(Article) 8 Ways Anxiety Shows Up When You Have A Toxic Boss
1. You have stomachaches, chest tightness, breathing changes and other physical symptoms when thinking about your boss.
“We spend a lot of time at work, so having a toxic boss in your life can result in various physical signs of anxiety such as stomachaches, fatigue or your chest feeling heavy,” Garcia said. “People’s breathing patterns will change when they are coming into work or when they’re in front of the boss, because they’re feeling that sense of anxiety,” said Adriana Alejandre, a California-based licensed marriage and family therapist and founder of Latinx Therapy in Burbank.
2. You feel increasingly alienated from your co-workers and isolated at work.
When you have a toxic boss that is equally horrible to everyone on the team, that can sometimes inspire solidarity in the group.
3. You frequently feel on edge and irritable.
If you find that every little thing at work now has the power to set you off, it could be traced back to how your boss is making you feel. The people you love could be getting the brunt of your irritability, because we tend to show less favorable feelings and behaviors to those we’re more comfortable with, Alejandre said.
4. You wake up dreading the work day, and it makes you unable to sleep at night, too.
If good days or bad days are measured by how much you’ll see your boss at work, it is a warning sign you should not ignore.
5. You avoid your boss and the tasks they ask of you.
Avoidance is another way anxiety can manifest, Garcia said. “With a toxic boss, you may notice that you put off asking them a question you’re needing answered for work,” she explained. “You may take a different route to avoid going past their office. If an email comes in from them, your anxiety heightens.” You may find yourself choosing your words extremely carefully and speaking up less in meetings out of fear that they will lash out at you.
6. You become more distracted and forgetful.
Having a toxic boss takes over your brain and makes it harder to focus on doing your actual job.
7. You lose interest in things that used to matter to you.
Feeling increasingly disengaged in the world around you is a big red flag for how your toxic boss is worsening your psyche. It also has long-term health implications.
8. You feel burnout.
“You spend so much time worried that it drains all your energy,” Ranger said. “Your work will suffer because you can’t get comfortable, you can’t feel secure in this position.”
How to address your toxic boss-related anxiety
If these signs of anxiety are resonating too much, there are ways to mitigate a toxic boss’ influence over your life and cope until you find a solution.
Understand where your boss is coming from. Toxic bosses can chip away at your self-worth, which is why it’s important to remember that your boss’ behavior is not because of you. “You are a human being who is worthy of decency and respect, and the fact that this person is not giving it to you is not because of something [that] is intrinsic to you. It’s about something that is going on with them,” Ranger said.
Lean on your network for gut checks and support. “You have to have people you can commiserate with and people who will be like ‘Alright, let’s stop talking about that terrible place, and let’s do something positive,’” Ranger said.
Create time for respite and joy. Garcia said it is important to find ways to make your workday more enjoyable despite your toxic boss. “Try to form relationships with your coworkers. If it’s allowed, leave the building for lunch even to just sit in your car. Take time off,” she said.
Quit. If moving to a different boss is not possible, and asking for help has not been helpful, it may be time to plan your exit strategy from your company.
Read the complete article available at Huffington Post!
Reflection:
What other ways do you think anxiety shows up with a toxic boss?
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@comfortableNight4463
Great Article!
@LunaHere I'm so glad you liked it!
