Season 4, Episode 6: Re-Release: Anxiety in the workplace
This episode originally aired February 6, 2024.
Beyond allowing us to pay the bills, the way we make our living can fill us with purpose and can be a part of our identity. But it’s not uncommon for our work life to bring up feelings of worry and anxiety. The pressures of longer hours, inflexible schedules, and demanding workloads can contribute to increased stress, creating a delicate balance between professional fulfilment and emotional well-being.
On this episode of Living Fully, registered social worker Kelsey Bradley talks about the relationship between work and anxiety, unravelling its sources and offering valuable insights on how you can navigate these challenges. We explore various aspects of workplace anxiety, from distinguishing between regular everyday stress and prolonged anxiety, to addressing performance-based anxiety and imposter syndrome.
Download a copy of seven activities you can try for easing workplace anxiety.
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Katherine Hurtig
Welcome to Living Fully. Each episode is a chance to talk about mental health in a way that's simple, honest, and helpful. We'll share stories, tips, and tools to help you feel supported and feel your best. I'm your host, Katherine Hurtig.
Work is such a big part of our lives. It can give us purpose, structure, and a sense of identity, but it can also bring stress, pressure, and anxiety. If you've ever found yourself overthinking an email, worrying about deadlines after hours, or feeling like you have to be on all the time, you're not alone. In this episode, we're revisiting a conversation all about anxiety in the workplace, what can cause it, how to recognize it, and some practical ways to manage it. I'm joined by Kelsey Bradley, a social worker at Calgary Counselling Centre, and we talk about everything from performance anxiety to imposter syndrome and how to find a healthier balance at work.
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I'm here with Kelsey Bradley, a social worker here at Calgary Counselling Centre. Thank you so much for chatting with me today, Kelsey.
Kelsey Bradley
Yeah, thanks so much for having me and I'm really excited to talk about this topic.
Katherine Hurtig
So yeah, let's just start out by telling us, yeah, if you could tell us a bit about yourself and your background? Yeah, I am a social worker. I did my undergraduate degree in psychology. That was in Ontario. And then I came to Alberta for my master's. I did that at U of C for master's in clinical social work, specialized in trauma through that program as well. And that's a passion of mine and area of interest. And yeah, I got my master's degree. I did my internship here at Calgary Counselling Centre as well.
Katherine Hurtig
Excellent.
Kelsey Bradley
So I really fell in love with more of that structured counselling setting. I've done a lot of casework in different shelter settings for men, women, and youth experiencing homelessness and struggling with addiction. So that's more of my previous work prior to structured counselling.
Katherine Hurtig
Yeah. Wow.
Kelsey Bradley
Lots of different experiences in social work for sure.
Katherine Hurtig
Awesome. So yeah, we are talking about anxiety in the workplace and I'm very excited about this talk because I've definitely struggled with that over the years. Yeah. Just different worries around my career. So I'm excited to pick your brain, Kelsey.
Kelsey Bradley
Yeah, absolutely.
Katherine Hurtig
Let's start by talking about, you know, and what you've seen with clients, you know, some, some insights into maybe some common sources of anxiety when it comes to work.
Kelsey Bradley
Yeah, absolutely. There can be different sources within the workplace itself that really contribute to that. You can see if there's, you know, longer hours, less flexibility in the workplace, high demands on what you need to get done, expectations from employers that can absolutely foster a little bit more of that.
Katherine Hurtig
Right. And how, you know, how can someone kind of differentiate between just kind of regular everyday stress and signs of a more maybe serious anxiety problem?
Kelsey Bradley
Yeah, no, that's a really great question, right? There's absolutely times that you'll experience stress in your workplace, right?
Katherine Hurtig
Yeah, that's unavoidable.
