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Tackling Homework Anxiety: Your Guide to a Calmer Study Life

• Published April 3, 2024

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Navigating schoolwork can sometimes feel like you’re trying to sail through a storm. With assignments, projects, and revision piling up, it’s no surprise that many of us end up feeling a tad overwhelmed. This isn’t just about the usual stress of meeting deadlines; it’s about that extra layer of worry that can throw us off balance – something you might have heard referred to as homework anxiety. But fear not! Understanding what it is and learning some clever ways to manage it can really make a difference in how we handle our school workload.

So, What Exactly is Homework Anxiety?

Imagine your homework as a giant wave coming right at you. Homework anxiety is the feeling you get right before it crashes over you – a mix of worry, stress, and fear that can really shake you up emotionally and physically. It might come from the sheer volume of work, a fear of not doing well, putting too much pressure on yourself to be perfect, not quite getting the hang of the material, or just feeling swamped with managing your time. Symptoms can range from simply putting things off to feeling physically unwell or struggling to focus.

Spotting the Signs

Knowing the signs of homework anxiety can help you notice early and do something about it. These signs can include:

• Feeling constantly worried or filled with dread about homework.
• Physical issues like headaches or feeling run down.
• Finding it hard to concentrate or finish your homework.
• Avoiding your homework or finding any reason to do something else.
• Getting easily frustrated or feeling stuck.

How to Wave Goodbye to Homework Anxiety

1. Get Your Ducks in a Row: Keeping your work organised can help ease that feeling of being overwhelmed. Break your tasks down into smaller bits and give yourself clear deadlines.

2. Stick to a Study Schedule: Finding a routine that works for you and sticking to it can help keep the anxiety at bay. Work out when and where you study best and make it a habit.

3. Don’t Be Shy, Ask for Help: If you’re struggling with something, asking your teachers for a bit of clarity can go a long way in calming those nerves.

4. Pick Your Battles: Work out which tasks need your immediate attention and which ones can wait. Starting with the most urgent ones can make everything else feel more manageable.

5. Take a Deep Breath: Or several. Mixing in relaxation techniques like deep breathing, meditation, or a bit of exercise can help clear your head and improve your focus.

6. Balance is Key: Don’t forget to mix in things you enjoy alongside your study. Regular breaks and fun activities can be the perfect antidote to study stress.

7. Give Yourself a Pep-Talk: Swap out those nagging negative thoughts with some positivity! Reminding yourself of what you’ve already achieved can give you a nice confidence boost.

8. Lean on Your Squad: Talking things through with family, friends, or even teachers can give you a fresh perspective and some much-needed support. And sometimes, it might be worth chatting with a professional to find new ways to tackle your anxiety.

Final Notes:

Dealing with homework anxiety is definitely a challenge, but it’s one you can overcome with the right approach and support. Keeping an eye out for the warning signs and adopting some of these strategies can help you face your schoolwork with a bit more confidence and a lot less stress. Remember, it’s all about finding that sweet spot between doing your best and taking care of yourself. Here’s to smoother sailing ahead!

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Sometimes kids dread homework because they'd rather be outside playing when they're not at school. But, sometimes a child's resistance to homework is more intense than a typical desire to be having fun, and it can be actually be labeled as homework anxiety: a legitimate condition suffered by some students who feel intense feelings of fear and dread when it comes to doing homework. Read on to learn about what homework anxiety is and whether your child may be suffering from it.

What is Homework Anxiety?

Homework anxiety is a condition in which students stress about and fear homework, often causing them to put homework off until later . It is a self-exacerbating condition because the longer the student puts off the homework, the more anxiety they feel about it, and the more pressure they experience to finish the work with less time. Homework anxiety can cripple some kids who are perfectly capable of doing the work, causing unfinished assignments and grades that slip.

What Causes Homework Anxiety?

There are many causes of homework anxiety, and there can be multiple factors spurring feelings of fear and stress. Some common causes of homework anxiety include:

• Other anxiety issues: Students who tend to suffer anxiety and worry, in general, can begin to associate anxiety with their homework, as well.
• Fear of testing: Often, homework is associated with upcoming tests and quizzes, which affect grades. Students can feel pressure related to being "graded" and avoid homework since it feels weighty and important.
• General school struggle: When students are struggling in school or with grades, they may feel a sense of anxiety about learning and school in general.
• Lack of support: Without a parent, sibling, tutor, or other help at home, students may feel that they won't have the necessary support to complete an assignment.
• Perfectionism: Students who want to perform perfectly in school may get anxious about completing a homework assignment perfectly and, in turn, procrastinate.

