Self-Employment Anxiety: What Is It, and How to Manage It

Here are tips to help you manage self-employment anxiety.

For self-employables, staying focused when the world feels like it’s falling down around you is virtually impossible. You might work diligently to achieve a healthy work-life balance, but despite your best efforts, work sometimes takes precedence over life. In these scenarios, anxiety dominates.

Anxiety is normal and healthy. If anxiety becomes too overwhelming, however, it might be difficult to focus on day-to-day activities. Or, you might feel irritable and worried. Anxiety might make it tough to sleep, too.

If you feel anxious, you’re not alone. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illnesses in the United States, and they affect approximately 18.1% of the U.S. population, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA). Yet identifying and treating anxiety is challenging, particularly for a self-employable who cannot see past his or her workload.

How to Manage Self-Employment Anxiety

If you can identify self-employment anxiety symptoms, you’re better equipped than ever before to address your anxiety before it gets out of hand.

There are over 100 anxiety symptoms, including everything from dizziness to shortness of breath to burning skin to fear of impending doom. From my experience, I feel like the best way to identify self-employment anxiety is using common sense. Let me explain…

I believe self-awareness is key in all aspects of everyday life. I also believe if you accept who you are, you can be the best you can be — even if you feel anxious.

You know yourself better than anyone else. If you feel “off” on a given day, that’s ok – but keep in mind that you may be more susceptible to anxiety symptoms.

So, here’s my recommendation to manage self-employment anxiety: If you feel anxious, take a break. Spending a few minutes on your own — even if you feel overwhelmed by life, work or both — is not the end of the world. In fact, taking a break can help you calm your nerves so you can temporarily get past your anxiety.

My recommendation is a short-term solution to treat anxiety. If you constantly feel like your world is falling apart, accept your anxiety for what it is — a treatable condition that affects millions of people just like you. Then, use the tools and resources at your disposal to treat your anxiety.

For instance, ADAA offers tips to help manage anxiety. Give these tips a try, and you may find you are able to keep your anxiety in check like never before.

Don’t forget about family members and friends, either. I find that open, honest communication with family members and friends often helps me cope with anxiety symptoms. Additionally, mental health counselors can offer tips and recommendations to help you manage your anxiety.

Lastly, if you’re dealing with chronic anxiety, don’t wait to get help. The longer anxiety lingers, the worse it gets, and the worse you’ll feel. On the other hand, if you get help to manage your anxiety symptoms, you can take the first step toward feeling happy once again.