This Blog explores the explosion in cases of work-driven anxiety; how this is contributing to a sharp rise in UK sickness days (to a staggering 186 Million). With Mental Health issues including Anxiety making up 68% of Long Term sickness. I explore how work stress & anxiety impacts your career prospects, your ability to keep positive life balance and relationships on an even keel. And most importantly, how you can take back control in a matter of weeks , with strategies that can work for you for a lifetime.
If you’d like to find out more, I offer a free initial Online call (c20 mins) to discuss your situation and my approach, which combine Positive Solution-Focused coaching, NLP and Hypnotherapy techniques.
Over 2025, I’ve seen more and more clients who having reached breaking point with stress and anxiety driven from their work and career pressures. They come from across sectors – from Board-level Execs to teachers to freelancers and across the age spectrum. There are a number of factors at play here – as I explore below.
Perhaps you or someone you know feels similarly – with frequent feelings of overwhelm, frustration and burnout. Or perhaps a persistent sense that you’re not doing “enough”—even when you already doing more than they can cope with , in terms of working long hours and across weekends.
What’s driving this increase ?
My clients report a range of factors
- Increased expectations from employers and work scope
- ‘Always on’ digital devices and comms – ‘unable to switch off’ after hours
- Working from home – a blurring of the work vs home physical space
- Fear of failure or of the unknown
- AI and rapid technology shifts creating ‘imposter syndrome’ ‘Do I know more than junior colleagues?’
If there’s one take out from this blog, it is to not push away seeking help until you are in a crisis.
Whether you’re an executive juggling deadlines, a teacher managing a heavy workload, or a freelancer navigating uncertainty, these factors create a creeping anxiety that can impact your health, relationships and overall sense of self. And leaving that anxiety unchecked can also have a detrimental long term impact on your career, on promotion opportunities or your ability to operate with more responsibility or pressure.
If you’re already feeling overwhelmed by work stress, know that you’re not alone—and you’re not broken. Your brain has simply learned some unhelpful habits. The good news is that latest scientific research – into our brains and specifically Neuroplasticity – shows that we can also learn new ones, with the right techniques.
In my Initial Consultation, we spend around an hour understanding your specific situation and brain dynamics in more detail. Because although our brains are ‘wired’ in the same way – our situation, personality, capacity to manage stress etc all differ. So let’s explore briefly how anxiety is built within the brain and most importantly, how can we free ourselves from its grip.
The Many Faces Of Work Anxiety
Anxiety is a natural emotional and mental response to feeling threatened, which manifests as a feeling of worry, unease or fear. It stems from the Primitive brain [also commonly known as our ‘Chimp’ brain, after the bestselling book by Professor Steve Peters]. Within the work context, some level of anxious thinking traits – such as double checking, risk assessment and anticipating potential issues- might be useful . However, when unchecked anxiety becomes problematic and overwhelming, leading to catastrophising of simple scenarios, rumination and delaying of decisions . And often a spread of that negative inner voice into other areas of life.
The most common traits that I’ve seen in work settings are;
Performance Anxiety including Fear of Failure : This type of anxiety revolves around the fear of not being good enough or being judged by others. This is becoming a particular issue among the under 30’s, where the ‘always on’ social media channels and airbrushing of other people’s perfect lives/careers, quickly leads to a reticence to take risks, in case they might be seen as a failure.
Often this will focus on particular events, such as before major presentations, meetings or during performance reviews. Feeling of stress and uneasiness are brought on simply by the thought of the event – and nearer the time, anxiety triggers neurochemicals that drive physical reactions, such as sweating, or elevated heart rate or stomach upsets. Once this pattern starts, our Primitive brain begins to negatively forecast the future outcomes, putting multiple ‘what if’ scenarios into our hippocampus. Which just magnifies that feeling of dread and negativity- even though the actual event might go perfectly.
Social Anxiety in the Workplace : Social anxiety has always existed in the workplace to some extent, driven by office politics, team dynamics, or an underlying fear of things such as large crowds or public speaking. However, working practices since COVID, with many working only 2 days in the office per week [1], means that some have developed a new anxiety about the unfamiliar interactions in the face to face environment, not through a screen. Fear of saying the wrong thing or being misunderstood can keep people from engaging fully with colleagues.
