Ergophobia – fear of work

160 hours. That’s how much we spend at work when we’re employed full time. And what if we were to add in overtime and all the moments when thoughts of work run through our heads during our free time? Then we would find that work issues accompany us far more often than we might have expected.

And what if those 160+ hours are filled with anxiety? If every trip to work means a pressure in the stomach and a gulp in the throat? If being in the office is a constant anxiety and a flurry of unpleasant thoughts?

It could be work anxiety. Anxiety that is very annoying and can bring us to the brink of mental endurance. Fortunately, psychologists have managed to understand it quite well and develop methods to deal with it. So let’s check out what we know about work anxiety. Where does it come from? What symptoms does it bring us? What to do when it bothers us?

What is anxiety, a phobia?

Let’s start by analyzing anxiety itself. Because although it is experienced by every person, there is actually very little talk about it. So let’s consider how to recognize it.

Anxiety is the body’s natural reaction to danger. It sends us a signal: “Watch out! Danger is approaching!” and mobilizes all resources for action. To better illustrate this, imagine now that you are walking through a park.

It has managed to get dark, and there is not a living soul around. The weather is not spoiling, so you walk as fast as possible. You already want to reach home, get warm and rest.

Suddenly a strange sound comes from behind the bushes. The dense bushes begin to move. There SOMETHING is there!

Before you even have time to think about what you are afraid of, your body starts to react. Because it doesn’t matter what exactly is lurking in the bushes. What matters is that your brain has interpreted it as a threat. Maybe it’s a wild dog, a sneaking thief or a dangerous knifeman, but that’s of secondary importance now.

Your breathing is getting faster and faster, and all your muscles are tensing up in readiness. You hear the loud beats of your own heart, which is now trying to expressly pump blood and get it to all your limbs.

Nothing matters except what lurks in the bushes. When it jumps out, you will have to take action in a split second. Your body will then give you a signal – fight or flight. Or it will tell you to freeze in place, hoping to go unnoticed.

That’s what anxiety is. Thanks to it, your body has quickly switched to a “state of higher alert” and focused on the threat lurking in hiding.

But when it turns out that there is only a cold kitten sitting in the bushes, everything will begin to return to normal. The little furry one, after all, doesn’t need to be afraid – so the heart will slow down, breathing will normalize, and tension will slowly let go.

How is anxiety different from fear?

In simple terms, we can say that anxiety arises in our head. It arises not because we perceive something threatening – but because we imagine it or anticipate that the danger will come in the future.

And fear? He appears in response to a very specific object: a deep abyss, a car speeding toward us, or a running sheepdog whose owner has unwisely let him off the leash.

Anxiety can arise in us whenever we imagine these things. When they are not around or are so far away that they cannot threaten us in any way.

Importantly, anxiety does not have to be “only” about physical objects (animals, objects, people). We can be afraid of specific situations or have generalized anxiety, where it is almost impossible to find the cause.

Is anxiety always bad?

Anxiety is not pleasant. However, this is no reason to see it as our worst enemy. In moderate amounts, every one of us needs it. Why?

Because it is like a brake that keeps us from taking rash actions. He is the one who says “stop” and makes us give up doing something potentially dangerous. And it’s not just about avoiding physical dangers – fear also protects us from making a risky investment, ridiculing ourselves in front of an audience or saying words that will meet with the explicit disapproval of a manager at work.

As you can see, the absence of fear would not be beneficial. But its excess is also no good. And it is the excess that we are dealing with in the case of phobias. Including ergophobia, which we are taking a particularly close look at today.

What is ergophobia, what is fear of work ?

Ergophobia (known more widely as fear of work) is a specific phobia. Its name is derived from Greek and is a combination of the words ergos (work) and phobos (fear). Struggling with ergophobia, one experiences heightened anxiety when working. This happens despite the awareness that nothing is actually threatening us.

And it is this irrational, intense fear that becomes the biggest enemy when we face ergophobia. It is because of him that we are constantly on high alert, and the body sends signals: “Danger!”, “I’m afraid to be here!”, “Work is a threat, run away!”.

Meanwhile, we can’t run away, give up our source of income and forget that work even exists. We have to ignore these unpleasant messages coming from the body and continue to perform our duties as if nothing is happening. And this puts a great strain on both body and psyche.

What is life like with ergophobia? Ergophobia in the workplace

Monday. Six in the morning. The sound of the alarm clock snaps you out of a restless sleep. You sit up on the bed, and an avalanche of thoughts begins to roll through your head, which will be impossible to stop anymore.

