I’m no stranger to anxiety.
That feeling where your world starts to shrink, your heart races, nausea creeps in, and you’re suddenly lightheaded, like you’ve left your own body. Some people liken it to having a heart attack. For me, it felt like losing complete control. Pure fear gripped every part of me.
This happened every single day on my way to work. I’d be on the train, and the panic would hit so hard I’d have to get off every few stops just to catch my breath. Then I’d board the next train, only for it to happen all over again. It was exhausting. It was terrifying. It was daily.
And then I’d walk into the office with a smile, pretending everything was fine. On the inside, I was already running on empty, my body was in survival mode before I’d even opened my laptop.
I know I’m not alone in this.
I’ve been running my coaching business for seven years, working 1:1 with professionals and speaking inside organisations, and nearly every single client I’ve worked with has experienced some form of anxiety at work. Whenever I share this story at events, I see the nods, the sighs of recognition, and the quiet relief: “Oh… It’s not just me.”
And here’s the thing: it doesn’t matter if you’re a high-performing professional or leading a team, anxiety doesn’t care. It can chip away at your confidence, your performance, and your relationships (at work and beyond), often without you even realising it.
So, let’s talk about 7 ways anxiety might be impacting your work, ESPECIALLY if you’re high-functioning, successful, and on paper, “doing fine.”.
1. Paralysis By Analysis aka Can’t Make A Decision
Ever tried to make a decision when you’re panicked? When a hundred what-ifs are racing through your head?
It doesn’t work out well.
When you’re anxious, even the smallest decision can feel torturous, fuelled by fear of getting it wrong, fear of regret, and perfectionism. You second-guess everything, or worse, make a rushed choice just to escape the discomfort. Either way, anxiety hijacks your clarity and confidence.
2. Overworking to Compensate
Work becomes your coping mechanism.
You keep busy to avoid the thoughts. You chase productivity to feel in control. You silence the anxiety by never stopping, until it catches up with you when you’re trying to sleep, spend time with family, or (God forbid) go on holiday.
Overworking isn’t ambition. Sometimes, it’s just anxiety in a really convincing disguise.
3. Avoiding Conflict or Feedback
Okay, picture this. You’re already in the fight or flight response, you’re seeing assassins in the dark… and then someone tries to give you feedback.
Regardless of the context, it’s hard to hear it that way.
It’s a threat to you, your career, your ability to pay your bills… All the what-ifs.
And even though there is a part of you that knows it’s not the case, you can’t seem to shut the voices up.
When you’re anxious, feedback doesn’t feel constructive; it feels like life or death.
Now… conflict. Some people can run into conflict confidently, demanding what they want when they’re anxious. Others can completely avoid it.
Whether they don’t want to rock the boat, or they simply don’t have the capacity (aka the fight in them), for that conversation. So you let things slide, you placate, you say yes to things because it’s easier than being questioned if you say no…
And inevitably, you can end up feeling used and more overwhelmed. But anxiety doesn’t care, you’ve avoided that conflict.
4. Micromanaging and Perfectionism
This one can be huge, especially for leaders.
When you’re anxious, everything feels like it’s out of control. Work, relationships… you. So what do you do?
You take control of everything, regardless if you can control it or not. Or if you have capacity or not.
You want to have your finger on the pulse of everything, you want to trust your team, but you can’t, you want to be able to delegate, but what if its not done right?
So many managers micro-manage because of their anxiety, and not only is it exhausting to micromanage (trust m, it is), it’s also exhausting for your team.
Your team feels smothered.
You feel resentful and exhausted.
And no one’s winning.
5. Survival Mode Thinking
When you’re anxious, your brain is essentially searching for anything that can cause danger. It’s actively looking for threats. I mean, the physiology of the brain is set up for this anyway, but when you’re struggling with anxiety, it’s even more heightened.
A short email. A look from a colleague. A surprise call. These small things get blown out of proportion because your system is primed for danger. So you react by overthinking, doomsday prepping, snapping at people, or retreating into silence.
It’s exhausting, and it can lead to:
- Withdrawing from team discussions
- Leading with fear or control
- Passive-aggressive communication
- Burned-out relationships (personally and professionally)
6. Imposter Syndrome
I will die on this hill: Imposter syndrome is just anxiety in a different outfit.
It says: “You’re not good enough.”
It says: “Don’t ask for help, they’ll think you’re weak.”
It says: “You have to be perfect. Superhuman. Untouchable.”
It’s a loop of fear and self-doubt that’s mentally exhausting and completely unsustainable.
7. Procrastination
Another day, another hill I will die on. Procrastination comes from stress, anxiety and overwhelm.
Anxiety turns simple tasks into emotional mountains.
You delay starting because it feels overwhelming. Or you tell yourself you’re lazy or unmotivated, when really, you’re just anxious. The fear of messing it up, not doing it right, or failing completely stops you before you begin.
Procrastination isn’t a time management issue, it’s an anxiety thing.
So… What Now?
If you recognised yourself in any of these, you’re not broken, you’re human. You’ve just been coping with anxiety, often invisibly, for a long time. And there’s support for that.
If you’re ready to work through it:
I work 1:1 with professionals who are tired of surviving and ready to feel calm, confident, and clear, both at work and in life. Book a free discovery call here.
If you’d like me to speak to your team or organisation:
I offer workshops and keynotes that help leaders and teams understand the real cost of workplace anxiety and what we can do to change it. Let’s connect!
