Struggling With Work

[DiamondBug]

Has anyone got any tips for managing anxiety, flashbacks, panic attacks at work? I love my job but it's a stressful job. I have to stand in sliletto heels under bright hot lights all day, with a painfully happy smile. Being stared at (which I hate). I have to deal with a lot of cash, also the risk of our store being held up and robbed daily (we had 7 masked men axe through our front door and stole £2.5million a few months ago). I have flashbacks at work and I'm always in a really anxious state. I swear the only thing that keeps me sane is nipping into the office for a drink every now and again when things get on top of me. The main symptoms at work are- sweating, shaking, heart racing, breathlessness, panic, overwhelming fear, restlessness and I get painfully self conscious. Being a jeweller is all I've ever wanted to do since I was a little girl, so I don't want to quit what I love because of the risk of being robbed. I am so passionate about it. Is there anything that you think would lessen my anxiety at work?

 

[Friday]

The best thing I've found is what I do before/after as routine & ritual.

What those routines and rituals have been, have changed over the years (some years gym & shower before, some after; some years hole up in a cafe or my car; etc.) but most basically, it's bleeding stress on a daily basis, before I need to. Whether it's active (like exercise) or passive (like time alone to jus soak up the calm).

It's not much different from knowing going to a party is going to stress me out, so before I go I do a bunch of stuff to get calm & energized, and then after do a bunch of stuff to shake off the built up tension & get calm. EXCEPT since it's a daily thing, I need to build my daily routine to absorb the extra.

My hair is a nightmare to deal with, so I've never really been able to do the lunch time workout, if I need to look put together after lunch, but that's another option, as well.

 

[DiamondBug]

The best thing I've found is what I do before/after as routine & ritual.

What those routines and ritual...

Thanks for your reply, I do have rituals I have to do before I leave my house but almost all of them are to do with my physical appearance, because if I don't look "right" it's one of the biggest stresses. I'll try and do some calming things in between doing makeup and hair, hopefully that'll make it go smoother. I've never thought about doing things afterwards as well though, I will try it today because I bet my work will be really busy and I'll probably need to calm down. Take care of yourself!