
Below we outline some tips for using a planner to help you better manage anxiety. These are based on our work over the years with the many individuals we’ve helped to make sustainable changes when it comes to anxiety, where we’ve seen what helps and hinders longer-term shifts in anxiety. These tips are by no means exhaustive, but will give you a good starting point. Let’s see how using a planner can help Heni.
Heni is a new graduate who has been experiencing anxiety for the past year. She has just commenced her first ‘major’ role in a high pressure environment, and is taking on challenges that she has not yet encountered. Heni is acutely aware of the need to look after her anxiety so that she can perform in her role and avoid burnout. She also recognises that she is prone to worrying about negative appraisals, which then feeds into her confidence levels and her anxiety.
1.Set goals for managing anxiety
Think of what goals you’d like to achieve when it comes to better managing your anxiety. Is it that you have an upcoming social function when the idea of making small talk with strangers causes you significant anxiety? Is it that you live in a house that has spiders when you have a spider phobia? Or is it that you want to be able to better manage your panic symptoms?
Whatever your goal is, use your planner to break down the larger, overarching goal, into smaller components that are less anxiety-provoking and move you gradually towards your overarching goal.
Heni has been tasked with the project of giving a conference presentation in April on behalf of her workplace. This is a trigger for increased anxiety for Heni - not only is it the first presentation she is giving on behalf of an organisation with high standards, she also suffers from public speaking anxiety.
To help reduce her anxiety, Heni decides to break this larger and more overwhelming task into smaller and more manageable actions using SMART goal-setting:
First, she reaches out to her colleague Will and buys him lunch to seek advice on designing her presentation. She also sets time frames to ensure she stays on track with this project.
Second, she decides to sign up to do a public speaking anxiety course, and looks at linking in a friend so she can practice her speech before the day.
2. Keep healthy habits on your radar.
There are many healthy habits you can adopt that support your anxiety and wellbeing. For example:
Habits for physical health include getting sufficient sleep, exercise, and nutrition.
Habits for psychological wellbeing include practising relaxation, journalling, and many of the psychological skills learned in therapy (e.g. exposure, controlled breathing, cognitive restructuring, mindfulness).
It’s easy for these habits to fall off your radar, so by using a planner as reminders to engage with the habit, you’re increasing your chances of looking after your anxiety.
Heni believes that there are a few things that are particularly helpful when it comes to managing her anxiety. She finds exercise and sleep to be vital for her to stay calmer. She also knows that journalling and reflecting on events of the day on a regular basis make a difference to her anxiety. Keeping these healthy habits on her radar using a daily planner helps her to stay on track.
3. Track stuff.
We’re talking all sorts of stuff to do with anxiety, including:
Physical and psychological habits that help you manage your anxiety.
Emotions such as anxiety, stress, overwhelm, and any other related concepts (e.g. level of social confidence when it comes to social anxiety, severity of worry in generalised anxiety disorder).
We especially love being able to track anxiety over weeks, months, and even a year, as tracking helps identify what particular triggers and patterns there may be to your anxiety (see the next point!).
Heni finds that tracking a combination of her moods (anxiety, overwhelm) and confidence level, as well as her energy and motivation, help her to see her progress with managing anxiety. She can also take this information in to her sessions with her psychologist and they can dissect the information together and set new goals.
4. Reflect
Once you have tracked emotions and habits related to your anxiety, use this data to help you reflect and learn more about:
What triggers your anxiety (e.g. prolonged weeks of tight deadlines, certain emotional stressors, or even a lack of exercise)
Which habits make a meaningful difference to your anxiety (do more of these!) and which habits may have less of an impact.
What helps you stick to your helpful habits and what reduces your ability to stay on track (e.g. busyness at work, burnout, late nights).
After consistently tracking her anxiety, Heni takes the information in to her session with her psychologist. They reflect on the patterns together, and identify that comparing herself to others and facing social situations more generally are triggers for increased anxiety. Using this information, they incorporate a few additional exercises in this area to help Heni better cope with such situations.
All of the above tips are designed to help you understand your anxiety better, and to help you stay on top of managing your anxiety. Using something as simple as a planner can really make a difference to how you understand and look after your anxiety.
If you’d like more tailored support to help stay on track with your anxiety, why not contact us and book in with one of our psychologists?
Parental burnout: What is it, how it differs from burnout, and how to bounce back
As rewarding a role that parenting may be, parental burnout is very real - exhaustion, feeling detached from your children, being less effective as a parent, and feeling fed up with the parenting role. Learn what to do to bounce back and improve your relationship with your children.
coping with parental burnout
By Emily McGurk and Joyce Chong
Conversations around burnout as a workplace phenomenon has exploded in recent years, but there is a growing body of literature identifying that burnout occurs not only at work, but also in other roles paid or unpaid) in which meaningful activity creates a stress response – students (academic burnout), volunteers, caregiver, and also parents.[1][2][3] Today we’re focusing on parental burnout which we are increasingly seeing in our clinical work, along with its impact on the parent-child relationship and general self-esteem. At a glance, it’s easy to see how the role of parenting leads to burnout – long hours, multiple requirements, little job control, and so on, it’s easy to see how parenting can lead to burnout. In this article we explore what parental burnout is, its impact on the parenting style and parent-child relationships, signs of parental burnout, and tips to bounce back from parenting-induced burnout.
“A survey of 17,000+ parents from 42 countries found higher rates (5-8%) of parental burnout in individualistic cultures (commonly Western countries) than in collectivist cultures [4]”
What is parental burnout? How does it differ from ‘regular burnout’?
Traditionally, the concept of burnout was coined to describe the outcome of prolonged and untreated workplace stress and identified three dimensions: emotional exhaustion, emotional distancing (e.g. reduced empathy interacting with clients/colleagues), and reduced efficacy. [1][5]
Research into parental burnout has borrowed from job burnout research, but also identified unique components in parental burnout - Parental exhaustion (emotional and physical), Disconnection from children (emotional distancing), Contrast to your previous parenting self (loss of parental efficacy), and feeling Fed up of the parental role: [6][7] Let’s take a closer look at each of these components:
Parental exhaustion
We get it – the parenting role can seem draining. Long hours on-call, a high mental load (organising appointments and schedules, anticipating as well as reacting to their needs), and never-ending multitasking can make for a challenging role. Throw in sleep deprivation or difficult parent-child interactions, and it’s a recipe for exhaustion.
It’s further been suggested that the type of parental exhaustion experienced may differ depending on the age of the child, with physical exhaustion more common in parents with young children, and emotional exhaustion more common with adolescents or teens due to higher levels of conflict. [8]
Emotional distancing/cynicism from the parenting role
When burnout occurs at work, employees can start to detach from the job and their clients. However, when it comes to parenting, the same detachment takes on a different form. It appears that exhausted parents disengage emotionally from their child [4][6][7][8] by:
Seeking out the child less, thus leading to fewer interactions.
Parents ending interactions earlier, speaking and asking less, and interacting with less enthusiasm and care.
These all have implications for the parent-child bond.
Contrast with previous parental self (Loss of parental efficacy)
“I’m not the parent I used to be” is a great way to summarise this component to parental burnout. [7] You may have an idea as to how you should parent, and your previous parental self may have been able to achieve it, however when parental burnout sets in it affects your ability to show up as the parent that you wish to be. Contrast with previous parental self can trigger feelings of shame and guilt.
Feeling fed up
Finally, feeling fed up is a component of parental burnout where one tires of ‘doing’ the parenting [3][4][6][9] .
The role can feel never-ending, the rewards can seem to pale in comparison to the effort that you put in, and you feel like a shadow of your former self. Resentment can quickly build up.
Together, these can lead to reduced fulfilment in the parenting role, poorer quality of parent-child interactions, with both impacting on the parent-child relationship. At its extreme, these factors – particularly emotional exhaustion, emotional distancing plus feeling fed up – are have been linked to parental neglect and even violence [9]
WHAT Causes PARENTAL BURNOUT?
Parenting is one of the hardest jobs in the world. It requires a shift of focus from prioritising your own needs to focusing on meeting the needs of your dependent children. However, parenting doesn’t exist in a vacuum and there are other demands on parents – other caregiver roles, work, studies, life admin, running a household, and so on. Let’s take a closer look at what it takes to raise children and how this contributes to parental burnout.
Raising children – the tasks
Children have physical needs that need to be met for their development – security (including shelter), education, nutrition, sleep, and adequate health care.
