Managing your anxiety in times of adversity

Anxiety can make normal hiccups in life seem larger than they are. Even though fear of the future and the unknown is universal, not having healthy coping mechanisms can chip away at our feelings of self.

With time, anxiety-driven thought patterns can overwhelm us, damage our potential to take on opportunities in life, and hinder our judgment in situations that call for self-awareness and confidence.

It’s idealistic to imagine that we all view issues the same way. The truth is, we all have different life experiences that inform our responses. No place more clearly exhibits these differences than the workplace.

Culturally, Kenyans view leaving the nest and striking out on their own as a rite of passage. Having a stable form of employment or income is an achievement held in high regard. Despite the precedence placed on this fete, the country experiences high rates of unemployment.

According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics 2020 report, over 1.7 million people lost their jobs between April and June 2020. This was primarily due to the Covid-19 pandemic; which only added to the mental health challenges for many Kenyans.

Statistics released by InfoTrak in the same year noted that 52 percent of the population felt helpless and 81 percent of the country was experiencing feelings of anxiety during this time.

Despite these startling figures, Kenyans are very unlikely to seek treatment. Even if people wanted to seek the help they need, the mental health infrastructure in the country is lagging; a 2019 article by KANCO stated that there are only 100 psychiatrists for a population of 45 million (1: 450,000).

More alarmingly, a 2021 joint session between the government and the United Nations geared to stimulate conversation and develop recommendations under the Mental Health Investment Case, stated that only 0.01 percent of Kenya’s budget goes toward mental health.

Toxic, non-supportive work environments can exacerbate mental health conditions for many of us. Adding to this, are the social pressures in the age of narcissus and stigmatising views toward mental health care. These can all contribute to a warlike climate indifferent to wellbeing and mental health.

Creating healthy coping mechanisms to manage and mitigate anxiety can therefore be a strategic approach to self-preservation. Taking time to meditate and reflect, being optimistic, passionate, driven, and having a healthy outlook toward failure are things we can all do to manage anxiety and stress.

While demonstrating reliability, trust, and integrity, there will be obstacles that will challenge our ability to deliver on a task or to garner support for our plans or tasks. Your outlook in times like this must be optimistic and positive.

Instilling a winning attitude from the onset of our professional development will allow you to apply experiences effectively as lessons, focus on goals, and move forward with self-confidence.

We hear it all the time, purposeful living will reap a passionate commitment to your work. It’s cliché but it’s true. Passion can counter anxiety.

Doing what you love will allow you to pursue goals enthusiastically. This fervor to attain a goal will likely exhibit itself as determination, and an ability to look beyond your doubts for the greater or common good.

Another cliché, “80 percent of life is showing up”. Persistence in seeing things through is an important skill to develop in your career. Drive can help build trust and demonstrate commitment.

Diligence even during tense situations can turn a block into a temporary setback and help you overcome fear and pessimism in your ideas.

Our professional development will often call for us to take risks. Some of these risks could be miscalculations or failures. It is important to accept and acknowledge failure. This will allow you to pivot your approach more seamlessly and ease the anxiety you feel over the actions you take.

We all fail, we all make mistakes, accepting and adapting to failure will help you effectively reflect on the lessons you learned.

Viewing professional adversity as an opportunity can you help forge strong and robust relationships based on trust and shared values.

For a lot of us, conversations about mental health are only now becoming commonplace. As such, there is still a long way to go in institutionalising healthy and emotionally intelligent workspaces.

Listening and feeling empowered to speak can be the first steps in driving change and doing our part in addressing the ongoing mental health pandemic in Kenya.