An INTERVIEW: LARINA KASE, author of ANXIOUS 9 to 5

New Harbinger Publications: There is a common misconception that anxiety and stress at work are the same thing. Why is this untrue, and why is the difference important?

Larina Kase: While there is a good degree of overlap, there are differences between stress and anxiety. Stress is a feeling of being overwhelmed, overworked, and overtaxed. In the workplace, it can result from having too many projects and deadlines. The best way to handle stress in the workplace is to reduce it with strategies like delegating and assertively making requests for assistance.

Anxiety, on the other hand, is a feeling of fear, apprehension, dread, or worry. The best way to handle anxiety, in contrast, is to experience it. We must face our fears to overcome them. This means that if someone’s afraid of speaking up in a meeting, she must get experience doing so. So, while it’s a good idea to reduce stress, it’s a good idea to increase anxiety because anxiety will initially go up (when we confront our fears) before it comes down.
NHP: What are some of the biggest problems caused by workplace anxiety?

LK: When people are nervous about their work, they may be in a bad mood after their workday or the night before going into work. An anxious mood of course doesn’t feel good and it can negatively affect relationships, sleep, and other important activities.

When people are anxious they may spend longer trying to complete their work well or checking over things because they doubt themselves. Perhaps the biggest problem is that workplace anxiety undermines confidence, and when you’re less confident, you’re unlikely to push yourself, take risks, and go after intimidating career opportunities.

NHP: In ANXIOUS 9 to 5 you say that stress causes workaholism and workaholism causes stress. Could you explain how this works?

LK: If someone experiences financial stress, for example, and worries about paying the bills and mortgage, she may work extra hard, thereby becoming a workaholic. Likewise if someone has a demanding work environment, he may work many hours, becoming a workaholic, to be sure he doesn’t lose his job.

On the other hand if someone is a workaholic, they’re probably going to create stress in their lives. Without time for relaxation and enjoyable activities, stress will build. When you’re always working, your relationships may suffer and increased stress results.

NHP: What are the most common causes of procrastination and getting behind at work?

LK: A major cause of procrastination is avoidance due to anxiety. One way this shows up is perfectionism. When you feel like you need to do something perfectly, you’re more likely to put it off until you find just the right time and enough time to accomplish it to your standards. Sometimes perfectionists don’t put something off but it takes so long to complete that they get behind on other projects. Avoidance also occurs when you’re nervous about something (like giving a presentation, meeting with your boss, or submitting a report) so you put it off.

NHP: What do you recommend to people who are nervous about socializing with coworkers, giving presentations, or speaking up in meetings?

LK: Social anxiety at work is extremely common because you want to impress others to succeed in your job. People try very hard to present themselves really well. Unfortunately, trying very hard can backfire on you. If you’re analyzing yourself to be sure you come across well in front of others, you’ll be more focused on yourself, and therefore more self-conscious and anxious. The best advice is to keep focused on external factors. If you’re speaking with someone, concentrate on what they’re saying. If you’re giving a presentation, focus on the important meaning of the message you’re delivering rather than on how you look while you deliver it. If you’re in a meeting, pay attention to what’s going on and respond naturally and spontaneously rather than carefully planning exactly what you’ll say.

NHP: What is the biggest fear that holds people back from having highly successful careers or businesses?

LK: There are many, but one of the biggest is the fear of failure. If we are afraid of failing, we are less willing to try something. As a result, we don’t learn that we are unlikely to fail, and that even if we did, it may not be disastrous. Most of my clients who are extremely successful entrepreneurs and executives say that they failed numerous times, and they attribute their success to having failed. They used the failure experiences to learn important lessons, ignite their passions, and stimulate new ideas.

NHP: How do people get control over worry about work? Similarly, what are some tricks for getting to sleep at night when you’re worried about work?

LK: Allowing yourself to worry can actually be helpful. As strange as this sounds people often worry more because they’re trying so hard not to worry. Sleeping difficulties work this same way: we stay up at night because we’re telling ourselves to sleep. I recommend that people take some time at least a couple hours before bed to anticipate any concerns that may pop up when their head hits the pillow, write them down, and work through them on paper. This helps you to use worries productively and to fall asleep when you get into bed.

NHP: What are four steps to building confidence and beating on-the-job anxiety?

LK: The first step is totake a risk and try something new, such as offering to give a presentation, promoting your work, asking for a raise, or leading a team project.

Do it to the best of your ability without putting pressure on yourself to be perfect.

You should recognize your accomplishment and reward yourself for having done something difficult- regardless of the outcome that occurred.

Lastly, you can attempt something that is potentially rewarding again, remembering that you did it before and you can do it again.

NHP: What are some worries and types of anxiety common to small business owners and entrepreneurs?

LK: I work with a lot of business owners and entrepreneurs, and almost all of them are afraid that they won’t be able to effectively market their business, sell their products or services, and support themselves and their families.

Many new business owners worry that it is extremely risky. People think that entrepreneurship is very risky but I say that it’s actually much less risky than a job. When you have a job, you have one job (so if you lose it, you don’t have a job). Whereas when you have a business, you have tens, hundreds, or thousands of clients or customers. If you lose one, you still have many. While entrepreneurship can in fact be risky (many small businesses end up closing), there are great things you can do to prepare and execute effectively.

The other common anxiety that small business owners face is never feeling like they’ve done enough. Whereas many jobs end at 5 or 6pm, your business never really leaves you. This is why so many entrepreneurs become workaholics and get more anxious and stressed out.