Emotionally, children’s needs include the need to feel safe, loved, and belong. To help them become independent and realise their potential (that is, become self-actualised), they need to be supported to explore and develop their thoughts, choices, likes/dislikes and ideas [10]
To meet these needs, parents consider their children’s schooling, extra-curricular activities (sport, music, playdates, languages, arts, and so on), health support requirements, amongst many factors.
The parental background to raising children
Raising children doesn’t exist in a vacuum – to help children become independent and realise their potential, parents need the finances and time to provide for children’s needs, as well as the parenting skills to support and nurture their children.
However, for modern-day parents, there are some clear pressure points that contribute to parental burnout. [11][12] These pressure points can be external or internal:
EXTERNAL factors in parental burnout
A busy schedule (extracurricular activities, sport, medical appointments) leading to a high mental load
Children’s differing ages and developmental stages.
Children’s physical health and mental health needs (acute or chronic)
Balancing kids with looking after older parents
Work-family conflict (whether paid work or volunteer work)
Coparenting disagreement
Limited support in the parenting role (e.g. single parent, living away from usual supports)
The family’s level of disorganisation
Internal Factors in parental burnout
Managing parental temperament vs child temperament
Parental perfectionism leading to a disparity in expectations between ideal and real parent
Wanting to give your children the best opportunities/experiences and not let them miss out
Difficulties saying no/setting boundaries
Your own medical or mental health needs that affect your capacity to parent
Parenting skills and emotional insight
Own upbringing and the desire to overcome your own childhood unmet needs
HOW DOES YOUR CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCE AFFECT PARENTAL BURNOUT?
As children we all have core needs, including emotional needs – secure attachments, a sense of identity, freedom to express needs and emotions, spontaneity and play, as well as limits and self control [10]. Having our emotional needs met meant that we can recognise our potential as adults.
For those of us who had our needs met, the way in which we were parented sets up a template for how we would like to parent. However, for those whose needs were unmet, this can form an explicit desire for how NOT to parent, or we may end up perpetuating negative parenting experiences we experienced as children, and lead to the development of what is known in schema therapy as early maladaptive schemas (EMS)
EMS are core ways of seeing ourselves and the world. When we become parents, EMS then influence how we parent. Five broad domains of early maladaptive schemas have been identified [10]
Individuals who grew up with disconnected and detached parents may feel emotionally deprived or even a sense of defectiveness at rejection.
A lack of parental limits as a child can lead to a lack of self-discipline, including a sense of entitlement and difficulties with self-control.
Children who grow up in an environment where love and attention were conditional may find themselves in self-sacrificing and approval-seeking patterns, believing that others needs are a priority.
Growing up in perfectionistic and critical environments can lead to developing unrelenting standards for themselves and others, leading to perfectionism and punitiveness.
Experiencing overprotectiveness or overintrusiveness when growing up can lead to a lack of sense of self and lack of independence, which can lead to a sense of failure, dependence, or developing an enmeshed relationship with others.
Early maladaptive schemas that we developed as children have a profound impact on how we parent - we may perpetuate what we're used to, or we may go on the attach to undo what we experienced. In turn, our parenting style can then shape the schemas our children develop, with resulting impact on their mental health. Indeed, EMSs have been associated with personality disorders, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, OCD, and PTSD [13]
How might these internal and external factors combine to create parental burnout? Some examples include:
Holly felt disconnected from her parents as a child and learned to keep a tight rein on her emotions and to be emotionally self-sufficient. When she became a parent she wanted to right the ‘wrongs’ of her own childhood and made it her mission that her children would feel happy and loved at all times, and that they would have an unbreakable bond. However, her son is a storm of emotions, and Holly feels overwhelmed by his outbursts and her inability to fix his problems. She keeps researching online and tuning in to podcasts to uncover what to do to help her son and feels burnt out by the never-ending process.
Matt grew up in a perfectionistic and critical environment, yet thrived as he was extremely outgoing and sporty which helped him to step into unfamiliar situations. This approach has served him well and led to success in high pressure environments at work He expected that his son would be just like him, however his young son clings to him and is not willing to engage with activities. Matt is frustrated that his son won’t respond to his coaching to do better and is exhausted by the constant fighting with his partner to take a ‘softer’ approach. His expectations of his son and his style of supporting his son are creating conflict for him and leading to burnout.
Nivvy was her parents’ princess - she was indulged by them and everything came easily to her - academically, socially, and professionally. As an adult, Nivvy was in control at work, maintained an immaculate house, and was always supported by her family and friends. When Nivvy started her much awaited family it became her primary focus, yet 10 months into parenthood she missed her pre-baby life. Nivvy feels trapped in the daily grind, out of control, like a failure - her days revolve around washing, cooking, and cleaning but this cycle is never-ending. She is frustrated that others aren’t willing to take over the mundane tasks and instead tell her that this is part of being a parent. She doesn’t understand how she can love a role so much yet resent it at the same time.
Sarah’s family struggled financially and as a result she missed out on catch ups with friends and having the newest things as a result. Because of this, Sarah often felt disconnected and ‘less than’ her friends. Sarah was determined that her children would always be included (playdates, sport, music) and had everything (toys, gadgets, nice clothes, regular holidays). To afford her children’s lifestyle she works extremely hard, and in the end feels exhausted and confused as to why her children are cranky and ungrateful…despite ‘doing it all’ she doesn’t feel present for any of it.
A path out of parental burnout - tips to cope
Importantly, parental burnout isn’t something that you have to tolerate and endure just because other parents are in the same boat. Step back and reflect on where you are currently in your parenting journey, where you would like to be as a parent, and what type of parent-child relationship you wish to nurture. Work with a psychologist (like Emily!) to step through a path to reduce parental burnout:
1. Work with a psychologist. The cause of parental burnout is nuanced and multi-layered - each parent’s early experiences (and schemas!) is different. Each parent also faces different external factors that drive burnout - some parents have multiple children with busy schedules, some have children with complex health needs, some lack support. Work with a psychologist to help you to untangle the many layers that have led you down the path to parental burnout, and find a way forward.
An additional benefit of having periodic check-ins with a psychologist is that they are also trained to identify emerging mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, burnout, problematic alcohol use and can work with you to build skills to improve coping.
2. Understand your identity. Whether you like it or not, your childhood journey influences those parenting triggers that push you towards parental burnout. Unmet needs that you experienced as a child shape how you wish to parent. By exploring your identity, early maladaptive schemas, and needs, you can better understand your triggers for parental overwhelm, and put a plan in place to parent in a more deliberate way.
3. Make a mindset shift. To combat parental burnout a mindset shift is a must. It helps to explore your expectations and thoughts - regarding how you should parent, what your parent-child relationship should look like, what your parenting experience should feel like, and whether you can practice self-compassion when faced with parenting setbacks. By shifting these mindset challenges you can bounce back better from parental burnout. A good starting point is to recognise that you can love your children whilst experiencing frustration regarding parenting, or grieving a loss of your independence.
4. Nurture yourself for sustainable parenting. A stressed out, burnt out parent does not parent well and affects emotion regulation and clarity of thought. Give yourself the space to be an involved parent by thinking sustainably. Importantly, nurture yourself through self-care and setting boundaries, and aim for a style of parenting that you can maintain.
5. Be present and deliberate to improve your parent-child connection. Good-enough parenting is about tuning in mindfully to your children’s needs, your own present needs, rather than stick to achieving what you believe parenting ‘should’ look like.
REFERENCES
[1] Pines, A., and Aronson, E. (1988). Career Burnout: Causes and Cures. New York, NY: Free Press.
