How to Effectively Handle Anxiety Part 2

In Part 1 of my blog on anxiety, I introduced Barbara, a project manager who struggles with that emotion. She worries about deadlines and risks a great deal. How does Barbara successfully use her anxiety to assess her beliefs and practices to minimize the potential risks in managing her project?

First, Barbara asked herself, “Would I benefit from changing my beliefs about what is and is not a risk in this situation?” 

Barbara analyzed her “what ifs” to determine how valid her beliefs were about the risks involved and the probability of losing her credibility with her boss, as well as her self-respect. She calmed down when we realized that her team always comes through on the deadlines, even if it is in a flurry of last-minute activity.  However, she also saw that her credibility with her boss could be at risk should a missed deadline occur.

Then, Barbara considered her practices. To do this, she asked herself:  “Would I benefit from changing my practices for mitigating this risk?”

While she wrote in her journal, Barbara saw that she was not communicating as often as she might with her team members and her boss. She realized that she could put the energy she spent worrying into checking in with her team members about their priorities, any issues they anticipated interfering with the on-time completion of the project and encouraging them along the way. She could also update her boss more frequently and demonstrate that she was on top of things.

In the next and last blog about anxiety, I will discuss how considering priorities and place can strengthen your ability to use challenging emotions constructively. Stay tuned…

-Andrea Zintz, Career Coach