You limp with a compressed throat, feeling your heart beating faster and faster. You get up and shakily get ready to show up at the office in an hour.

Driving in the car, you can’t get rid of your anxiety. You try to distract yourself, but it doesn’t help at all. You are already getting closer and closer to work. What will happen today? How bad will it be? Can you endure these eight hours?

Even though on the surface it’s just an “ordinary day” and no surprises await you, you still can’t relax. And when the boss walks down the corridor, you can almost feel the panic flooding over you. You know you are doing your job well, but so what? The very atmosphere of the office, the sight of your supervisor and the sound of your co-workers’ conversations make you not want to be here.

When you come home, things are better. But not for long. You know that everything will happen again tomorrow. Before you know it, the alarm clock will ring and the whole nightmare will start all over again…

How does work anxiety manifest itself?

Ergophobia can look like the story given above. But it doesn’t have to – because fear of work takes many forms:

• sometimes the anxiety appears in connection with the performance of all professional activities, and sometimes it concerns only specific activities (for example, attending meetings, giving presentations, preparing reports),
• anxiety is not always focused on professional duties: it can also concern interactions with superiors and co-workers or just being at the workplace,
• in some cases, the discomfort of just thinking about work prevents participation in recruitments and inhibits from applying for a new position.

Causes of ergophobia

There are a number of factors that contribute to the development of job anxiety. These include:

• genetics (we are more likely to develop ergophobia when someone in the family suffers from an anxiety disorder),
• difficult experiences related to sudden changes in the work environment, losing a job or experiencing failure in the performance of official duties,
• experiencing harassment and rejection from school peers in the past (ergophobia can become a continuation of school phobia)
• putting too much pressure on oneself and making impossible demands on oneself,
• receiving too little attention from caregivers during childhood,
• fear of evaluation, failure and criticism from other people,
• lowered self-esteem,
• bullying in the workplace.

Ergophobia – symptoms

The symptoms of ergophobia do not differ from those characteristic of other neurotic disorders. These include:

• a sense of separation from oneself, lack of control (“I don’t feel like myself”, “I feel foreign in my own body”),
• palpitations (faster or irregular heartbeat),
• dizziness, imbalance,
• neuralgia,
• bruxism,
• nausea and stomach discomfort,
• hot or cold flashes,
• restlessness and irritability,
• tremor of the extremities,
• sleep disturbances, insomnia,
• shortness of breath,
• diarrhea.

Consequences of ergophobia

The consequences of ergophobia include:

• decreased productivity (difficulty concentrating and performing assigned tasks),
• mental exhaustion associated with the constant experience of increased stress,
• avoidance of contact with others, isolation from the world,
• feelings of loneliness and misunderstanding,
• significantly hindered career development,
• fear of losing one’s job,
• lowered mood,
• increased risk of professional burnout.

We must also not forget that fear of work can lead us to avoid it. This often manifests itself in tardiness and regular absences, during which we use sick leave.

And when we can’t avoid and have to show up at the workplace, there are times when “we are only there in body, but not in mind.” This phenomenon is called presentism and means passive presence. And no wonder, because when we feel bad, our thoughts focus on the difficulties we are experiencing. So it’s hard for us to commit to the goals set by our supervisor.

Ergophobia and occupational burnout

It is also worth looking at the links between job anxiety and job burnout.

Sometimes we experience anxiety precisely because we have burned out. Is this already occupational burnout?So how can we distinguish whether we are dealing with a phobia or whether we are measuring ourselves against deep burnout?

First of all, it is necessary to look at how our attitude towards work has changed and at what point anxiety appeared in us:

• if the reduction in job satisfaction, difficulty in coping with tasks and exhaustion appeared in us by the fact that we face anxiety – we are leaning towards phobia.
• if the anxiety is a consequence of the fact that the career is overwhelming us, and we are exhausted by work and cannot find the motivation to perform our duties – we are leaning towards professional burnout.

Ergophobia ≠ laziness

Suffering from ergophobia, we face not only the fear of work, but also the misunderstanding of those around us. Those close to us often make the erroneous conclusion that since we are afraid of work and avoid it, we are lazy.

Meanwhile, ergophobics often have very high ambitions, want to work, and often have perfectionist tendencies. They dream of one day fearlessly walking into work, sitting down at their desks and giving themselves completely to their duties. However, every time the change begins, unpleasant body sensations come to the fore. Feeling a stabbing sensation in the chest and focusing attention on unnaturally fast breathing, it is impossible to think about anything else. And then the plan for climbing the career ladder becomes completely unimportant.