[2] Bianchi, R., Truchot, D., Laurent, E., Brisson, R., and Schonfeld, I. S. (2014). Is burnout solely job-related? A critical comment. Scand. J. Psychol. 55, 357–361. doi: 10.1111/sjop.12119
[3] Roskam I, Brianda M-E and Mikolajczak M. (2018). A Step Forward in the Conceptualization and Measurement of Parental Burnout: The Parental Burnout Assessment (PBA). Frontiers in Psychology, 9:758. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00758
[4] Roskam, I., Aguiar, J., Akgun, E., Arikan, G., Artavia, M., Avalosse, H., Aunola, K., Bader, M., Bahati, C., Barham, E. J., Besson, E., Beyers, W., Boujut, E., Brianda, M. E., Brytek-Matera, A., Carbonneau, N., César, F., Chen, B. B., Dorard, G., Dos Santos Elias, L. C., … Mikolajczak, M. (2021). Parental Burnout Around the Globe: a 42-Country Study. Affective science, 2, 58–79. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42761-020-00028-4
[5] Maslach, C., Shaufeli, W.B., & Leiter, M.P. (2001). Job burnout. Annual review of psychology, 52, 397-422. Doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.397
[6] Roskam, I., Raes, M.-E., and Mikolajczak, M. (2017). Exhausted parents: development and preliminary validation of the parental burnout inventory. Front. Psychol. 8:163. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00163
[7] Roskam, I., Philippot, P., Gallée, L., Verhofstadt, L., Soenens, B., Goodman, A., & Mikolajczak, M. (2021). I am not the parent I should be: Cross-sectional and prospective associations between parental self-discrepancies and parental burnout. Self and Identity, 21(4), 430–455. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298868.2021.1939773
[8] Abramson, A. (2021; October 1). The impact of parental burnout: What psychological research suggests about how to recognize it and overcome it. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2021/10/cover-parental-burnout
[9] Kalkan, R.B., Blanchard, M.A. & Mikolajczak, M., Roskam, I., & Heeren, A. (2022). Emotional exhaustion and feeling fed up as the driving forces of parental burnout and its consequences on children: insights from a network approach. Current Psychology. 42, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03311-8
[10] The Attachment Project (2024, April 10). The ultimate guide to early maldaptive schemas. The Attachment Project, https://www.attachmentproject.com/blog/early-maladaptive-schemas/
[11] Ren, X., Cai, Y., Wang, J., & Chen, O. (2024). A systematic review of parental burnout and related factors among parents. BMC public health, 24, 376. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-17829-y
[12] Mikolajczak, M., Aunola, K., Sorkkila, M., & Roskam, I. (2023). 15 Years of Parental Burnout Research: Systematic Review and Agenda. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 32, 276-283. https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214221142777
[13] Sójta, K., & Strzelecki, D. (2023). Early Maladaptive Schemas and Their Impact on Parenting: Do Dysfunctional Schemas Pass Generationally? A Systematic Review. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 12, 1263. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12041263
Working in FIFO: The challenges for mental health (and tips to help)
A FIFO lifestyle presents unique challenges to your sleep, relationships, and mental health. We cover these challenges and suggest tips to help you cope.
Managing mental health while FIFO
A Fly-in-Fly-out lifestyle is not for the faint-hearted – long days (think 12-hour shifts) working away in remote mining locations for weeks at a time, separated from family and loved ones, feeling isolated, sleep disruption, coping with heat and dust, and a workplace culture where bullying and sexual harassment are commonly reported. With these challenging conditions, it’s not surprising that approximately 33% of FIFO workers report a higher level of psychological distress compared to the average population [1]. FIFO workers experience higher levels of depression and anxiety symptoms as well as higher levels of burnout compared to the standard population [1]. This article outlines some of the unique aspects of a FIFO lifestyle, its impact on wellbeing and mental health, and offers tips to striking a helpful work/life balance. Read on to learn more about:
Common challenges in FIFO Roles
Signs your mental health might need support
Strategies to help your FIFO wellbeing
common challenges in fifo
FIFO roles are those based in remote locations away from towns, and often facing extreme weather conditions. Workers travel to site for several days or weeks at a time, then return home for days or weeks of rest (depending on rosters. Whilst on site, accommodation is often temporary (‘dongas’). Other common features of FIFO roles include long shifts (often 12 hours each day with highly regimented routines), working in male dominated industries (mining, construction, oil and gas), and working in an environment in which stigma regarding mental health often exists.
In light of the nature of FIFO work, it’s no secret that a FIFO lifestyle can take a heavy toll [2][3][4][5]. Let’s dive deeper into these challenges, and consider both workplace-based challenges (which may be harder to shift) and individual-based challenges (which we can have more influence and control over).
workplace-based challenges
Workplace-based FIFO challenges related to the organisation, how it structures work roles, the work environment itself (job conditions, physical environment), and also the organisational culture:
Workplace Culture. Numerous surveys point to the challenging workplace culture in FIFO environments, with gender-based discrimination, bullying and sexual harassment reported to be higher in what is typically a high pressure, male-dominated environment [1][6][7][8]. Living at camp means it can be difficult to separate from work, feel psychologically safe, find like-minded people to connect with.
Work Structure. Shiftwork, long hours, and roster length have all been shown to impact wellbeing. Shiftwork and long hours can increase fatigue due to disruption to sleep and sustained physical or mental demand [. The highly regimented structure of long hours with strict meal and recreation times can also create a challenge in maintaining connections with supports at home, especially if on night shift. Even-time and short rosters , choice in roster, and permanent rooms, are all linked to better mental health outcomes. [1][2][7]
Reduced Autonomy. The highly regimented nature of FIFO work (with strict compliance to safety and operational matters, and a highly structured daily routine and rosters) can lead to a reduced sense of control and autonomy and, in turn, poorer mental health outcomes. [1][2][3] Factors such as difficulty travelling home in emergencies, difficulty obtaining time-off or sick leave, changes to changes to camp rooms, and limited choice in job tasks, all impact mental health and a sense of agency over one’s life. [1][2]
Environmental Factors. Site-based work often occurs in harsh environments - heat, flies, dust, camp conditions, food onsite and access to recreational facilities, can all impact on mental health and wellbeing. Not having your creature comforts can be challenging, as can living out of your suitcase not knowing if you’ll return to your same donger can contribute to feeling displaced and unsettled. Is it any wonder that the environment can impact your wellbeing? [2][3]
individual-based challenges
Whilst punishing work conditions that accompany FIFO work contribute to poorer mental health, there are also individual-based challenges at play. These include:
Managing multiple demands. While working FIFO, employees can feel as though they are leading two separate lives. Depending on your commitments, it can look like a feast/famine cycle (e.g. long hours with a highly regimented daily routine with set times on site vs. nothing structured when on R&R) or a continuously busy cycle with little respite (e.g. long hours on site then coming home to dive right into parenting duties and taking care of the household). Continuous adjustment is required when travelling to/from site, and time away can impact on relationships, friendships and parenting.[2][3] Learning how to juggle these demands is key to maintaining good mental health.
Maintaining social connections. FIFO workers report that time away often can result in feeling socially disconnected. [2][3][5] Time away often means missing important events and celebrations in the lives of loved ones – missing out on friends’ major celebrations or children’s birthday parties - and can certainly create a barrier to forming new relationships or participating in activities on R&R.
Beliefs about seeking help. In spite of the higher prevalence of mental health difficulties in FIFO workers, there is often reluctance to seek support due to significant stigma. [4][8] A machismo culture of ‘getting on with it’ and ‘toughing it out’ means that seeking support may be viewed as a sign of weakness, resulting in help being sought at the point of high distress. The reality is that by seeking help along the way – to fine tune negative thoughts, or learning how to manage a suitable sleep routine whilst FIFO – it can actually help prevent things from getting to breaking point.
Golden Handcuffs. One of the main benefits of FIFO is the financial security, allowing for more investment into building a life, supporting partners and children, and moving towards financial freedom. However, the seductive financial benefits can often lead to ‘lifestyle creep’ (nicer toys, more holidays) and higher levels of debt. In turn this can lead in FIFO workers feeling ‘trapped in their roles, resulting in increased stress and potentially taking on more overtime to catch-up. [2][3][5]
signs of poor mental health in fifo workers
Research into the mental health of FIFO workers has shown higher rates of depression, anxiety, burnout, as well as higher overall psychological distress, compared to the standard population. [1][2][3][4] Some early warning signs that your mental health may be impacted can include:
Changes to mood: Feeling consistently stressed, numb, flat, or having a ‘shorter fuse’ than usual, or even reduced enjoyment during R&R.
Changes to health: Difficulty sleeping, trouble winding down, fatigue
Changes to behaviour: Withdrawing from social gatherings, increased alcohol and substance use, increased gambling
Dreading work: Finding it hard to travel to site (i.e. becoming increasingly anxious or down on fly-out day).
Even though these may be signs that you experience it doesn’t mean that you have to put up with it because it’s part of the job. There are steps you can put in place to help improve your mental health.
tips to manage fifo life: relationships, health, wellbeing
One of the biggest challenges to FIFO life is maintaining positive social connections and looking after yourself. Others may seem to get on with their regular daily and weekly routines back home, but as a FIFO worker you’re transplanted into another world for a few weeks at a time, disconnected from your regular life back home. Below are some tips to help with managing your FIFO life:
1. Sort out your priorities. Having a realistic understanding of the potential impact of FIFO work, and its challenges can assist in managing mental health and wellbeing. [1][2] Developing a plan with practical and financial goals, things to look forward to, and what you would like to get out of a FIFO career, all help with increasing a sense of autonomy and control.
