Source: Unsplash/Desola Lanre-Ologun
Various thinking patterns associated with anxiety can hamper your productivity. When you understand these, you can adjust.
1. Don’t let negative expectations prevent you from trying simple solutions that might work.
Anxious people tend to have negative expectations. They may anticipate that something bad will happen or that nothing will change (they won’t achieve their goal). This mindset can lead worriers to hesitate and avoid taking action.
If there is a simple option that might work, even if you don’t expect it to, try it.
For example, I completed a form yesterday. The instructions said to send it via postal mail, but an email address was also listed. I emailed the form. What happened? I got a reply that said I needed to mail it. However, since the email took 30 seconds, it was worth trying.
In these scenarios, I use estimation. The email took about 10 percent of the time to prepare an envelope. Therefore, if there was more than a 10 percent chance they’d accept it via email, it was worth trying. Develop a similar rule for yourself to decide when to quickly try a simple solution that might work, even if it’s not guaranteed. Sometimes trying a solution that you estimate is less than 50 percent likely to work is worth it, provided doing so is easy compared to your other options.
2. Don’t let low self-worth make you overlook your uncommon strengths and knowledge.
Anxious people often don’t recognize their strengths as strengths. If they have knowledge or skills, they assume most other people have the same knowledge or skills. This mindset can prevent them from recognizing valuable ways they can contribute. Don’t hold back your contributions. It feels good to contribute and it builds relationships.
Actively look for opportunities to contribute your knowledge or skills. If it doesn’t come naturally, develop a routine that will help make this a habit for you. For example, a habit of speaking at least once in a particular weekly meeting.
3. Don’t assume conversations will be awkward.
This point is a variation on point #1, but it’s important enough to call out on its own. Anxious people often hold back due to social concerns. We all want to avoid severely negative interactions and consequences. Anxious people also want to avoid milder negative experiences, like awkwardness.
A key reason for this is that anxious people often find that anticipating or experiencing mildly negative interactions causes them to ruminate. This rumination can turn a mildly negative experience into one that feels much worse. This intensification triggers the desire to avoid these mild experiences at all costs.
To change this pattern, don’t assume any conversation will be awkward. For example, don’t assume bringing up a minor problem, talking to someone you haven’t spoken to recently, asking to change a plan, asking for advice, or voicing a new idea will be awkward. The conversation might be awkward, or it might not be, but try approaching it with an open mind. Treat it as an experiment. Remind yourself you can’t anticipate the result of social interactions with certainty, but you can handle whatever happens.
By acting without overthinking, you’ll avoid unnecessary preparation for outcomes that might not happen and open yourself up to pleasant surprises.
If choosing your actions feels heavy, even in minor situations, playfully remind yourself you’re not an oracle who can predict the future.
By removing these common roadblocks to productivity, you’ll enable yourself to get more done with less emotional load. You’ll feel better, have more open and smoother relationships, increase your skills at handling difficult situations through practice, and ruminate less.