Kelsey Bradley
Right. Yeah. Demands that you have to meet and certain deadlines, right? That's going to be quite a normal and common experience to have some stress around that. Where you'd notice more of that difference would be when you're noticing more worried thoughts, right? There's more of this inability to disconnect from work. There's more of this focus, really kind of focusing on what needs to get done and maybe not being able to separate that and noticing that outside of work too, right? That's where it's going to come in and you're going to notice that a bit more.
Katherine Hurtig
Okay.
Kelsey Bradley
As well as if you're noticing certain physical symptoms, right? You could have nausea, twisty stomach, more of the kind of heart racing. If you're noticing more of these symptoms more consistently, you're going past more of that just work stress and that just kind of being common in the workplace at times and going more into anxiety at that point.
Katherine Hurtig
I find that so interesting when mental health concern really translates to physical symptoms.
Kelsey Bradley
Right.
Katherine Hurtig
Yeah.
Kelsey Bradley
Absolutely.
Katherine Hurtig
So is that, what other kinds of things might might come up when someone's experiencing anxiety? So you mentioned nausea, but are there others?
Kelsey Bradley
Yeah. So like nausea, heart racing, you could get kind of sweaty. Right. And that would be a little bit more severe to write some of those physical symptoms. You notice a lot of cognitive ones as well. So like I mentioned, a lot of thoughts and worry and apprehension about work that would really come into that as well.
Katherine Hurtig
You know, when you're experiencing and what you've seen, what role do you know, workplace dynamics and culture? How does that play into contributing or alleviating anxiety?
Kelsey Bradley
Yeah, no, absolutely. Right. That it plays a big role. A lot of anxiety. You know, it can be manifested more when there's more of those worried thoughts kind of feeding into those a lot of that internal experience. But there's going to be a lot of things that are contributing externally to. Right. So looking at the way that the workplace is kind of set up, is there more flexibility with certain deadlines? Right. Is it very structured and rigid or is there some leniency there? Is there a lot of kind of dynamics with social settings and staff and really encouraging this environment of support as opposed to just kind of this independent, isolated, more setting for people? Right. So really, that's going to play a big role, too. And in the way that employers and colleagues connect with others and how they offer support. Right. Whether that's with the work itself or even just outside of that and having a place to be able to talk.
Katherine Hurtig
Right. So, you know, if someone is in a senior role or someone who's running a business, how can they kind of set up their workplace to be, you know, somewhere that's mentally healthy for everyone and not so anxiety inducing, let's say.
Kelsey Bradley
Right. Yes, absolutely. I think really setting up expectations of the role, right? I think a lot of the time anxiety, it can go past that stress that we've talked about where that can be quite common with work. And it can go into more of that anxiety when maybe there's apprehension or concern or really uncertainty about what it is to be done.
Katherine Hurtig
Right.
Kelsey Bradley
So a lot of the time employers can really be kind of upfront, honest, open about what their expectations are, ways that they'll offer support around that if there are concerns. Right. To kind of alleviate a little bit of that concern. Right. By the employee about like, what is it that I have to do? Right. Do I have to do this? Is it very rigid? Is there some flexibility? So really, really looking at that and offering kind of that dynamic as well to be able to be more supportive. But then also, you know, encouraging people to be able to reach out. I think a big part of that, too, with with workplace anxiety is maybe not feeling like you can reach out to others and get that support from your employer and see if there's something different. Right. Maybe a different structure or routine to your work week or day and see if employers can really kind of support that and looking at what can we help this individual with within there to be able to strive and thrive in their workplace.
Katherine Hurtig
Yeah. So in like a lot of my previous roles, like my anxiety came around with the kind of fear of making mistakes. Like I felt, yeah, that there would be like these huge repercussions. So can we talk a bit about like that and like maybe performance based anxiety? Yeah. What are your thoughts on that and what people can do to kind of help themselves if they're in that situation? Yeah. Sorry, that was a long question.