2. Prioritise Relationships. FIFO workers who are happy with their personal relationships have been shown to have significantly better mental health and well-being. [1][3][5][9] This may include planning social activities on your R&R, having alternative ways of communicating to maintain relationships with those back home, and prioritising time-off for key celebrations or events. This could also include exploring social activities onsite and connecting with your crew.
3. Create a Routine. It’s common for FIFO workers to feel ‘lost’ or unsure of what to do on R&R, and therefore managing the transition between site and home can feel challenging. Creating a routine for site and home can help support wellbeing, as well as allowing you to make the most of your R&R.
4. Know your warning signs. Tune in to some of the early signs that you may need some extra physical or mental health support. These could be physical signs such as feeling consistently tired, headaches, or difficulty sleeping, as well as emotional signs such as difficulty switching off, feeling flat, or being snappier and more irritable than usual.
5. Check in with your physical health. FIFO work is demanding on your body, with long shifts, disruption to sleep schedules, night shift, heat, dust and continued physical demands. [7] It’s important to pay attention to your physical health, monitor alcohol and substance use, and work with a GP or psychologist to create a manageable sleep routine.
6. Reassess as needed. Remember to regularly check in with yourself and reassess how you are going. Different life stages will often mean different goals (financial, career, relationship) and balancing different demands (i.e. relationships, sport, parenting). As you go through different stages of your life, remember to reassess and develop new routines and goals.
7. Work with a psychologist. You do not have to wait until you are exhausted or at the point of burnout before working with a psychologist. Ways a psychologist can help include:
Laying the groundwork in preparing to start a FIFO role.
Helping you to build helpful sleep strategies.
Finding ways to support your relationships.
Helping you to find a work/life balance.
Supporting you with problematic alcohol or substance use.
An additional benefit of having periodic check-ins with a psychologist (like me!) is that psychologists are also trained to identify emerging wellbeing issues such as depression, anxiety, burnout, problematic alcohol use, and can work with you to build strategies to improve mental health and coping.
REFERENCES
[1] Parker, S., Fruhen, L., Burton, C., McQuade, S., Loveny, J., Griffin, M., ... & Esmond, J. (2018). Impact of FIFO work arrangements on the mental health and wellbeing of FIFO workers. https://www.mhc.wa.gov.au/media/2548/impact-of-fifo-work-arrangement-on-the-mental-health-and-wellbeing-of-fifo-workers-summary-report.pdf
[2] Roets, A. (2021, October 19). How FIFO work impacts mental health and well-being. Engineering Institute of Technology.. www.eit.edu.au/how-fifo-work-impacts-mental-health-and-well-being/
[3] Gardner, B., Alfrey, K. L., Vandelanotte, C., & Rebar, A. L. (2018). Mental health and well-being concerns of fly-in fly-out workers and their partners in Australia: A qualitative study. BMJ open, 8, e019516.
[4] https://www.mmhg.com.au/blog/depression-and-anxiety-in-mining-and-fifo-work-australia
[5] Brook, E. R. (2020). Fly-in/fly-out working arrangements: Employee perceptions of work and personal impacts (Doctoral dissertation, Murdoch University) https://researchportal.murdoch.edu.au/esploro/outputs/doctoral/Fly-in--fly-out-working-arrangements/991005544778107891/filesAndLinks?index=0
[6] Pupazzoni, R. (2023, Aug12). ‘Not acceptable’: Women in mining speak out against sexual harassment and discrimination. ABC News, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-12/women-in-mining-speak-out-against-decades-of-sexual-harassment/102699944
[7] Joyce, S.J., Tomlin, S.M., Somerford, P.J., Weeramanthri, T.S. (2013). Health behaviours and outcomes associated with fly-in fly-out and shift workers in Western Australia. Internal Medicine Journal, 43(4), 440-444. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1445-5994.2012.02885.x
[8] Van Halm, I. (2022, October 27). Why the Australian mining industry needs to address workplace culture. Mining technology. https://www.mining-technology.com/features/why-australian-mining-industry-address-workplace-culture/?cf-view
[9] Meredith, V., Rush, P., & Robinson, E. (2014). Fly-in fly-out workforce practices in Australia: The effects on children and family relationships. https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-400935781/view
Thank you to the FIFO workers who contributed to this article.
7 tips for living with social anxiety
Living with social anxiety can be limiting and lonely. If you find that your fear gets in the way of you living your best life, read on to find out how to turn things around.
7 tips for living with social anxiety
By Joyce Chong
In the 2007 National Mental Health and Wellbeing survey that surveyed 16million Australians to gain a picture of the nation’s Mental Health we found that anxiety is the most common mental health disorder experienced by individuals. (see here for a brief summary)
Within anxiety, social anxiety is the second most common anxiety disorder experienced (behind posttraumatic stress disorder). Social anxiety is linked with poorer quality of life and workplace productivity [1] and also with the increased use of alcohol and cannabis.[2]
If you're one of the many who experience social anxiety or know of someone who does, read on for our 7 tips for living with social anxiety. We've also included a printable version at the bottom of the article.
1. Know the difference between shyness and social anxiety
It’s easy to fall into the trap of seeing social anxiety as just an extreme of shyness. Indeed, there is a higher rate of social anxiety amongst shy individuals compared to individuals who aren’t shy, however the majority of shy individuals do not have social anxiety.[3]
However, social anxiety differs from shyness in that there is a marked level of fear involved, there is avoidance of feared situations, there is a strong fear of negative evaluation, and the social anxiety has a negative impact on functioning in several areas of life (e.g. work performance or relationships).
For example, a student may feel shy in a tutorial room, but if that person is distressed at the prospect of having to speak in the tutorial, and the tutorials have a participation component that students must pass (that is, they risk failing the entire unit if they don’t contribute) then we are looking more at a picture of social anxiety.
Did you know that for some, the anxiety is present only in situations where performance is concerned? So, while they may do well in most aspects of socialising, there may be anxiety just when doing public speaking or talking to people in positions of authority (e.g. managers, lecturers).
2. Take action…now!
Social anxiety typically starts between late childhood and mid-adolescence, with sufferers waiting an average of 15-20 years before they seek treatment.[1]
Given the wide-ranging impact of these social fears, it is understandable that social anxiety is linked with poorer quality of life and wellbeing – how restrictive would it be if you were afraid to go for a job interview, ask someone for directions, ask a question of your teacher, or even looking people in the eye in a passing conversation in case they think negatively of you?
How long have you lived with social anxiety? How does it hold you back in your life? Take action now so that you don't have to continue to live this way.
3. Challenge your avoidance
Avoiding a scary situation may bring you immediate relief, but over time you may notice that more situations cause you anxiety, or that your anxiety gets more intense.
The reality is that striving to feel safe all of the time is unrealistic, and trying to achieve this means that the number of situations in which you feel comfortable starts to rapidly shrink.
Make changes by taking one small step at a time. For example, if you're afraid of making conversation with people, start off by making small talk about the weather with the check out operator at a new grocery store, then build up to making small talk with the receptionist at your doctor's surgery. It takes one small step to get the ball rolling.
4. Rethink your drink
Social anxiety is associated with an increased rate of alcohol dependence. [4] Alcohol is often used to cope with nerves before and during a social situation, but it's important to rethink your drink and take a good hard look at whether it's just another form of avoidance.
Why is using alcohol to cope with anxiety a bad thing when many of our social situations involve alcohol? Well, alcohol may make you feel less anxious in the short term, but in the longer term do you learn that you can cope without a drink? Sound familiar? Refer to Point 3 – yes, using alcohol sounds like a form of avoidance.
5. Check your thoughts
Are your thoughts and thinking styles making your anxiety worse? Tune in to your thoughts when you first notice anxiety building up in a social situation. Are you making an incorrect assumption? Are you jumping to conclusions, or catastrophising by focusing on the worst case scenario?
If you're giving a presentation, do you assume that one small mistake in your presentation means that you have made a fool of yourself? Will the worst case scenario of being laughed at by everyone really come true?
We’ve previously blogged about Checking your Thoughts in relation to social anxiety here in our post on social anxiety and Christmas functions so use that as a starting point. You can also find more information on thinking styles here.
6. Conduct an experiment
Sometimes we believe what we believe because we haven’t had evidence to the contrary. Let's say you keep your head down on the bus because you think that others on the bus will stare at you. By keeping your focus on your feet or phone, you won't see that they’re not staring at you. In other words, your belief is reinforced or, at the very least, not disputed.
