Fear of work can have serious professional, personal and social consequences. We share some strategies to overcome ergophobia and recover a greater quality of life.
Last update: 24 March, 2022
Working is now a vital and practically inevitable requirement for everyone during a good part of life. Firstly, it allows us to obtain an economic income to support ourselves, but it also helps us to fulfill ourselves on a personal and professional level. It can even be the spark that ignites much of the relationships we maintain. It is therefore important to learn to overcome ergophobia.
In some cases, going to work becomes a nightmare due to the anxiety it generates. Overcoming ergophobia, or an abnormal and persistent fear of work, is essential to regain well-being.
The consequences of this phobia can be devastating. Not only for the great discomfort that we suffer every day, but also because self-esteem can be severely impaired and fear can extend to other areas of life.
In addition to this, ergophobia can easily lead to job loss, therefore to economic difficulties. Fortunately, there are effective strategies with which to overcome ergophobia.
What is ergophobia?
Ergophobia is a condition that falls into the category of anxiety disorders; more precisely, within specific phobias.
Consists of an intense and excessive fear of work that lasts over time and causes considerable inconvenience. Its main features are as follows:
- Intense and disproportionate fear of working. This manifests itself not only during the working day, but also in the form of anticipatory anxiety and lingering after working hours.
- Fear is irrational and although the person is aware of it, it is impossible for him to control or manage it.
- Physiological symptoms such as headaches, intestinal disorders, rapid heartbeat or sweating appear in response to fear.
- Lack of attention and concentrationas well as memory problems that affect work performance.
- The person can avoid going to work or doing some tasks to escape the discomfort he feels.
- It is not temporary anxiety due to work overload, for example. On the contrary, theanxiety is persistent and lasts for several months.
How to overcome ergophobia?
Generally fear of work is related to a series of dysfunctional thoughts and emotions that persist over time. In light of this, the person can follow some guidelines to overcome ergophobia.
Improve self-esteem
Insecurity and low self-esteem are often linked to ergophobia. Lack of confidence in one's ability to do the job can cause very intense anxiety.
It is therefore worthwhile try to identify and improve their skills and qualities and don't underestimate yourself; remember that you hold a certain position because you have the skills necessary to carry it out.
Change your thoughts
Anxiety can be caused by maintaining certain rigid or overly demanding thoughts on themselves. For example, considering that your colleagues are much better, that making a mistake is synonymous with failure or that not achieving a goal is a total disaster.
Relax and replace these thoughts with kinder and more realistic ones can significantly relieve discomfort. For example, remember that we may have skills that colleagues do not have and that if a problem occurs it is always possible to find a solution.
Perfectionism can add an excessive and unnecessary psychological burden to your work. For the same reason, we avoid having disproportionate expectations and accept that everyone can be wrong.
In the same way, remember to acknowledge every little success and progress, congratulate ourselves on this and give you the right value.
Learn to relax
To overcome ergophobia it can be very helpful to learn some relaxation techniques, since the main component is anxiety.
They can be used both to deal with moments of greatest stress and to lower general anxiety levels during the day.
Psychological treatment to overcome ergophobia
If the guidelines presented in this article are insufficient, seek professional help. The most effective psychological interventions to treat ergophobia appear to be cognitive-behavioral techniques. Specifically, exposure techniques offer the best results.
Dealing with situations that generate discomfort leads to getting used to anxiety, therefore to resolving it. In addition, perceived self-efficacy increases and with it self-esteem and the ability to face new challenges.
Systematic desensitization and awareness are also positive. In any case, psychotherapy represents a valid help to overcome ergophobia and, for this reason, to produce a notable improvement in the quality of life.