Kelsey Bradley
No, that's OK. That's it's a good question. Right. And it really is looking at, like you said, that performance based. And am I operating in this way of feeling like I need to perform and feeling like I need to meet these certain deadlines? And I think a lot of it breaking down is looking at is this perceived or is this what's expected from the employer?
Katherine Hurtig
Right.
Kelsey Bradley
Right. And that that plays a big role in it, too. Is this feeling that you need to perform and is that coming from internally or is that an external pressure and really breaking that apart? Right. So potentially, if that is external looking at right with the employer. What are ways that we can help this person be able to work through that and not then be internalizing a lot of that and adding to that worry? Right. And we notice that a lot with anxiety. It's going to be a lot of those worried thoughts and concern about, like you said, am I am I performing? Am I doing OK? What are the repercussions if not?
Katherine Hurtig
Right. Right. Yeah. Yeah. And if you're kind of in the thick of it and you're feeling really anxious at work, you've noticed it, recognized it. What are some things that you can do on your own to to help those feelings?
Kelsey Bradley
Yeah, absolutely. Do you mean like kind of in the moment when you're noticing it coming up at work or just in general?
Katherine Hurtig
I'd say both. Yeah. Maybe, you know, in the moment and maybe preventative measures like.
Kelsey Bradley
Absolutely. Yeah. There's different techniques and things that will help as well as different things you can structure into your routine right to really be preventative and help with that. So I'd say in the moment when that anxiety is coming up. So let's say that's some more thoughts, right? Really tuning into are there certain patterns that my thoughts are going into? So are they kind of worried thoughts about deadlines? Are they those kind of worst case scenario thoughts that we see with anxiety of, oh my goodness, am I going to get fired or something like that? So really noticing the pattern and how your thoughts operate. And that takes a little bit of technique, right, to be able to tune in to see what those are.
Katherine Hurtig
For sure. And to have that, you know, self-awareness.
Kelsey Bradley
Exactly. Right. So kind of looking there, if you do notice a pattern, the great news is that then you can apply something to that. Right. And noticing it as your anxiety thoughts. Right. Kind of separating those sometimes from your your own thoughts. They are, but they're also the way that this anxiety operates. Right. And looking at it kind of separate that can help alleviate that knowing, OK, this is, you know, a pattern that I go into this. This happens sometimes. And being able to kind of ease yourself like a reminder to yourself. Right. OK, this is my anxiety coming up. And just kind of acknowledge that and be able to know that if you get more pulled into those thoughts or the content of those thoughts, it can start to spiral from there sometimes.
Katherine Hurtig
And not like tying it to your identity.
Kelsey Bradley
Right.
Katherine Hurtig
Yeah.
Kelsey Bradley
And as well to those, I know you were asking, too, about the preventative measures as well. A lot of that can be like exercising. Right. Like a lot of those basics that sometimes we forget about. Those are really important. The drinking water, right? And exercising, making sure that that's kind of within your weekly routine.
Katherine Hurtig
Yeah. Yeah. They're huge. It's like they're, they seem insignificant, but you can, yeah. Once you build on them and, and make them into routine, they can make all the difference for sure.
Kelsey Bradley
Absolutely. And like we said, the basics sometimes just fixing those or working on those and making sure you're attributing to those components that are really important will help with all those other symptoms.
Katherine Hurtig
Now, I mean, I don't know if you would know this. I mean, you might be able to take a guess. Are there certain industries or types of roles that might make someone more anxious, like the type of work that is done?
Kelsey Bradley
Yeah. Like different types of different organizations, right? The way they operate maybe. And that can definitely contribute to workplace anxiety, right? So looking at really what are the hours like, right? Is there staff shortages? Is it there's going to be other factors like that that really go into that as well, as well as this kind of separation from work, this like work life balance, right? If there's kind of longer hours, more higher demands, it really would depend on the organization, right? But a lot of the time those sorts of things can really contribute to that anxiety.
