Spinning Your Wheels? How Anxiety Impacts Motivation and Productivity
Anxiety affects people in a variety of ways. When you’re really struggling, though, it can feel as though your anxious thoughts are controlling every aspect of your life.
Needless to say, that can be distracting and draining… all at once.
Whether you’re at work and feeling unmotivated or you want to get things done in your home life or personal life, anxiety is often a productivity killer. You’re not going to be as driven to “keep going” and do things when your anxiety is running wild.
So yes, being on edge can impact your motivation and productivity, but WHY does it? And what can you do about it?
Anxiety distracts us- we can’t stay focused
Anxiety typically causes patterns in your thinking. If these patterns lean towards the negative, they can become worse over time.
Unfortunately, even the smallest worry or negative thought can become a mountain for someone dealing with anxiety. It becomes something you focus more of your time and attention on until it becomes impossible to think about almost anything else.
When those worried thoughts take over, they distract you from whatever else you need to get done, making it harder to stay focused and productive. And then the To Do List never goes away (maybe it even, ugh, gets bigger).
It Makes You More Disengaged
When your thoughts are consumed with worry and/or negativity, it becomes hard to stay in the present. You might be thinking about something completely different than the task at hand, or even what you’re supposed to be doing.
As a result, you’re likely to feel more disengaged.
It can be hard for someone with anxiety to feel fully involved in a project, assignment, or even something personal they want to accomplish. You might feel that you’re only “half-involved,” because your thoughts won’t allow you to fully immerse yourself in what needs to get done.
It Fuels Your Fear
It’s not uncommon for people dealing with anxiety to fear failure. Those with social anxiety, for example, often avoid public events or crowds. That’s usually because they’re fearful of saying or doing the wrong thing and “failing” in that social setting.
People with more generalized anxiety might fear failure in the workplace, with relationships, or with home projects.
That fear, however, causes a vicious cycle.
The greater your fear of failure, the more likely it is to become paralyzing. You’ll focus more on the fear than overcoming it, causing you to lose your motivation and be less productive. Obviously, that can impact your career. But, it can impact your personal life, too, making it more difficult to keep moving forward.
Anxiety often houses a lot of negative self-talk. If you often tell yourself you’re going to fail, or that you’re not “good enough” to complete something, it’s going to be difficult to stay motivated. It might start to feel like your fear will win out over everything else.
How to Fight Back
So, what can you do to be more motivated and productive while dealing with anxiety?
The first step is to recognize and acknowledge the issue. Trying to sweep your anxious thoughts under the rug will only make them worse, and your worries may start to eat at you more frequently. Some people find a lot of benefit in making of list of their anxious thoughts as they occur- this can help take some of the impact out of the thoughts, and shift attention back to the necessary tasks.
Next, don’t be afraid to reach out for help. When you’re dealing with a lack of motivation and productivity, it’s easy to feel like you’re drowning. Let someone lend you a hand and pull you out.
Anxiety is absolutely manageable, but it isn’t likely to go away on its own. Seeking out treatment is one of the best things you can do for your productivity, and it’s also one of the best ways to take control of your life again. If you’re interested in learning more or you’re ready to take those reins back, please read more about anxiety treatment and feel free to contact me when you’re ready.
Photo by Simon Hurry on Unsplash