How to calm anxiety and build resilience at work

Working in the charity sector can be hugely fulfilling, but it can also be stressful.

A recent survey by Unite found that 69% of charity and not-for-profit workers said they suffered from anxiety due to their work, and the same survey found that one in 20 workers said they usually worked more than 50 hours a week.

Clearly there’s work to be done across the sector to support employees’ wellbeing. But as well as the changes needed at an organisational level, there are some strategies that can help individuals and teams.

Here are some ideas to build your own resilience and that of your team.

As an individual

Get support

While there’s lots you can do to support your own wellbeing, anxiety at work isn’t for you to manage on your own. Talk to your line manager, HR team, or mental health champion (if you have one). And if you’re struggling, talk to your GP, look into working with a therapist, or get support from one of the wonderful helplines out there.

Keep to boundaries

This is much easier said than done, but be clear about your time boundaries and try to stick to them. Talk to your manager and colleagues if you need their support for you to be able to clock off on time, or to find other ways to manage your workload. Having clear boundaries will make it less likely that you regularly work over your contracted hours, and can also help you to feel more in control, calmer, and confident.

Break work into manageable chunks

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work you have to get through, it can be helpful to break it down into tasks that feel manageable. (Though if it’s unmanageable, speak to your line manager – this isn’t for you to deal with alone). Breaking your work into chunks can help you to feel more in control of your workload, while frequently ticking things off your list can help you to realise just how much you are achieving, helping to build confidence and resilience.

Figure out what you find soothing

For you that might be some breathing exercises, playing music you find calming, or a repetitive movement – like walking or bouncing a ball against a wall. When you know what helps you to feel steadier and more balanced, write it down and stick it near your screen. When there are a million things to do, it can be hard to remember those things that can calm you. And while it might feel hard to take a few minutes away from your desk, it will be a good use of your time.

Regularly check in with yourself

Often we can have our heads so far into work, that we might not notice that our jaw is getting tense and our breathing is becoming shallow. Try setting a timer for every hour or so, just to check in with yourself. You can do this through a quick body scan, and breathing into any part of you that is feeling tense, or getting up and moving around to shift any tension. Recalibrating, little and often, can help you to build resilience in the longer term.

As a team

Aim for calm communication

When stress levels are high and workloads are rising, it can be harder to communicate well. Take a few breaths before a tricky conversation: clear, calm communication is likely to the job done more smoothly than a spikey, reflex response.

Support each other

Building good relationships with colleagues can help everyone to feel supported. To do that might take some time and focus. For example, it can be easy to scrap team meetings if there’s a tight deadline looming, but having even a short catch-up can help to nurture a supportive culture, leaving people feeling more supported, understood and better able to do their work. Open and honest communication within your team will help to build the trust and the confidence needed to handle challenges together.

Celebrate achievements, learn from mistakes

Resilience is often described as the ability to bounce back after a challenging time. Acknowledging achievements and celebrating what’s gone right can help to do this. When work is overwhelming, remembering what the team has achieved in the past – and how it’s overcome any challenges – can help to build shared resilience and confidence. 

Provide training

If there’s the budget, you could book some external training, such as the Red Cross’ Building team resilience at work training, or the Samaritans’ Building resilience and wellbeing training, or its Wellbeing in the workplace online learning.