Katherine Hurtig
And I'm thinking like jobs that have built in uncertainty. Yeah. Like I'm thinking like farming, for instance, so much of that is totally out of your control. Yeah. You know, when's it going to rain? When's it going to snow? That kind of thing. And, you know, a lot of other jobs where you're dealing with like really intense situations, you know, first responders, anything like that. Do the types of people going into those, would they be because they know that that's kind of the way it is, do you think they're better prepared for the anxiety that comes with those jobs or?
Kelsey Bradley
That's a great question, right? With that kind of uncertainty and uncontrollability and certain factors of the job. I think it really would be dependent on the person and how they respond to that. Right. Like you said, a lot of it can be uncertain, like weather changes. There's things completely outside of your control.
Katherine Hurtig
Right.
Kelsey Bradley
And anxiety will really get fueled by that. Right. Kind of looking at it and thinking, OK, I have no control over this. A lot of the time it can be eased when you do have more control. And in those settings, you can't always plan for that. Right. So that's where it's a good question. I think it really would be dependent on the person.
Katherine Hurtig
Yeah.
Kelsey Bradley
That being said, that's kind of what they do with that uncertainty. Right. So they may still be experiencing that. Right. Naturally, that's part of the job is that uncontrollability, the factors you can't control. But then what do you do with that is really.
Katherine Hurtig
Exactly.
Kelsey Bradley
Really the next question. Yeah. Yeah.
Katherine Hurtig
If you have a colleague and you kind of notice maybe they're struggling with anxiety, what can you do to support a friend?
Kelsey Bradley
Yeah, definitely. If you're noticing that really reaching out. Right. You know, helping them know that they're not alone, especially in the workplace, right? When you're all going through that experience together and really just letting them know you're there to talk and really kind of validating that for them, right? That that is experienced and it's not easy to be experiencing. But then just knowing that you can talk and whether that's about work and looking at different strategies or just being a friend in the workplace. I think that's really important to have that.
Katherine Hurtig
Yeah.
Kelsey Bradley
To know that you're supported and not feeling isolated in your experience.
Katherine Hurtig
Of course. The term imposter syndrome that gets thrown around a lot. How do you think that that has an impact on someone's ability to progress their career, to set goals, you know?
Kelsey Bradley
Yeah, no, definitely. And imposter syndrome is such an interesting thing to look at, right? A lot of the time we see this with people that are more like perfectionists, really hardworking, really set high expectations for themselves and achieving, right? And really have this kind of demand. I mean, a lot of people can experience it, but we do see that more with those experiences. And a lot of what comes into that with imposter syndrome is that self-doubt.
Katherine Hurtig
Yeah.
Kelsey Bradley
And a lot of that kind of questioning, right? that competence. I'm really questioning, you know, my abilities within this job thinking, is someone going to call me out for, you know, what I'm doing, even though I'm here and I've worked here and I've gotten here. It's really that kind of disconnect in your mind of like starting to question those things, that competence, right. And, and really looking at what that can do. It can, you know, have people kind of pull away. People can work really hard to try to kind of overcome that. But then also at times they can really disengage from the work and maybe not want to set deadlines because of this big fear of failure, right? That's a huge thing that comes into imposter syndrome.
Katherine Hurtig
Why? And maybe this is a, an obvious question, but I'm interested in like digging at it a bit. Why are we so scared of failure?
Kelsey Bradley
Yeah, no, that's a great question. And I think that there's a lot of consideration with that, right? I think a lot of the time with workplace, right? When people really are passionate about what they're doing, or they've worked really hard to get to where they are, they can really want to succeed, right? And of course, want to reach their expectations, reach, I think it would be dependent too on the person, right? If someone's more perfectionist, then that would kind of hit them harder. If they're not really maybe reaching certain goals or they struggle with certain things, then that would be kind of a harder hit for them.
Katherine Hurtig
Yeah.