Basic Tips for Helping with Homework Anxiety

To help your child with homework anxiety, there are a few basic tips to try. Set time limits for homework, so that students know there is a certain time of the day when they must start and finish assignments. This helps them avoid putting off homework until it feels too rushed and pressured. Make sure your student has support available when doing their work, so they know they'll be able to ask for help if needed. Teaching your child general tips to deal with anxiety can also help, like deep breathing, getting out to take a short walk, or quieting racing thoughts in their mind to help them focus.

How can the Brain Balance Program Help with Homework Anxiety?

Extensive scientific research demonstrates that the brain is malleable, allowing for brain connectivity change and development and creating an opportunity for improvement at any age. Brain Balance has applied this research to develop a program that focuses on building brain connectivity and improving the foundation of development, rather than masking or coping with symptoms.

If you have a child or a teenager who struggles with homework anxiety, an assessment can help to identify key areas for improvement and create an action plan for you and your child. To get started, take our quick, free online assessment by clicking the link below. 

Get started with a plan for your child today.

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Is it time to get rid of homework? Mental health experts weigh in.

It's no secret that kids hate homework. And as students grapple with an ongoing pandemic that has had a wide range of mental health impacts, is it time schools start listening to their pleas about workloads?

Some teachers are turning to social media to take a stand against homework. 

Tiktok user @misguided.teacher says he doesn't assign it because the "whole premise of homework is flawed."

For starters, he says, he can't grade work on "even playing fields" when students' home environments can be vastly different.

"Even students who go home to a peaceful house, do they really want to spend their time on busy work? Because typically that's what a lot of homework is, it's busy work," he says in the video that has garnered 1.6 million likes. "You only get one year to be 7, you only got one year to be 10, you only get one year to be 16, 18."

Mental health experts agree heavy workloads have the potential do more harm than good for students, especially when taking into account the impacts of the pandemic. But they also say the answer may not be to eliminate homework altogether.

Emmy Kang, mental health counselor at Humantold , says studies have shown heavy workloads can be "detrimental" for students and cause a "big impact on their mental, physical and emotional health."

"More than half of students say that homework is their primary source of stress, and we know what stress can do on our bodies," she says, adding that staying up late to finish assignments also leads to disrupted sleep and exhaustion.

Cynthia Catchings, a licensed clinical social worker and therapist at Talkspace , says heavy workloads can also cause serious mental health problems in the long run, like anxiety and depression. 

And for all the distress homework  can cause, it's not as useful as many may think, says Dr. Nicholas Kardaras, a psychologist and CEO of Omega Recovery treatment center.

"The research shows that there's really limited benefit of homework for elementary age students, that really the school work should be contained in the classroom," he says.

For older students, Kang says, homework benefits plateau at about two hours per night. 

"Most students, especially at these high achieving schools, they're doing a minimum of three hours, and it's taking away time from their friends, from their families, their extracurricular activities. And these are all very important things for a person's mental and emotional health."

Catchings, who also taught third to 12th graders for 12 years, says she's seen the positive effects of a no-homework policy while working with students abroad.

"Not having homework was something that I always admired from the French students (and) the French schools, because that was helping the students to really have the time off and really disconnect from school," she says.

The answer may not be to eliminate homework completely but to be more mindful of the type of work students take home, suggests Kang, who was a high school teacher for 10 years.

"I don't think (we) should scrap homework; I think we should scrap meaningless, purposeless busy work-type homework. That's something that needs to be scrapped entirely," she says, encouraging teachers to be thoughtful and consider the amount of time it would take for students to complete assignments.

The pandemic made the conversation around homework more crucial 

Mindfulness surrounding homework is especially important in the context of the past two years. Many students will be struggling with mental health issues that were brought on or worsened by the pandemic , making heavy workloads even harder to balance.

"COVID was just a disaster in terms of the lack of structure. Everything just deteriorated," Kardaras says, pointing to an increase in cognitive issues and decrease in attention spans among students. "School acts as an anchor for a lot of children, as a stabilizing force, and that disappeared."

