Swindon Mindful Employer Network Anxiety: what employers need to know Tuesday 6 March DoubleTree by Hilton Swindon
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 Status Certainty Autonomy Relatedness Fairness being negatively judged, feeling put down, belittled not knowing, lack of clarity, uncertainty lack of control, being controlled, not having a say Not belonging, feeling isolated, not part of the team, not liked, misunderstood Inequality, lack of recognition, lack of clear boundaries
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 information email: melanie@ukcpd.net website: www.ukcpd.net Email if you would like details of our next Anxiety Workshop
Swindon Mindful Employer Network Next event: Resilience: Rising to the Challenge Tuesday 22 nd May WRc Plc, Blagrove, Swindon
Swindon Mindful Employer Network Coffee Break