Let’s mix things up a little. Let’s conduct an experiment by sitting at the back of the bus, and then watching what people actually do. Chances are, you’ll see that people are either looking at their phones, or looking out the window. The thing is, though, you won’t really know unless you do the experiment to test your belief.
7. Seek professional help
A lot can be done to help with social anxiety, so please take action before 15-20 years pass you by (see Point 2). Psychological treatments such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) have been shown to be effective in the treatment of social anxiety.[5] You can also speak with your GP to discuss medication options.
Thanks for reading. We hope that the tips on managing social anxiety are helpful.
Want more? Learn about Social Set, our 8-session Social Anxiety Course. Work one-on-one with a psychologist to develop a tailored approach to bounce back from social anxiety.
REFERENCES
[1] American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th edition, DSM-5). Washington: American Psychological Association.
[2] Buckner, J.D., Schmidt, N.B., Lang, A.R., Small, J.W., Schlauch, R.C., & Lewinsohn, P.M. (2008). Specificity of Social Anxiety Disorder as a risk factor for alcohol and cannabis dependence. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 42, 230-239.
[3] Heiser, N.A., Turner, S.M., & Beidel, D.C. (2003). Shyness: relationship to social phobia and other psychiatric disorders. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 41, 209-221.
[4] Schneier, F.R, Foose, T.E., Hasin, D.S., Heimberg, R.G., Liu, S.M., Grant, B.F., & Blanco, C. (2010). Social anxiety disorder and alcohol use disorder comorbidity in the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Psychological Medicine, 40, 977-988.
[5] Craske, M.G., et al. (2014). Randomized controlled trial of cognitive behavioral therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy for social phobia: outcomes and moderators. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 82, 1034-1048.
5 reasons why modern life causes stress (and what to do about it)
(Updated July 2023) Experiencing stress and burnout? The stressors of modern day and lifestyle challenges may be making things worse. Here’s what to do about it.
5 reasons why modern life causes us stress (and what to do about it)
By Joyce Chong (updated July 2023)
Ever feel like your head is swimming with everything that you’re juggling? Let’s take a snapshot of a typical day in your life from the moment you wake to the time close your eyes at night. If you’re like many of the clients who we work with, it’s a never-ending juggle of work, study, family, technology, finances, friends, social life, meal prep, exercise, self-care, and…the ever-dreaded laundry. With the sheer scope of all that you’re juggling, is it any wonder that modern life causes us stress?
Indeed, stress is a natural response that prompts us to attend to threats in our environment:
“Stress can be defined as a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation.”
How we respond to these difficult situations, however, has a large impact on our stress levels, wellbeing, and mental health. Without addressing the underlying causes of why modern life causes us stress, it’s hard to make more sustainable changes that lead you away from burning out. Here are some main reasons for stress in modern life, and what to do about them.
1. Mindset affects stress
Fundamentally, stress occurs when we perceive a situation as difficult and potentially insurmountable. Psychologists Richard Lazarus and Susan Folkman, in their Transactional Model of Stress and Coping, outline stress as the body’s reaction to events perceived to be challenging, and highlighted the role of one’s perceived ability to respond to that threat. Thus, perception is key, and that’s where mindset comes in. Indeed, how we perceive an event can lead to a heightened stress response vs a more manageable reaction.
Let’s say you have to give a presentation for work. By seeing it as a disaster it can increase stress levels and lead to over-preparation and panic… a sure path to burnout. However, with more helpful self-talk you can dial stress levels down and the task will seem more manageable:
Certain personality styles, including perfectionists, those experiencing imposter syndrome, and those with people-pleasing tendencies, may find that mindset contributes to their experience of stress. Specifically, mindset can also lead you to take on too much (because you should aim for excellence), push yourself too hard (because you need to show that you are capable), and stop you from setting appropriate boundaries that would limit the stress that you experience (because you’re conflict-avoidant and definitely don’t want to rock the boat by saying no).
Our mindset flows on from how we see ourselves (our identity), and we make choices each day that align with our identity. This in itself can reinforce stress, for example:
Heni, a busy young professional, wants to scale the corporate ladder all whilst balancing finances and a healthy social life. She wants to take on all opportunities and do it extremely well. The inability to set boundaries with herself can then increase stress and contribute to her burning out.
Ando, the stay-at-home-parent, who treats it as his job and wants to excel in it (whipping up Instagram-worthy bento boxes, baking from scratch, display-home level tidiness) can deprioritise self-care and have few ways of reducing stress.
Emily, the juggle-it-all mid-lifer, who is in a management position looking after their team whilst at work, and then looking after parents, children, and fur babies outside of work…all whilst keep up their performance on their own work. The easy solution for Emily is to scrimp on self-care just so they can churn through the work; also by failing to set boundaries with others they find themselves stressed and overwhelmed.
DOES THIS ALL HIT TOO CLOSE TO HOME?
If the above examples all sound eerily familiar when you reflect on what causes you stress, take a closer look at Planet Burnout, our resource on shifting Identity, Mindset and Actions to help you lead a more sustainable, less overwhelmed life.
TIPS TO HELP YOUR MINDSET:
Develop realistic expectations - of how things should be, of what is required of you, of how well it must be done. Often stress arises when reality doesn’t match expectations - for example, that things should go as planned, that you should be able to manage a task, that you should be in control.
Step back from the ‘shoulds’ and other unhelpful thinking styles. Stress can result when reality doesn’t meet our expectation of how things ‘should’ be. Other unhelpful thinking styles that contribute to stress include mind-reading (e.g. thinking that someone is judging you harshly), catastrophising (e.g. thinking about the worst case scenario), and personalisation (e.g. thinking that someone’s frustration is targeted at you). If unhelpful thinking styles contribute to stress then take a closer look at this article on Thinking Styles that Sabotage your Mental Health.
Flip the script on unhelpful thoughts. Sometimes it helps to hold a mirror up to thoughts that increase your stress. Flip the thought that “I must/I should” to seeing it as a preference and ‘ideal state’ rather than something that has to be achieved irrespective of any constraints you face. Flip the thought that “They’re frowning because they’re angry at me.” to consider alternative reasons for someone’s demeanour, for example that they’ve had a bad morning.
Shifting mindset and flipping the script on unhelpful thoughts might seem easy in theory, but often these thoughts are quite automatic, in that we can’t see their impact - we just know that we feel stressed. Spend some time deliberately practising analysing your thoughts and it will become easier to spot them. If you’d like tailored help on shifting a negative mindset why not book in to work with one of our team?
2. Life events + Daily hassles add to your stress plate
If the global pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that life events contribute to stress. Other life events that increase stress are outlined in the Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory, and include the death of a life partner, divorce, major personal injury, retirement, and pregnancy.
Daily hassles - ordinary challenges we face in daily - can also cause stress. These include having too much to do, cost of living, and conflict at work.
Both life events and daily hassles have been linked to increased stress.
TIPS FOR COPING WITH LIFE EVENTS AND DAILY HASSLES
Life events may be tricky to change, so it helps to take a look at what you can control, and to practice acceptance of what you cannot.
For daily hassles, consider what’s in your toolkit for coping (see Point 5). Perhaps having a system or process can help with misplacing/losing things, or speaking to a psychologist (like us!) can help with managing daily hassles such as troubling thoughts or getting along with fellow workers.
The most important thing is to do something, rather than bury your head in the sand. The problem won’t go away that way.
3. technology and constant connection
Technology can be a double-edge sword. It enables us to work more flexibly so that working from home has now become a reality. It enables us to connect with friends and family all around the world, to span different time zones and to have insight into the lives of our nearest and dearest by following them on their socials. It allows us to stay up-to-date with the latest in news, trends, and what’s going on in your neighbourhood. All without leaving home.
The downside? The constant connection can have a real toll on your wellbeing, causing significant stress as you are tethered to your phones and laptop as work emails pile up (see this article on The Tyranny of Constant Contact). Staying up-to-date with the latest news can lead to doom-scrolling, with negative effects on both physical and mental health. And…where do we even begin with social media and its impact on social comparison, FOMO, body image, and self-esteem? (Hint: It’s not looking too rosy).
TIPS TO HELP WITH TECHNOLOGY + CONSTANT CONNECTION
We get it, technology is part of everyday life. However, let’s look at setting healthy and appropriate boundaries with technology. This will of course vary depending on what you do for work (students and those in IT might find it harder to step away from devices). Try the following:
Conduct an audit on what you spend your time on with your devices. It may be that you end up on socials far longer than you anticipate each day, or fall into the trap of doom scrolling once you hop on ‘to relax’ after work which then bleeds into dinner prep. From this, set realistic and sustainable limits on device use, for example not scrolling through the news after work but instead getting dinner prep out of the way first.