Kelsey Bradley
But I think that's a really good question. And it's a big question, right? Because it's really looking at, you know, why do we have this fear and where is that coming from? Right. That's another, I think, part two almost of that question is, is this internally generated or is it based on the expectations of my organization and the demands that I have to meet? And sometimes it can be a mix of both of those.
Katherine Hurtig
Right. So how do you see the idea of imposter syndrome connected to anxiety?
Kelsey Bradley
Yeah. A lot of the time with imposter syndrome, what can come into that is that self-doubt. A lot of what is that kind of narrative that you're telling yourself about where you are in your job and your capabilities, right? When a big part of that is questioning kind of competence and thinking, oh, my goodness, is someone going to call me out for, you know, almost this like kind of fraud idea of this is what it's kind of driving on. A big part of that that's going to contribute to that is what you're telling yourself, right? That self-talk. Right. And we see that a lot with anxiety, too. Right. So that's where it's really that connection is, is what are the things that you're telling yourself in your mind? And then maybe how is that making you pull away from certain things on the job? Right. And how is that kind of anxiety getting fueled? Right. Are we disconnecting and not reaching certain goals or are we setting really high expectations when not met? Then how does that impact you, too? Right. There's a lot of different kind of factors in there, but a lot of it does come down to the self-talk and what you do tell yourself.
Katherine Hurtig
So how do we challenge those thoughts or reframe them or talk to ourselves in a more positive way?
Kelsey Bradley
I think, as I mentioned before, too, right, a lot of it is looking at those thoughts. You're noticing them come up, right? It can be almost like, OK, you know, this kind of imposter syndrome has come up for me. I'm really starting to question what it is that like my own competence or what I can achieve. And I'm really looking at that and then having some kindness on yourself, too. Right. So wanting to challenge it, but challenge it kind of gently. Right. So knowing that. this can happen, especially in workplaces and people can feel this way and this experience can be quite normal and kind of validating that. But then also looking at what can I tell myself? A big part of that can be just reminding yourself that as long as you're doing everything that you should be doing for your work and attributing to that, then trying to just kind of have that kindness and…
Katherine Hurtig
Yeah.
Kelsey Bradley
And realize…
Katherine Hurtig
Self-compassion.
Kelsey Bradley
Yeah. Like, okay, I am. I am okay. Right.
Katherine Hurtig
Yeah.
Kelsey Bradley
Yeah.
Katherine Hurtig
Yeah. That idea. I mean, I think, I don't know if this is overused at this point, but that idea of just of being good enough.
Kelsey Bradley
Yeah. Yeah. And really kind of challenging that, like, what am I setting for myself and how can I be kind on what I am achieving?
Katherine Hurtig
Right.
Kelsey Bradley
I think we can combat that a lot too, with really looking at like building that confidence and looking at what is it that you're doing well, right? Like let's celebrate those successes and those wins. That's huge for that as opposed to looking just at that fear of not reaching our goals.
Katherine Hurtig
Yeah.
Kelsey Bradley
Yeah.
Katherine Hurtig
And I think that's, it's really easy for employers to kind of skip over that as well because you're so focused on results and outcomes. But like even little stuff, it's important to notice that.
Kelsey Bradley
Right.
Katherine Hurtig
To acknowledge it.
Kelsey Bradley
Absolutely. Right. Because those little steps and those little wins that would consider are really helping us towards those big outcomes that we want to reach. And we, I think sometimes we look at the outcome and not really look always at the steps that are being taken to get to that and celebrating that along the way.
Katherine Hurtig
Yeah. So you talked a bit about a work-life balance. So what are some, do you have any tips for maintaining a healthy work-life balance?
Kelsey Bradley
Yeah, definitely having that separate space away from work, right? Like disconnecting, whether that's doing something differently or just really kind of disconnecting from thinking about work and doing things that help keep that separation. So we're not always thinking about work and then that anxiety isn't fueled more.
Katherine Hurtig
And that's a little harder now with like remote work. Yeah. Like I, yeah, my office is in our spare room in the house. And so sometimes I feel like, you know, I'm spending 24 seven there.
