What is Productivity Anxiety?

Anxiety refers to the constant feeling of worry, fear, and uneasiness due to stress. Psychological and physical stress affects productivity and the ability to rationalize situations.

Productivity anxiety is prevalent in Dubai due to the irrational and self-imposed threshold of becoming productive in personal, academic, and professional life. Individuals who constantly feel guilty for inadequate performance are suffering from productivity anxiety.

Symptoms of Productivity Anxiety

Anxiety deteriorates physical and mental health. Therefore, individuals should remain mindful of their feelings and take the necessary steps to enhance their overall performance. The awareness of the symptoms that correlate with productivity anxiety helps the person to take steps to improve mental health and social relationships. The productivity anxiety symptoms are:

• Guilt for Resting: The person remains conscious and guilty while sleeping. The person cannot take time out from their work life to engage in fun activities, spend time with friends, or travel. The unrealistic and self-imposed precedents cause the individual to remain anxious while resting, leading to guilt. It eventually affects personal and professional relationships.
• Competition with Others: The individual compares and competes with friends and family members. The comparison with others regarding their goals causes anxiety. The person remains agitated and feels unworthy, which affects their mental health and performance.
• Setting Unrealistic Goals: The person requires time, energy, strategies, and skills to achieve the goals. The unrealistic approach toward achieving success in no time causes a sense of dissatisfaction and anxiety.
• Discontentment: The person has no sense of contentment after achieving short-term or long-term goals. The individual remains critical of the accomplishments and feels they could do better, which affects their overall functioning.
• Need Acknowledgement and Validation: The person feels that their work determines their value. The individual will work just for praise and acknowledgment. The individual is well-aware of compromising family time; however, they fail to maintain a balance between personal and professional life.
• Want to be in Control: The person knowingly engages in activities that help them have control. The sense of control causes them to let go of better professional opportunities.

Effective Ways to Cope with Productivity Anxiety

An anxiety attack can affect the physiological and psychological functioning of an individual. Thus, it is essential to choose effective ways to deal with productivity anxiety; such as:

• Create Balance: Stress positively correlates with low productivity and self-esteem. Thus, the person must understand the need for rest and quality sleep to create a balance between personal; and professional life. High energy levels in the morning help achieve goals and have a sense of contentment.
• Set Realistic Goals: People should invest time in making a timeline to become successful in achieving goals.
• Self-Reflection: The introspection of feelings helps the individual understand their irrational need to become productive in every situation. Thus, it is essential to take time and self-reflect on the goals and reinforce themselves for achieving the short-term and long-term goals.
• Seek Professional Help: Productivity anxiety can affect the social, personal and professional life. Thus, individuals who fail to create a balance and become content should consult a psychologist. The therapy will help the individual rationalize their feelings and change their behavior. You can find professional psychologists on fitcyhealth.com