Commit to being device-free for a period of time each week. Instead, go offline and connect with friends in real life.
Turn off alerts so that you’re not at the mercy of constant pinging from emails, messages, and updates on who’s doing what on socials.
Tame your social media use by setting limits (e.g. Hopping off 2 hours before bedtime), using apps that cut off your access, or hiding/deleting apps off your phone.
4. Poor lifestyle factors
Whilst stress may be inevitable, there are ways in which lifestyle contributes to the problem. Given that we are all time-poor, it’s easy to see how looking after our health can fall by the wayside as we:
Rely on caffeine and sugar to pick us up, and alcohol to wind down.
Scrimp on exercise because the To Do list wins that battle.
Make poor nutrition choices because you ‘deserve’ a treat given how hard you work.
Stay up past your bedtime because it’s the only moment of peace that you have.
Neglect enjoyable or rejuvenating self-care activities such as connecting with friends or going for a massage because there are other things that need to be done.
The reality is that these basic building blocks are extremely important when it comes to reducing stress as:
Exercise reduces stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol.
Sleep helps the body to repair and consolidates memory and learning, as well as helps with emotion regulation.
Connecting with others is helpful for reducing stress and increasing meaning in life.
So with that in mind, let’s turn our thoughts to how we can follow through with what we all know that we ‘should’ do…
Lifestyle TIPS TO REDUCE STRESS
Forget relying on being ‘in the mood’ or waiting for the ‘right time’. Instead, commit to just doing it.
Find your motivation - whether that’s being accountable to others, or thinking about how you will feel after looking after yourself, work out what works for you.
Go slow… practice mindfulness, get into nature, or start journalling - activities that require you to slow down mind and body will help with stress.
Commit to being consistent so that the habit eventually forms.
5. POOR COPING SKILLS REINFORCE STRESS
Stressful events are inevitable, but when we do nothing in response then we’re setting ourselves up for even poorer wellbeing and mental health. Avoiding dealing with the source of stress means the problem won’t be solved nor will it make things easier (in fact, it may even increase stress if you’re just postponing the inevitable).
Avoiding experiencing your emotions - say, by using alcohol to dull emotions, or shopping to avoid sadness - means you’ll rely on these coping skills time and time again. So what coping skills do we recommend?
TIPS FOR IMPROVING COPING SKILLS
Problem-focused coping: Skills that address the root cause
When you can address the source of the stress you also learn ways to prevent it from happening down the track. Coping skills that are included in here include:
Boundary-setting to avoid taking on too much.
Seeking support and guidance, for example from your manager (to help with job-specific stressors), your lecturer (for study-specific stressors) or psychologist (to help with mindset and lifestyle stressors).
Time management to help you prioritise and work on important items.
Establishing systems and processes as well as routines (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly) to reduce daily hassles, including meal prepping, setting up a morning routine, and using a planner to stay on top of things.
Emotion-focused coping: Skills to help you deal with all the feels…
At times it may not be possible to address the source of the stress, in which case emotion-focused coping skills help you to regulate strong emotions. Such coping skills include:
Exercise to help reduce stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline
Meditation and mindfulness help to decrease distress and calm the mind.
Self-soothing skills such as distress tolerance.
Journalling to help you process your thoughts and feelings (try this positive psychology journal).
Reframing/flipping the script - shifting an unhelpful mindset to ease distress.
WHAT SHOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT STRESS MANAGEMENT?
Given that stress is ever-present in modern life, before you start building your resilience toolkit, let’s look at some realities of managing stress:
Stress management is an ongoing process, not a set-and-forget approach. You will have to work on managing stress regularly.
What works to reduce your stress will change depending on your circumstances and stressors. Sometimes you will lean more on problem-focused coping, and at other times, emotion-focused coping.
You don’t have to manage stress alone. There is a vast amount of information out there, and it helps to lean on evidence-based sources, or seek out a professional.
Ready to start working on reducing stress? Book in for a tailored session with one of our team here, or explore our book Planet Burnout here.
References
Biggs, A., Brough, P., & Drummond, S. (2017). Lazarus and Folkman’s psychological stress and coping theory. In C.L. Cooper & J.C. Quick (eds.), The handbook of stress and health: A guide to research and practice (pp. 351-364). Wiley Blackwell: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118993811.ch21
Philp, M., Egan, S.J., & Kane, R. (2012). Perfectionism, over commitment to work, and burnout in employees seeking workplace counselling. Australian Journal of Psychology, 64, 68-74. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1742-9536.2011.00028.x
Burns, D. D. (1980). Feeling good: The new mood therapy. New York: New American Library.
Edelman, S. (2003). Change your thinking. ABC Books.
Williamson, A. M, Fayer, A. (2000). Moderate sleep deprivation produces impairments in cognitive and motor performance equivalent to legally prescribed levels of alcohol intoxication. Occupational Environmental Medicine, 57, 649 – 655. https://doi: 10.1136/oem.57.10.649
Ten Have M., De Graff, R., & Monshouwer K. (2011). Physical exercise in adults and mental health status findings from the Netherlands mental health survey and incidence study (NEMESIS). Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 71, 342-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2011.04.001
Endler, N.S., & Parker, J.D.A. (1990). Multidimensional assessment of coping: A critical evaluation. Personality Processes and Individual Differences, 58, 844-854. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.58.5.844
Public speaking anxiety at work: Tips to manage a common challenge
Public speaking anxiety holding you back at work? Step up to the next level with these tips to help you manage your anxiety.
STEPPING UP AT WORK: TIPS FOR OVERCOMING PUBLIC SPEAKING ANXIETY TO HELP YOUR CAREER
By Giulia Villa
What holds you back at work? Over your working life, there will inevitably be barriers and missed opportunities. At times, these barriers will be external – the work environment may not be suitable, or the workload unrealistic. At times, however, these barriers are internal – your mindset, skills, and habits get in the way of stepping up to the next level at work. Some examples of these include difficulties with being assertive at work and setting boundaries, managing procrastination, managing a team, or managing burnout. Another common internal barrier we often see – that touches so many areas of working life – is that of public speaking. In fact, public speaking is seen as an important skill in the workplace. However, a fear of public speaking – or glossophobia – is widespread, with estimates ranging from upwards of 20% to a whopping 75% of populations. How far-reaching is the impact of public speaking anxiety at work? Let’s look at some examples:
Ella, a high-achieving teacher, has been asked by the Department of Education to train a cohort of early-career teachers. In spite of her passion for educating the next generation of teachers, Ella is considering turning down the role because it involves public speaking – training large groups of teachers, giving regular progress updates to senior staff, and speaking at Department of Education conferences. At present, Ella copes with public speaking anxiety by preparing for hours to reduce the likelihood of making mistakes and ease her anxiety. She knows given the sheer number of sessions she will be delivering, it will not be possible to overprepare for each session whilst maintaining her usual teaching duties without experiencing burnout. Ella could turn down the position and keep her workload and anxiety more manageable, however she knows she will feel trapped remaining at her current level, without opportunity to progress.
Oliver was recently promoted to management level due to his excellent technical skills as an engineer. However, while he excelled at research, problem solving, and producing written deliverables, the director of his team has recently expressed concern at Oliver’s performance in his new role. Notably, Oliver has cancelled several meetings, preferring instead to communicate via email to avoid being put on the spot and to have time to plan what to say. Rather than delegate project work to the team and Oliver being the ‘face’ of the project, Oliver carries out the technical work himself and assigns more junior staff to present project updates and lead team calls. After a conversation with his director, understands he will struggle to progress in this workplace without tackling his avoidance of public speaking.
The situations faced by Ella and Oliver are just a few examples of how typically high-performing individuals may be held back by their fear or avoidance of public speaking in their workplace. Let’s break down public speaking anxiety a little further. In the DSM-5-TR (2022) public speaking anxiety is a specific subset of social anxiety. Key features of this type of anxiety include:
A fear of acting in a way or showing anxiety symptoms (e.g., blushing, trembling hands, excessive sweating) that will be embarrassing or lead others to negatively judge the speaker or the content of the presentation.
An avoidance of public speaking situations, or enduring these situations with fear and anxiety. Avoidance might crop up as frequent sick days, low involvement in work meetings, joining calls at the latest possible moment, or agreeing with everyone to avoid conflict.
