Maybe I’m not in the correct career, or I’m not sure whether it’s healthy.
I want my work to challenge me, but I’m curious as to if others also awaken on workdays with work related thoughts racing through their minds.
Thanks in advance.
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Most people experience a certain level of anxiety when starting their workday. Whether it’s worrying about upcoming deadlines, dealing with difficult colleagues or even feeling overwhelmed by the number of tasks that need to be completed, it is common for professionals to start their day with worries related to their job. Unfortunately, these worries can take a toll on productivity and self-confidence if they are not properly managed.
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Quite agree to @NatashaMartin. In recent years, there has been a rise in the number of stress-related disorders among professionals, particularly those in fast-paced and high-pressure positions. There are many types of anxiety that can come into play during the workday such as: nervousness, fear of failure and self-doubt. For example, people who have a fear of failure may procrastinate on their work because they are worried, they will make a mistake or forget to complete an important task. These worries can be easily managed by scheduling time during the day for breaks and making sure that each task is completed with small steps towards success.
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You’re right @CoreyAmorin and @NatashaMartin. Stress-related disorders are often related to both acute and chronic stress. Acute stress is typically caused by a specific event such as the death of a loved one, a performance evaluation or job change. Chronic stress is typically caused by ongoing events that can cause long-lasting effects such as financial instability or high levels of work pressure. The difference between chronic stress and acute anxiety is that chronic anxiety can be learned behavior in response to an issue or trauma, while acute anxiety often happens in response to a single incident. An example would be someone who has had their heart broken many times over the course of their life, so the fear and anxiety happen when someone shows interest in them. Chronic anxiety is much more about the fear of ongoing threat, or not feeling safe or secure regardless of actual circumstances. People with chronic anxiety often feel anxious and fearful even in situations where there are few if any real threats to their safety.
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It’s common for product managers to experience feelings of anxiety or overwhelm when considering their daily responsibilities. Numerous activities must be completed, including managing customer feedback and implementing changes, to staying up to date with the latest trends in the industry, there are many tasks that require attention. However, you can manage your workload more effectively and experience less stress thanks to AI-powered work aides. You can maintain organization, set priorities, and ultimately make better decisions with the aid of these tools.
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It’s common for people in jobs like ours to think about work after regular business hours.
On the other hand, worrying every day is not healthy.
You should consider what is causing this and take action to protect and detach yourself.
You might also need to strengthen your resilience.
Lastly, be kind to yourself. Keep in mind that you can only do what you can, that you can’t solve everyone’s issues, and that there probably aren’t many other people who can do what you do as well as you can. Just try your best and let the s**t roll off your back like water.
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This is a sign you’re one step away from burnout. It’s understandable to be invested in work, roles, projects, etc., but if you’re not able to turn off and enjoy life you won’t be able to run a marathon that’s a few decades long. What does it mean to enjoy life? It means not taking your work home with you. It means being able to forget about your responsibilities for a few hours and simply be present in the moment. It means allowing yourself to be absorbed in something just because it’s fun or beautiful or interesting or eye opening, not necessarily because you’re going to accomplish anything with it.
I know it may sound like a bullshit, but it can actually help you in long run to keep mental health, focus, and efficiency on the job. The most important thing for me to remember is that this is not about the goal, it’s about the journey. If you are able to take a step back from the goal and see what your actions are costing you, then it can help you make better decisions to protect yourself.
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It’s possible that my viewpoint on this maybe unconventional.
What is the primary cause for worry? It may be brought on by incompetence, imposter syndrome, or a misalignment of group and individual interests with organizational objectives and procedures.
You can formulate a problem statement and begin working on it after you have a better understanding of this.
If things haven’t turned out the way you had hoped, think about your possibilities. Think about taking a break, going on a sabbatical, changing careers, or choosing another route.
It’s not a good idea to worry when you first wake up.