Imposter Syndrome : Even high achievers can feel like frauds. Imposter syndrome is the fear of being “found out” as not truly competent, despite evidence of success. It creates a constant undercurrent of anxiety and self-doubt. I’ve seen these feelings ‘creep up’ on even experienced professionals, perhaps in their late 40’s and 50’s. As AI advances and expectations and roles change, these clients develop a fear that their experience has become obsolete, that it’s just a matter of time until they are replaced. Even though they are respected by peers and this isn’t voiced in Reviews.
Over time, anxiety can start to spiral out of control, with negative thinking patterns and catastrophisation spreading to non-work situations, into relationships etc. Ultimately leading to chronic symptoms and ‘burnout’
Our primitive brains starts to come into dominance, in terms of our feelings and approach to situations. As we start to view most situations with risk or downsides, some people start to withdraw socially or from situations or be slower making decisions. As work hours start to grow, Inevitably sleep and home relationships start to suffer.
And so we begin a pathway from anxiety to Burnout. Dr. Paula Redmond [2] , a renowned clinical Psychologist, developed the 5-Stage model below.
Harnessing our Brain to overcome work anxiety
To understand how anxiety develops, we need to understand two key parts of our brain- let’s call them the positive, Intellectual brain and the Primitive brain. In the video here, I explore this more .
In short, when we perceive a threat—whether real or imagined—our brain activates the amygdala, which triggers the fight-or-flight response. In this part of our brain, our responses are channelled into three routes- anxiety, anger or depression. This was helpful when we had to run from predators in ancient times. But in modern work life, our threats are more psychological than physical: looming deadlines, critical emails, awkward conversations.
The prefrontal cortex, the rational part of our Intellectual brain, is supposed to help regulate this response. But when we’re stressed for long periods, the emotional Primitive brain can override the Intellectual brain. This leads to persistent worry, racing thoughts, and trouble focusing or sleeping.
In short, our brains become wired for anxiety through repetition. The more we worry about work, the more the brain learns that “worrying = staying safe,” even if it’s not helpful. In his recent book ‘Addicted to Anxiety’ , Owen O’Kane speaks about the prevalence of clients who have become ‘hooked’ on the process of over thinking and anxiety. This is where therapeutic intervention comes in.
‘Rewiring’ The Anxious Brain
Modern neuroscience has shown us the remarkable ability for the brain to rewire ways of thinking – to allow us to take back control and break this cycle. Scientists such as Dr. Norman Doidge [3] have showcased many case studies with clients that have made huge transformations through focusing the brain on positive forward goals.
Solution-Focused Hypnotherapy (SFH) is a powerful approach that combines this neuroscience with positive psychology and hypnosis. It focuses not on what’s wrong, but on what’s right—what’s working well and how to build on it.
Through guided relaxation and hypnosis, we can activate the parasympathetic nervous system—our body’s natural relaxation response. This quiets the amygdala and helps the brain shift from ‘Primitive’ mode into a calmer, more reflective state.
We then focus on positive goals; on how the client wants the future to look [and not the negatives and how they don’t want it to be.] In turn, this triggers the Intellectual brain and processes into action. As the brain is constantly forming new neural pathways based on our thoughts and experiences. SFH helps clients visualise and focus on desired outcomes. Over time, this strengthens the brain’s ability to create solution-focused patterns rather than stress-driven ones.
Real Results in Just a Few Weeks
Because SFH is solution-focused and works directly with the subconscious mind, many clients report noticeable improvements within 4–6 sessions. This includes:
- Reduced anxiety and panic symptoms
- Increased confidence at work
- Better sleep and energy levels
- Clearer thinking and decision-making
- A renewed sense of purpose and resilience
As one client recently told me: “It’s like I finally understood what was happening inside my head. And the importance of positive thinking. And once I started to practice that, the feeling of focus and control came back within 3-4 weeks.’
Work anxiety can feel like a never-ending loop, but it is possible to break free. By understanding how our brains create these patterns—and by using tools like Hypnotherapy and deep relaxation—we can begin to rewire our mental responses.
You deserve to feel calm, confident, and in control. And with the right support, that future is closer than you think.
Interested in trying Solution-Focused Hypnotherapy?
Feel free to reach out to book a free consultation. Whether in person or online, therapy can be a gentle, empowering step toward lasting change.
SOURCES IN THIS BLOG
[1] Working from home data, BBC feature. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62560520
[2] Dr Paula Redmond: Burnout in the Health care services
[3] Prof. Norman Doidge : The Brain that Changes Itself