Ergophobia – test

Read the following statements and see if you might be struggling with work anxiety. If you answer “yes” to most of the questions, it is worth consulting a psychologist.

Remember, however, that these are just a few statements, not a true diagnosis. You will only get this one from a specialist.

1. When I am at work, I experience unpleasant emotions and feel tension in my body. YES/NO
2. I can’t stop worrying that something bad will happen to me at work. YES/NO
3. I get overwhelmed by anxiety during work that I can’t control. YES/NO
4. Thoughts about work make me anxious. YES/NO
5. I dread going to work. YES/NO

How do you treat ergophobia?

Experiencing ergophobia is agonizing. It seems so difficult that many of us fear we will never get rid of the nagging symptoms again. Must we associate work only with tension and stress, not satisfaction? Can ergophobia be fought?

Many of us are trying desperately to find answers to these questions in online forums. Dozens of users there post heartbreaking confessions about how paralyzing fear prevents them from fulfilling their duties, ruins team communication and destroys dreams of promotion. But simply airing out the problem and talking to people experiencing a similar situation does not eliminate the symptoms. Although it sometimes happens that they spontaneously lose their strength, it is not worth waiting for a miracle in the form of spontaneous cessation of ergophobia. It’s worth taking matters into your own hands. Now.

Ways to deal with ergophobia. How to overcome the fear of work?

Here are some ways that can help you cope with ergophobia:

1. Understanding the sources of anxiety. Identifying the specific causes of ergophobia can help you understand why work anxiety is occurring. Is it a fear of failure, a lack of motivation, or perhaps inadequate working conditions?
2. Divide tasks into smaller parts. Divide larger tasks into smaller, more achievable steps. Focusing on one small step at a time can reduce feelings of overwhelm.
3. Establish realistic goals. Avoid setting your standards too high. Setting realistic goals can reduce work pressure and stress.
4. Develop stress management skills. Relaxation techniques such as meditation, deep breathing or yoga can help manage work-related stress.
5. Time planning. Organizing your time at work can help minimize chaos and feelings of loss of control. Creating a schedule or to-do list can help.
6. Seeking support. Talking to friends, family or colleagues about work-related anxieties can provide emotional support and perspective.
7. Seeking professional help. In some cases, especially when ergophobia leads to significant difficulties in your work life, help from a psychologist or therapist can be very effective. Don’t try to downplay your difficulties; seek support.
8. Using mindfulness techniques. Mindfulness practices that focus on the present moment and acceptance can help reduce anxiety and improve your ability to focus on the task at hand.
9. Developing stress management skills. Learning effective stress management strategies, such as relaxation techniques, regular physical activity and a healthy diet, can help minimize the negative effects of work-related anxiety.

Treating ergophobia – cognitive-behavioral therapy

In the case of ergophobia, psychotherapy is very successful. Sometimes it is combined with pharmacotherapy (especially when anxiety symptoms are so severe that they almost completely prevent functioning).

The most common is cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy (which includes schema therapy). Its main goal is to find and then transform incorrect beliefs. Working on these beliefs helps us develop new ways of thinking. And when our thinking changes, we begin to react differently to the world around us. We develop healthier, previously unknown ways of overcoming difficulties.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy also focuses on psychoeducation. It provides knowledge to better understand how our psyche works. However, it is not just “dry theory” – an important goal is to provide practical tips to help deal with various problems (unpleasant sensations coming from the body, unpleasant emotions, tension).

How does cognitive-behavioral therapy help treat ergophobia?

• explains what anxiety is and how to recognize its characteristic signals,
• helps identify the thoughts that are the source of anxiety,
• shows that “a thought is just a thought” and does not always coincide 100 percent with reality,
• prompts you to transform some thoughts and beliefs, so that the anxiety itself is also reduced,
• teaches techniques for dealing with anxiety (deep breathing, mindfulness, relaxation).

Remember that anxiety is a barrier – but one that you can overcome! You will succeed with the right help.

Bibliography;

Bourne, E. (2011). Anxiety and phobia. A practical manual for people with anxiety disorders, Krakow.

Copp, T. (2020). Anxiety in the work of a manager, Zeszyty Naukowe Wyższa Szkoły Humanitas. Management, 20(2), pp. 93-105.

Merecz, D., Potocka, A., Waszkowska, M. (2019). Psychosocial risks at work, their effects and coping with them. Jurisprudential guidance, Lodz.