Kelsey Bradley
So yeah, it's when when you're having that more kind of work life balance when work is at home. Yeah, sometimes that can be really challenging, right? But really doing those things that help separate that. So whether that's, like we said before, like exercising, getting out, visiting friends, really having this outside of work experience, right?
Katherine Hurtig
Yeah.
Kelsey Bradley
And spending time with loved ones, those sorts of things, taking care of yourself physically and, you know, sleeping well, all those sorts of things are going to really help with that life balance to not feel that you're always working, right? Yeah.
Katherine Hurtig
Yeah. What do you recommend? Like, how do you communicate those boundaries in a situation where, you know, if you're working for someone who isn't really respecting that balance or the expectations you feel are too high?
Kelsey Bradley
Yeah, that's a good question. I think really going into it kind of open and honest about, you know, what your hopes are for helping the organization, right? And being mindful of that, of maybe the employer's asking it for a certain reason. Maybe there's certain things that have to be attended to, but then also considering what am I capable of right now, right? And trying to communicate that in the most kind of open and honest way you can with your employer while recognizing that, you know, there may be a reason they want this, but then also what are you able to provide is a really important thing.
Katherine Hurtig
Right. And coming to the table with solutions.
Kelsey Bradley
Yeah, exactly. And really being upfront, I think too, about that, you know, right from the beginning, sometimes as opposed to once it's gotten past that boundary point, right? Setting that up in of like, what are times that I'm going to be, this is my off of work time. This is, I'm not responding to my emails, checking those, answering calls. Of course, depending on the nature of the work, if you're on call, let's not say just like, don't pick up your phone, but really based on that, if there is that space around from work, then having that time to disengage so that you're more engaged once you are at work.
Katherine Hurtig
Of course. Yeah. It's, it's kind of tricky to talk about, you know, the broad topic of anxiety in the workplace when all of our jobs are so different. Like I think about even, you know, myself, my husband and my friends, like our days look so wildly different. Yeah. It's hard to comment on how one role would handle anxiety and, you know, not another.
Kelsey Bradley
Right. Yeah. It really depends. Like you've asked to with the employer and what employers can do really looking at the nature of the work. What are they able to shift? how much flexibility can be provided. And then also for the person looking at those factors that will contribute to anxiety of like controllability in the workplace. So maybe if there's certain things you can't control, what can you control internally or work on? Or kind of process to make sure that you're attending to those things, even when it's outside of your control.
Katherine Hurtig
Yeah. Talking about mental health challenges. I mean, it's not easy at the best of times, But if that's if it's impacting your work, bringing that up to your employer can feel, you know, that can feel kind of scary. So do you have any advice on how like to to effectively communicate your mental health needs to who you work for?
Kelsey Bradley
Really just, you know, expressing your hopes for like obviously what's going on with you. But then also, like we had said before, kind of recognizing what the organization needs and being mindful of that.
Katherine Hurtig
Yeah.
Kelsey Bradley
Right. And I think that can sometimes help with that conversation or make it a bit more comfortable, you know, knowing, OK, they do want this, but this is where I'm at right now.
Katherine Hurtig
Yeah.
Kelsey Bradley
And potentially asking, like, is there a way we can shift this if possible?
Katherine Hurtig
Right.
Kelsey Bradley
Right. So potentially even just those small changes, whether that's in the workday or in the work week or there's certain things we can adjust to be able to address that anxiety as it's coming up and not feel that it has to get to a point of not being able to do any of it.
Katherine Hurtig
Right.
Kelsey Bradley
Kind of those small changes can be really helpful and really looking at that and kind of seeing if that's doable for sure.
Katherine Hurtig
We've talked about going back to basics with physical health, like exercise and things like that. What other kind of self-care routines or practices are important to to kind of mitigate anxiety building up?