The fear provoked by public speaking situations and the possibility of being judged negatively by others is intense and significantly impacts one’s functioning in their work and/or social life.
HOW PUBLIC SPEAKING anxiety HOLDS YOU BACK AT WORK
As we’ve seen in Ella and Oliver’s examples, there are many situations at work in which public speaking may have a negative impact and hold you back from succeeding in your career. Let’s take a closer look at some of these scenarios.
NETWORKING: A MINEFIELD FOR SOCIAL ANXIETY
Networking is often a highly dreaded activity for those with public speaking anxiety – in effect it’s being ‘on show’, making small talk in a work context, often in small groups. However, networking has become an essential component of success in our hyper-connected society – did you know over half of jobs are never publicly advertised? In 2016, LinkedIn reported that 70% of professionals starting a new role already had an existing connection at their company. The takeaway? You’ve got to meet groups of people and make connections so as to be at the forefront of people’s minds when upcoming jobs arise. Unfortunately, nerves about being on show in public can make the ever-important act of networking a nightmare and may lead you to connect online, to avoid unfamiliar people, or even to undersell yourself during in-person networking events. In any case, anxiety stops you from making the most of an important networking opportunity.
WORK MEETINGS
Speaking up in front of others – whether it’s the weekly check in around the meeting table, or your turn to give an update on a project – can feel extremely daunting to someone who dislikes public speaking. You may focus on all eyes being on you, and have spent the night before thinking about how exactly to present what you need to but minimise your time ‘on display’.
Post-pandemic flexible work arrangements may mean that many meetings now take place over video calls. For some, these online meetings may be even more anxiety-inducing than face-to-face meetings. You may feel more aware of being watched and of being negatively judged by others, and thus experience more pressure to perform well. Social anxiety can also lead to a greater focus on scrutinising one’s own onscreen image, thus amplifying self-consciousness. Additionally, brief moments of silence that feel natural in person may become accentuated and feel awkward in a video call.
DELIVERING PRESENTATIONS AND SALES PITCHES
If the idea of delivering a presentation to a client or even your own colleagues is enough to make your heartrate quicken, you may have developed ways to deal with this seemingly inevitable anxiety. For example, you may spend hours overpreparing like Ella. Or you may be so focused on getting the presentation over and done with, you don’t have much energy to put into designing the presentation itself. Then, of course, there is question time – a period where you don’t know what questions will be thrown at you.
A good presentation in a work setting boils down to how you design your presentation and the speaking techniques that you employ to deliver your message. Unfortunately, it can be incredibly challenging for someone with anxiety to simultaneously manage uncomfortable physical symptoms, quiet down unhelpful self-talk, remember the content, and remember how to deliver it, and have the presence of mind to adapt the presentation to the audience.
Public speaking anxiety might also affect your presentation by impacting:
Speech rate
Tone of voice
Posture and body language
Use of filler words
Use of visual materials
Engagement with the audience
Public speaking anxiety may hold you back from being able to recognise what style is most appropriate for your audience and situation, and also on helping you to handle unknown questions (as part of question time). This is where we can help – keep reading to find out how our team of counsellors and psychologists can help you manage anxiety and become a more confident public speaker in your workplace. We’ve helped students manage anxiety for their university presentations, helped doctors to present confidently in their clinical exams, helped teachers to present to peers and parents, and helped professionals develop networking and sales pitch skills. We enjoy helping people grow their skill set and their confidence.
tips for managing PUBLIC SPEAKING ANXIETY
Try the following tips for managing social anxiety at work:
TIP 1: LEARN TRIGGERS AND HABITS THAT MAINTAIN PUBLIC SPEAKING ANXIETY
What exactly is it about public speaking that causes you anxiety? Perhaps it’s the idea of drawing attention to yourself, or perhaps you’re worried about visibly freezing or sweating. Having a clear grasp on what causes and maintains your anxiety goes long way in developing a targeted action plan to reduce your fears.
TIP 2: DISMANTLE UNHELPFUL SELF-TALK THAT FUELS YOUR FEAR OF PUBLIC SPEAKING
Negative self-talk is a common thread underpinning public speaking anxiety. The ‘stories’ you tell yourself can increase your anxiety. For example, Ella might notice a senior staff member check their phone during one of her presentations. Self-talk along the lines of “I’m not doing enough to hold their attention, they can tell I’m inexperienced and underprepared” is likely to make Ella more nervous, possibly increasing her likelihood of making mistakes.
On the flipside, self-talk can also be a helpful tool to reduce anxiety and help you to feel more comfortable during your presentation. A more helpful thought for Ella in the above situation could therefore be, “They may be checking their phone as they could be expecting a call”. In this case, Ella would feel less nervous and better able to continue with her presentation as planned.
TIP 3: FINE-TUNE YOUR PRESENTATION STYLE
We all have a different idea of what it means to be a good public speaker. Presenter ‘personas’ can vary widely across people, furthermore different types of speeches require different styles and components – presenting a sales pitch marketing muesli requires a different approach to delivering a lecture on research developments in biotech. By clarifying your goal – for example, who is your target audience (Formal? Informal?), what are you trying to achieve (Sell a product? Disseminate information?) – you have a clearer idea of how to shape your message and design an effective presentation. By having confidence in your materials and your messaging, you will also feel more comfortable in delivering!
TIP 4: GET EXPERIMENTING
Running ‘experiments’ on yourself is a great way to challenge pesky thoughts and fears that are standing in the way of your career success. Thoughts aren’t exactly the most reliable source of information when it comes to public speaking – fears that ‘everyone will laugh at me’ or ‘if I stumble over my words I’ll get fired’ can disproportionately dial up your anxiety to the point of interfering with your presentation.
In order to move past your fears try setting up small behavioural experiments to test how true these predictions are. The next time you are asked to speak in front of others, perhaps intentionally slip in a small mistake. Carefully notice the reaction of your audience – does it fit with your predictions? This testing can help you to determine whether the evidence fits with what you’ve been telling yourself.
If you’re interested in a tailored approach to dismantling your public speaking anxiety at work, check out our Speaking Volumes course. Over six weeks (allowing for time to practice your new skills in between sessions), you will work individually with one of our clinicians through an evidence-based, practical approach, to reduce public speaking anxiety and provide you with the skills and tools you need to succeed in the workplace.
Speaking Volumes, our 6-week course to help with public speaking anxiety covering how to improve your presentations skills as well as anxiety management skills (cognitive restructuring, exposure therapy). This course is based on CBT and social skills training.
REFERENCES
Aderka, I.M., Hofmann, S.G., Nickerson, A., Hermesh, H., Gilboa-Schechtman, E., & Marom, S. (2012). Functional impairment in social anxiety disorder. Jounral of Anxiety Disorders, 26, 393-400. Doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2012.01.003
American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text revision). American Psychiatric Association Publishing.
Blöte, A. W., Kint, M. J. W., Miers, A. C., & Westenberg, P. M. (2009). The relation between public speaking anxiety and social anxiety: A review. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 23(3), 305–313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2008.11.007
Ebrahimi, O. V., Pallesen, S., Kenter, R. M. F., & Nordgreen, T. (2019). Psychological Interventions for the Fear of Public Speaking: A Meta-Analysis. Frontiers in psychology, 10, 488. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00488
Martin-Lynch, P., Correia, H., & Cunningham, C. (2016). Public speaking anxiety: The S.A.D. implications for students, transition, achievement, success and retention. In: Students Transitions Achievement Retention & Success (STARS) Conference 2016, 29 June - 2 July 2016, Perth, Western Australia. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/39766/1/SAD.pdf
Vriends, N., Meral, Y., Bargas-Avila, J.A., Stadler, C., & Bogels, S.M. (2017). How do I look? Self-focused attention during a video chat of women with social anxiety (disorder). Behaviour Research and Therapy, 92, 77-86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2017.02.008.
Social anxiety at work: How social anxiety affects your performance
What is it like showing up at work when you live with social anxiety? In this article we dive into tips to help you better manage social anxiety in the workplace.