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I’ve been through this, and let’s just say it was awful. Meeting disagreements, pitch presentations, weekly reports, the never-ending list of emails with JIRA tickets and tasks attached, releases that don’t pass quality assurance, whether decision A or B was the best course of action, you name it. They kept me up at night.
I became more familiar with my product as I worked on it longer. I became more familiar with engineering as I worked with them. I felt more relieved as I discussed expectations with my management. Over time, as familiarity and cadence were established, all of these improved.
And what about one thing that truly changed my life? The LNO framework. Due to their importance in terms of money spent relative to effort, I concentrated on high value assignments. The remainder I either completed myself or delegated to someone else. I was able to get some sleep at night since I knew these were being taken care of.
Step back and consider each of your triggers. Delegate what can be delegated and figure out how to put them on your calendar (out of mind, put into calendar). I’m hoping this will be useful!
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While it’s not the norm, my guess is that this isn’t an unusual occurrence.
We can’t always control the circumstances we face, so it’s a wise idea to create a set end-of-day routine for yourself at work. This way, you can make sure that you have done your best to tackle the things that are within your power and control.
Finish your “real work” 15 minutes before the time you plan to stop working and use that time to ensure that everything is wrapped up as much as possible: no one is waiting on your response and/or is blocked by something you should’ve done, all communications loops are closed, things are updated/commented/followed up, things are ready for the next day’s to-do list, you’re on track with your weekly tasks, etc. The easiest approach for me to ensure that I can enjoy the weekend without worrying about work is to have a similar “end of week” list of tasks that I complete every Friday before calling it a week.
It’s clear that this is not a long-term solution; the issue you’re seeing may simply be a symptom of an unhealthy workplace.
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Normal is not the appropriate adjective.
What you ought to request is something healthy. Our team occasionally includes stressed-out individuals who worry about their jobs. So, it might be typical. However, you ought to relish your morning. Your weekends should serve as a baseline if you can’t appreciate your mornings. Losing sleep during the workweek is usual but just not good. Weekend insomnia should be discussed right away with your manager. Inform them that you’re having trouble sleeping and that you need assistance.
I just did this. It’s saving my career.
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Is the word “worry” appropriate? Do you have anxiety-related dreams at three in the morning? Or do you naturally start thinking about work as soon as you wake up? due to the earlier every night? Bad. which one? less terrible.
Many days I think about work when I first get up, but that’s when my mind likes to organize the subjects and things, I know I’ll be covering that day. I was chatting last night with a coworker in engineering about a tiny fault we discovered and how we intend to fix it. We will discuss in a later meeting this morning. I had a revelation about how to approach it differently than we talked yesterday when I first got out of bed, thinking about it. I wasn’t “worried” about any of it, but sometimes having a clear head in the morning is helpful.
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You set boundaries by saving. Work hard, but resist letting others abuse your abilities. When tradeoffs must be made, be truthful with the people (more specifically tradeoffs with what you can reasonably do). Additionally, there is a mindset adjustment that might be challenging to do, but for me, it was quite helpful when I realized that, for the most part, the stuff we are working on doesn’t really matter. Even if it’s amazing, solves the user’s problem, benefits the business, etc., it can ultimately just be a faster way to process payments or a more efficient way to search data. This stuff may be interesting or helpful, but it isn’t worth jeopardizing your own life for.
Find a happy medium between liking your job and finding it interesting while keeping in mind that your life is not your job.
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Depending on how concerned you are. Regular awareness of potential issues with your product is important because it helps you comprehend your part in solving them. I think the majority of competent product managers are somewhat concerned about the future of their products.
However, it’s not a good idea to be fearful of the issues or on the verge of panic. Most days, I have a mixed feeling of anticipation for my day’s events and anxiety that I won’t remember something crucial.
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It’s not normal, and it’s also extremely unhealthy. The same thing happened to me when I first started working with products. I had so severe mental health problems that I gave up and didn’t work for six months. You need to strike a balance and set clear limits.