But even if students transition back to the structure of in-person classes, Kardaras suspects students may still struggle after two school years of shifted schedules and disrupted sleeping habits.

"We've seen adults struggling to go back to in-person work environments from remote work environments. That effect is amplified with children because children have less resources to be able to cope with those transitions than adults do," he explains.

'Get organized' ahead of back-to-school

In order to make the transition back to in-person school easier, Kang encourages students to "get good sleep, exercise regularly (and) eat a healthy diet."

To help manage workloads, she suggests students "get organized."

"There's so much mental clutter up there when you're disorganized. ... Sitting down and planning out their study schedules can really help manage their time," she says.

Breaking up assignments can also make things easier to tackle.

"I know that heavy workloads can be stressful, but if you sit down and you break down that studying into smaller chunks, they're much more manageable."

If workloads are still too much, Kang encourages students to advocate for themselves.

"They should tell their teachers when a homework assignment just took too much time or if it was too difficult for them to do on their own," she says. "It's good to speak up and ask those questions. Respectfully, of course, because these are your teachers. But still, I think sometimes teachers themselves need this feedback from their students."

More: Some teachers let their students sleep in class. Here's what mental health experts say.

More: Some parents are slipping young kids in for the COVID-19 vaccine, but doctors discourage the move as 'risky'

5 Strategies that Reduced My Homework Anxiety

In middle school, I struggled to learn as quickly as most of my classmates. Sometimes, I could not finish all my in-class assignments during the school day. So I added them to my homework folder. As my homework folder thickened, my anxiety increased. Looking back, several strategies helped me get through my homework anxiety. Continue reading this post to learn about five of those methods.

5 Methods to Reduce Homework Anxiety

• I took a 30-minute break after school. After school, I was mentally exhausted. All I wanted to do was eat a snack and watch music videos. My parents allowed me to do one of those things within a 30-minute break between school and homework hours. Because I had that time to do what I wanted , it made me feel rewarded for going to school. It also provided an incentive for me to keep studying.
• I prioritized assignments by their due dates and difficulty levels. In eighth grade, my anxiety was terrible due to the school workload. I was taking algebra, biology, and U.S. history. I was decent at math but terrible at science and history. Most nights, the history readings took me several hours to complete. So, unless I had an upcoming test or a big paper for another subject due the next day, I always worked on history assignments first.
• I worked on assignments in 30-minute chunks.   Inattentive attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)  and visual processing issues made it difficult for me to focus on reading for long periods. By working in 30-minute intervals, I was able to absorb a good amount of information and then take a five-minute break before continuing the assignment. I tried to do this for every assignment I had.
• I took an hour-long break. While working on assignments in 30-minute intervals helped me feel like I was making progress, I needed an incentive to keep going. So after about two hours of studying time, my parents allowed me to have an hour-long break. During that time, I ate dinner with my family and watched a TV show. This was a nice distraction from all the work I still had to finish. By the time my break ended, I felt ready to finish my assignments for the night.
• I asked my parents and teachers for help. My parents assisted me with homework when I had questions or needed someone to quiz me. When I could not complete all of my homework before bedtime, they wrote letters to my teachers explaining that I did my best but could not finish all the work.

The next day, my special education teacher helped me finish the assignments from the previous night. She also helped me create a homework schedule. Having been stigmatized for my learning disabilities , I felt ashamed for asking my parents and teachers for help. But ultimately, it was the best solution for my mental health and academic success. In high school, I still needed help with homework, particularly for U.S. history. However, I was able to create my own schedule and complete all of my assignments on time.

APA Reference Lueck, M. (2022, September 26). 5 Strategies that Reduced My Homework Anxiety, HealthyPlace. Retrieved on 2024, May 19 from https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/toughtimes/2022/9/5-strategies-that-reduced-my-homework-anxiety

Author: Martha Lueck

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2024 HealthyPlace Inc. All Rights Reserved. Site last updated May 19, 2024

The Truth About Homework Stress: What Parents & Students Need to Know

• Fact Checked

Written by:

published on:

• December 21, 2023

Updated on:

• January 9, 2024

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Homework is generally given out to ensure that students take time to review and remember the days lessons. It can help improve on a student’s general performance and enhance traits like self-discipline and independent problem solving.

