Anxiety:what employers need to know

Tuesday 6 March

DoubleTree by Hilton Swindon

Swindon Mindful Employer Network

Swindon Mindful Employer Network

ANXIETY – WHAT EMPLOYERS NEED TO KNOW

MELANIE RICHENS

THE PLAN FOR THIS MORNING

Why worry about anxiety – the statistics

What is anxiety?

What triggers anxiety

How to manage to avoid triggering anxiety

Practical strategies for dealing with

anxiety in self and others

Q & A

WHY SHOULD WE WORRY ABOUT ANXIETY?

Let’s see what you already know…

Introduce yourselves to each other and

if you already know, share what you

would like to get from today

There is a sheet of questions on each table

pool your resources and answer them as

a table

SO WHAT IS ANXIETY?

People experiencing anxiety are… highly focussed on what

could go wrong in the future, convinced it will happen and

then highly focussed on their own bodily reactions which

are seen as evidence that something is wrong or will go

wrong – these biases lead to a vicious cycle of fear and

apprehension that can seem difficult to escape from.

ANXIETY IS NOT THE SAME AS FEAR

Fear is a response to a

real or perceived

immediate threat;

Anxiety is the

expectation of future

threat.

IT’S A NATURAL PROCESS

Anxiety and the FIGHT OR FLIGHT response

Breathing more rapid – to get more oxygen in the blood

Heartbeat speeds up – to get the blood to the muscles

Blood diverted from the brain (makes us light headed & dizzy) and the stomach (causing “butterflies”)

Energy cannot be wasted digesting food in our system so we seek to get rid of it quickly – either through the mouth (feelings of nausea) or the other end (wanting to go to the toilet)

Other “energy wasting systems are shut down – e.g saliva

We sweat more to cool down all this energy production

The energy boost to the muscles makes them jumpy, jittery, jelly-like, on edge, and ready for action

IF IT WAS HAPPENING NOW –YOU’D DEAL WITH IT

THE ANXIETY TIMELINE

THE 5 MAIN

TRIGGERS

David Rock (2008)

THE SCARF MODEL

• being negatively judged, feeling put down, belittledStatus Status

• not knowing, lack of clarity, uncertaintyCertaintyCertainty

• lack of control, being controlled, not having a sayAutonomy Autonomy

• Not belonging, feeling isolated, not part of the team, not liked, misunderstoodRelatednessRelatedness

• Inequality, lack of recognition, lack of clear boundariesFairnessFairness

INADVERTENTLY CREATING ANXIETY

Sometimes anxiety can be provoked despite

having the best of intentions…

Watch the video – see if you can identify how

the manager is potentially triggering anxiety in

the team member. There are examples of each

of the 5 triggers.

SHARE WHAT YOU NOTICED

SOME PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS

By considering the SCARF triggers you will be:

Reducing the chances of creating anxiety

Creating a win-win situation – instead of cortisol and adrenaline,

“reward” hormones will be released instead

Endorphins – feel good

Dopamine – feeling of accomplishment when we are achieving goals

Seratonin – pride, feeling valued, recognition

Oxytocin – belonging, feeling loved

“Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress. Working hard for something we love is called passion”

Simon Sinek

STATUS

When making changes – consider the (often subtle) factors

impacting individuals’ perceived status

Provide opportunities for learning and development – and

recognise it when it happens

Consider how feedback is given – “You’re not doing a good

job” versus “This project is not hitting its objectives”

Be mindful that for some people raising status can also

trigger a negative response

CERTAINTY

Communicate plans and strategies

Make things explicit (everyone’s obvious is different)

Provide “pockets” of certainty even in uncertain times

AUTONOMY

Don’t micromanage

Working in a team naturally results in a reduction of

autonomy – this threat can be neutralised by increase in

status, certainty and relatedness

Adopt a coaching approach – encourage employees to come

up with solutions

RELATEDNESS

Welcome new team members – generate feeling of

belonging

Provide team members with the opportunity to get to know

one another

Use formal buddy, mentor and/or coaching programmes to

foster connections

FAIRNESS

Provide increased transparency

Establish clear expectations and ground rules

Provide a perception of fairness by sharing the burden

NOW LET’S LOOK AT ANXIETY ITSELF

PUTTING IT SIMPLY…

Think an anxious thought (Pictures & Sounds)

Feel an anxious feeling

Behave in an anxious way

STRATEGIES FOR BREAKING THE ANXIETY CYCLE

Change the internal representation (pictures & sounds)

Challenge the generalisations

Change the feelings/state

Change the internal dialogue (slow it down)

CHANGING STATE

Move your body

7-11 breathing

CHANGE THE

INTERNAL

DIALOGUE

Slow it down…

CHALLENGE THE THINKING

Is the thought true? Can you absolutely know it?

How do you react, what happens, when you believe

that thought?

Who would you be without the thought?

What would the opposite be?

Find evidence to support the

opposite

FINAL ADVICE

Know your own triggers

Practise strategies for managing your state at the first sign of

anxiety

Know your colleagues – what are their triggers?

Manage with the SCARF model in mind

THE GOOD NEWS – ANXIETY REQUIRES A

PARTICULARLY USEFUL SET OF SKILLS

Would you hire someone with these skills and abilities:

Good at listening to own internal dialogue (can self-coach)

Can use past experience to predict future outcomes

Can “mind read” what others are thinking

Able to generalise from one experience to many

Has the courage of his/her own convictions – when the mind is made up he/she is focussed on the outcome

Has a good imagination – can visualise the future

Is great at assessing risk

QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION

Any questions?

What one thing will you apply / do differently?

If you would like any more informationemail: melanie@ukcpd.netwebsite: www.ukcpd.net

Email if you would like details of ournext Anxiety Workshop

Next event:

Resilience:Rising to the Challenge

Tuesday 22nd May

WRc Plc, Blagrove, Swindon

Swindon Mindful Employer Network

Coffee Break

Swindon Mindful Employer Network