Kelsey Bradley
Yeah, definitely. So like we mentioned, definitely those kind of like making sure there's exercise, but then other things too, right? Do people like reading or writing and kind of processing what's going on with work, talking to loved ones, spending time out of the house and kind of looking at your self-care routine, right? Like what are certain things you're doing each day and throughout your week that are helping kind of separate from work?
Katherine Hurtig
It sounds like just making sure you're doing things that you enjoy.
Kelsey Bradley
Yeah, definitely. Right. And kind of having those hobbies that you like going and doing those things. And within your house, even like, are there certain things that just help you relax? Right. Is that yoga? Is that meditation? Like any sorts of things that really help people feel this kind of more grounded and ready to go back into work and feel that they've had this space away and ability to kind of separate and do the things that they love, I think are really important, no matter what that looks like for each person.
Katherine Hurtig
Is there anything else that you wanted to mention? Anything that you think our listeners should know about workplace anxiety?
Kelsey Bradley
Yeah, I think just knowing that people definitely experience this, right? You're not alone. And this is something that can come up. But I think also looking at there's a lot that you can do to address that, right? Whether that's looking at structuring your workday differently, a different routine, making sure that you're kind of attending to those things before it gets built up.
Katherine Hurtig
Yeah.
Kelsey Bradley
Really doing that self-care, but then also reaching out and knowing that you're not alone. And this really people experience this and it's very real and it can be scary, but there's also strategies and things that can be done to help with it, too.
Katherine Hurtig
And I guess that brings up one one more question is, you know, we talked about what stress versus anxiety. When would someone know that, hey, I mean, it might be time to reach out for help. I might not be able to handle this on my own?
Kelsey Bradley
Right. Yeah. So definitely at times, like we said, with that stress, you'll maybe have a deadline coming up or just general work things are happening that week. Right. Oh, many meetings. I'm stressed. That definitely happens for people. But I think looking at if you're really having this difficulty and disconnecting. Right. A lot of your thoughts are consistently thinking about work or what you have to do for work or worrying about that. Not finding this ability to kind of separate the two or noticing maybe more of those physical symptoms. Right. Are you sleeping OK? Are you missing certain meetings? Is that that would be more of a time that you're noticing it's getting a little bit more. Right. Difficult to experience. Right. And definitely reaching out in those times.
Katherine Hurtig
Excellent. Thanks so much, Kelsey. Yeah. It's a great chat.
Kelsey Bradley
Thank you so much. I really enjoyed chatting with you.
Katherine Hurtig
You've been listening to Living Fully, a Calgary Counselling Centre podcast. Thank you for tuning in. This episode was produced by Nick Heer, Luiza Campos, and by me, Katherine Hurtig. A special thanks to Kelsey Bradley. Tune in to our next episode on April 7th. We'll be talking about the difference between worry and anxiety.
Carmen Sadoway
It's really the idea of intolerance of uncertainty is really at the heart of worry and anxiety. Worry in particular. When that's there, this like uncertainty theme and we're having a hard time tolerating it, it just floods in all kinds of stuff for us. And I think when there is uncertainty, it's just there's this reminder that there's actually just so much in the world that's beyond our direct control. And I think you mentioned that, like there's so many factors involved and influences that can impact an outcome. And I think in just day to day life, we're often like confronted with the reality about like how our own power and influence to control things is actually limited.
Katherine Hurtig
To stay up to date on our latest episodes, be sure to subscribe. We're available in your favorite podcast app. Living Fully is a production of Calgary Counselling Centre and recorded in Calgary on Treaty 7 territory. Living Fully podcast is not a substitute or alternative for professional care or treatment. Calgary Counselling Centre and Counselling Alberta provide effective counselling to anyone in Alberta with no waitlist and no financial Find us online at calgarycounselling.com and counsellingalberta.com. For help across Canada and the United States, call 211. If you are outside of Canada and the U.S., seek help from your general medical practitioner.