Anxiety Counseling for Women in the Workplace

One of the sources of anxiety for many people is work. And if you're a woman, you might experience even more anxiety if you're working on a predominantly male team. You might occasionally feel shocked at the sexist banter. Or you might feel left out when the other team members and potential customers go to all-male events. Or you might even feel like you're being subtly checked out in a way that can't exactly be called sexual harassment but isn't really comforting either. So what's a woman supposed to do?

First of all, take a deep breath and tell yourself that you're ok. It's not your fault that you just heard your colleagues saying something sexist. If someone called someone else names and you happened to overhear it, you might feel stunned. You might wonder if they're saying the same thing behind your back. No matter what the context, it's not a pleasant thing to hear. And the fact that it makes you feel uncomfortable only goes to show that you're a normal human being.

Once you get over the initial feeling of shock and anger, you need to think about what this means. Are you surrounded by sexist people at work? Is that the general feeling you get when you go to the office? Or is it just that men often say things around each other that they wouldn't say in front of women? After all, women do the same thing too. When you go out with your girlfriends, you might pass comments about men who can't hear what you're saying. And those comments might be somewhat off-color.

Just remember that there is a difference between an innocent comment, possibly made in the heat of the moment, and an atmosphere in which women are treated as nothing more than objects. If the sexism around you is limited to the occasional backbiting and name-calling, it might be tolerable. But if you feel like women are consistently being passed up for promotion and never given the recognition they deserve, then it might be time to look for a different job.

Contact us for more tips on dealing with anxiety in the workplace.