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Mental health

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Anxiety and work

6 replies

wombat31 · 01/12/2013 11:56

I have had anxiety for 6 years now and it has improved dramatically. At one point leaving the house was an issue but now I have been working full time for 3 years and things have improved considerably.
However, I have anxiety when my boss has to observe my work and it makes me go to pieces. Each time I get feedback to improve on X that I overlooked and then I will but leave out Y which will become the focus of my next target. I will get Y in my next observation and leave out Z...iyswim.
I want to draw this pattern to the attention of my boss as I don't see it very productive to keep giving me targets to improve on XYZ when it just means something else will get left out. I would rather my target be think of strategies to tackle the anxiety which will mean I feel more in tune when being observed and therefore will get XY and Z in every time. She seemed quite patronising at my feedback this week saying its clearly not ingrained and if I did it everyday as routine then I would not forget. I am reluctant to mention the anxiety as another colleague was off sick with this last year and my boss was very pro active in trying to get rid of her. Do I mention it to my boss in my appraisal this week following this observation so she understands why it keeps happening and I get a suitable target?

OP posts:
Golddigger · 01/12/2013 14:13

How do other colleagues cope with this?

wombat31 · 01/12/2013 14:26

The colleague who was diagnosed or the other colleagues in general? Generally they suggest that preparation is the key and that helps them mentally with their observation. I spent all week preparing and it still went wrong! I prepped every last inch of it and my other colleagues made suggestions which I had already included and it should've been the perfect observation but it wasn't.
The colleague who was diagnosed comes to me for support as I mentored her when she returned to work last year and to run through things with me and we talk it through. I did the same with mine this week but it is not the prep that is the issue, the actual observation that causes me so many problems. It is just pure panic and I can't remember a thing, I can't get my words out. I've been asked to fill out an evaluation of my performance prior to my appraisal this week and I can't even remember the obs because my who brain goes into meltdown!

OP posts:
Orangeanddemons · 01/12/2013 14:32

I'm a teacher. Hypnosis does the trick for me when I'm being observed. Every time, works a treat

Golddigger · 01/12/2013 14:45

Do you have someone who can pray for you, so that you are calmer when it happens?

Orangeanddemons · 01/12/2013 14:52

Why would praying make any difference, do you mean meditating?

wombat31 · 01/12/2013 16:32

Hypnosis might be worth a try, thank you. Not sure about praying...don't think that would do me any good as I don't believe in any god/gods.

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