How social anxiety AFFECTS work
By Giulia Villa and Joyce Chong
Living with social anxiety can be challenging, particularly in the workplace. Even if your job seemingly does not involve much social interaction (for example, working with computers, in data entry, as an author, or as an artist) when you dig a bit deeper it’s surprising how many social interactions are involved in performing your role. These situations include speaking to colleagues and managers, speaking up in meetings, giving a presentation, even being ‘put on the spot’ and asked for your opinion. Other roles may involve a greater social component including networking, client contact, and pitching projects. Indeed, social anxiety can be quite debilitating in the workplace. Let’s take a look at a few examples:
Will is an engineer who wishes to become a manager and lead interesting projects within the organisation. However, a major obstacle is Will’s social anxiety and his worries that others think that he is incompetent. His social anxiety stops him from sharing ideas in a meeting, giving project updates, and networking at industry events to build industry connections. Will’s fears lead to excessive preparation in relation to reading up and fact-checking, on rehearsing what he is going to say, and on anticipating how others may react. Needless to say, this increased workload - and mental load - has brought Will close to burnout a number of times, and he sees that if he were less concerned about what others think that he could be more productive and less overwhelmed.
Ali believes that social anxiety has led to a ‘failure to launch’ in their career as an accountant. Having lived with social anxiety for decades, they’ve found many ways to minimise their social anxiety through avoidance. Ali avoids the lunchroom to reduce the likelihood of making small talk, agrees with others’ opinions just to avoid conflict, and is unable to set boundaries regarding their workload. Ali does not apply for jobs that require interviews, instead working for family friends who sought them out because that way they know they’re good enough to be wanted in the workplace. In fact, Ali rationalises their way out of applying for promotions because this would involve an interview as well as potential rejection. Even if Ali were to be successful, it would then mean meeting new people (and facing the possibility of additional rejection). an element of public speaking, they avoid the lunchroom in case small talk arises, and agrees with others’ opinions at work just to avoid conflict. Ali is also unable to set boundaries at work and as a result feels taken advantage of, as well as feeling overwhelmed.
Ali and Will are not alone. Let’s dive deeper into situations at work that can be challenging for those experiencing social anxiety (see below):
What is social anxiety?
According to the DSM-5-TR (2022), some core features of social anxiety include:
* Significant anxiety regarding social situations wherein one may be scrutinised by others, with a fear of acting or behaving in a way that will lead to being negatively evaluated.
* The fear or distress is persistent, out of proportion to the situation, and interferes with functioning (e.g. occupational, social).
* These social situations are avoided, or endured with intense anxiety. Avoidance of social situations may be quite common in the form of sick days, ‘alternate appointments’ occurring at the same time as feared situations (e.g. work meetings), or even in subtler ways such as choosing to transact via emails rather than face to face, or attending a meeting but ‘hiding behind’ a more outgoing colleague.
* Social anxiety may also be specific to performance situations (e.g. musicians, athletes, public speaking).
stressful workplace situations for social anxiety
Various workplace situations that present difficulties for those with social anxiety. Indeed, it is unsurprising that social anxiety is linked to increased absenteeism (for example, calling in sick on training- or team-building days) and declining promotions or opportunities because they involve a greater degree of social interaction. Such situations include:
Small talk and networking: A minefield for social anxiety
In situations of small talk and networking, whilst there may be common ground (e.g. the workplace) or a common goal (networking and promoting your organisation), the initial exchange of social pleasantries may include talking about a wide range of topics - the weather, holidays, current affairs, entertainment, travel… the possibilities are endless. Navigating the transition from making small-talk to focusing on work-related discussions can also be a source of stress.
work meetings
Work meetings are also often a source of anxiety. In addition to making small talk with colleagues prior to the start of the meeting, once the meeting commences you may be called upon to provide an update on your projects or asked your thoughts on a work issue. Cue all eyes on you and being the focus of attention, and being ‘put on the spot’. These situations can seem highly intimidating, and often those with social anxiety may miss meetings altogether, or opt to dial in remotely (with their camera off so they can sit silently in the background).
Public speaking, giving presentations, and being observed
In our work with individuals with social anxiety, public speaking is easily one of the most dreaded scenarios. In fact, public speaking is a very common fear - and not just for those experiencing social anxiety. Avoidance of giving talks and presentations is very common in individuals experiencing social anxiety. To learn more about public speaking anxiety in the workplace, read our article and find out how you can helps your fears.
Another workplace concern is that of being observed, particularly by supervisors and managers but also more junior colleagues (or even students on placement), where you are required to demonstrate competency in a skill. This can impact a wide range of professions including those in healthcare, hospitality, education, and performance.
Talking to managers and authority figures
Talking to managers and authority figures can be extremely daunting for those experiencing social anxiety. Each interaction with someone who is in a position to assess your work is seen as potential for scrutiny, and common unhelpful thinking styles that dial up anxiety in these interactions include mind-reading (assuming that your manager thinks poorly of you) and catastrophising (worrying that saying something incorrect will lead to criticism and punishment down the track). Performance reviews are likely to further exacerbate anxiety.
Job interviews
Job interviews may be avoided by those with social anxiety for several reasons. This is a scenario where the goal is to convince someone (and often, a panel of interviewers) that you are ‘good enough’ for the position. Sources of stress in job interviews typically include being asked unexpected questions, crafting a response that answers their question, monitoring non-verbal responses (for example, tone of voice, use of fillers, what to do with your hands), and speaking about your strengths and experiences.
tips for managing social anxiety at work
Try the following tips for managing social anxiety at work:
Tip 1: Flip the script on your socially-anxious thoughts
A fear of social situations can trigger a host of unhelpful thoughts and assumptions:
“I can’t give the presentation, it’ll be disastrous.”
“They think I’m incompetent.”
“I’ll make a fool of myself.”
“They’ll see my anxiety leaking out and I’ll look weak.”
These thoughts are often exaggerated or even untrue, and it’s when you flip the script on these thoughts that you reduce your anxiety. Helpful questions to ask yourself include whether your thoughts are realistic and proportionate), and whether you are able to cope with a negative situation should it arise.
Tip 2: Avoid your avoidance of social situations
Whilst avoidance leads you to feel better in the moment, in the longer term it reinforces your fear of the situation. Instead, face your fears gradually through setting small exposure tasks. Start with making a conversation about someone’s weekend, or by briefly drawing attention to yourself by clearing your throat.
Tip 3: Build a set of social skills for work
Often social anxiety can be exacerbated when you don’t have a set of skills to cope with social situations. Skills such as making small talk, networking, attending job interviews, being assertive and setting boundaries, and public speaking, are some examples of skills to develop so that you can build up your confidence to navigate your workplace.
Hopefully the above tips will help you to better manage social anxiety in the workplace. If you’d like a more tailored approach you can book in with one of our team by contacting us (click on button below). Alternatively, you can look into our Social Set or Speaking Volumes courses:
Social Set, our 8-week course to help you better manage social anxiety. Social Set focuses on building four sets of skills for social anxiety - skills to improve your mindset, skills to help your body’s anxious response, social skills across a range of situations, and skills to help you set the scene for success in real life through exposure therapy. It is based on CBT and Social Skills Training.
Speaking Volumes, our 6-week course to help with public speaking anxiety covering how to improve your presentations skills as well as anxiety management skills (cognitive restructuring, exposure therapy). This course is based on CBT and social skills training.
REFERENCES
Aderka, I.M., Hofmann, S.G., Nickerson, A., Hermesh, H., Gilboa-Schechtman, E., & Marom, S. (2012). Functional impairment in social anxiety disorder. Jounral of Anxiety Disorders, 26, 393-400. Doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2012.01.003
American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text revision). American Psychiatric Association Publishing.
Hidalgo, R.B., Barnett, S.D., & Davidson, J.R.T. (2001). Social anxiety disorder in review: Two decades of progress. International Journa. of Neuropsychopharmacology, 4, 279-298.
Hofmann, S.G. (2007). Cognitive factors that maintain social anxiety disorder: a comprehensive model and its treatment implications. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 38, 193-209.
Hofmann, S. G., & Otto, M. W. (2017). Cognitive behavioral therapy for social anxiety disorder: Evidence-based and disorder-specific treatment techniques. Routledge.
Mendlowicz, M. V., & Stein, M. B. (2000). Quality of life in individuals with anxiety disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 157, 669-682.
Moitra, E., Beard, C., Weisberg, R.B., & Keller, M.B. (2011). Occupational impairment and social anxiety disorder in a sample of primary care patients. Journal of Affective Disorders, 130, doi:10.1016/j.jad.2010.09.024
Stein, M. B., & Kean, Y. M. (2000). Disability and quality of life in social phobia: epidemiologic findings. American Journal of Psychiatry, 157, 1606-1613.
Zhang, I.Y., Powell, D.M., & Bonaccio, S. (2022). The role of fear of negative evaluation in interview anxiety and social-evaluative workplace anxiety. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 30, 302-310. doi.org/10.1111/ijsa.12365
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