Parents are able to see what their children are doing in school, while also helping teachers determine how well the lesson material is being learned. Homework is quite beneficial when used the right way and can improve student  performance.

This well intentioned practice can turn sour if it’s not handled the right way. Studies show that if a student is inundated with too much homework, not only do they get lower scores, but they are more likely to get stressed.

The age at which homework stress is affecting students is getting lower, some even as low as kindergarten. Makes you wonder what could a five year old possibly need to review as homework?

One of the speculated reasons for this stress is that the complexity of what a student is expected to learn is increasing, while the breaks for working out excess energy are reduced. Students are getting significantly more homework than recommended by the education leaders, some even nearly three times more.

To make matters worse, teachers may give homework that is both time consuming and will keep students busy while being totally non-productive.

Remedial work like telling students to copy notes word for word from their text books will  do nothing to improve their grades or help them progress. It just adds unnecessary stress.

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Effects of homework stress at home

Both parents and students tend to get stressed out at the beginning of a new school year due to the impending arrival of homework.

Nightly battles centered on finishing assignments are a household routine in houses with students.

Research has found that too much homework can negatively affect children. In creating a lack of balance between play time and time spent doing homework, a child can get headaches, sleep deprivation or even ulcers.

And homework stress doesn’t just impact grade schoolers. College students are also affected, and the stress is affecting their academic performance.

Even the parent’s confidence in their abilities to help their children with homework suffers due increasing stress levels in the household.

Fights and conflict over homework are more likely in families where parents do not have at least a college degree. When the child needs assistance, they have to turn to their older siblings who might already be bombarded with their own homework.

Parents who have a college degree feel more confident in approaching the school and discussing the appropriate amount of school work.

“It seems that homework being assigned discriminates against parents who don’t have college degree, parents who have English as their second language and against parents who are poor.” Said Stephanie Donaldson Pressman, the contributing editor of the study and clinical director of the New England Center for Pediatric Psychology.

With all the stress associated with homework, it’s not surprising that some parents have opted not to let their children do homework. Parents that have instituted a no-homework policy have stated that it has taken a lot of the stress out of their evenings.

The recommended amount homework

The standard endorsed by the National Education Association is called the “10 minute rule”; 10 minutes per grade level per night. This recommendation was made after a number of studies were done on the effects of too much homework on families.

The 10 minute rule basically means 10 minutes of homework in the first grade, 20 minute for the second grade all the way up to 120 minutes for senior year in high school. Note that no homework is endorsed in classes under the first grade.

Parents reported first graders were spending around half an hour on homework each night, and kindergarteners spent 25 minutes a night on assignments according to a study carried out by Brown University.

Making a five year old sit still for half an hour is very difficult as they are at the age where they just want to move around and play.

A child who is exposed to 4-5 hours of homework after school is less likely to find the time to go out and play with their friends, which leads to accumulation of stress energy in the body.

Their social life also suffers because between the time spent at school and doing homework, a child will hardly have the time to pursue hobbies. They may also develop a negative attitude towards learning.

The research highlighted that 56% of students consider homework a primary source of stress.

And if you’re curious how the U.S stacks up against other countries in regards to how much time children spend on homework, it’s pretty high on the list .

Signs to look out for on a student that has homework stress

Since not every student is affected by homework stress in the same way, it’s important to be aware of some of the signs your child might be mentally drained from too much homework.

Here are some common signs of homework stress:

• Sleep disturbances
• Frequent stomachaches and headaches
• Decreased appetite or changed eating habits
• New or recurring fears
• Not able to relax
• Regressing to behavior they had when younger
• Bursts of anger crying or whining
• Becoming withdrawn while others may become clingy
• Drastic changes in academic performance
• Having trouble concentrating or completing homework
• Constantly complains about their ability to do homework

If you’re a parent and notice any of these signs in your child, step in to find out what’s going on and if homework is the source of their stress.

If you’re a student, pay attention if you start experiencing any of these symptoms as a result of your homework load. Don’t be afraid to ask your teacher or parents for help if the stress of homework becomes too much for you.

What parents do wrong when it comes to homework stress

Most parents push their children to do more and be more, without considering the damage being done by this kind of pressure.

Some think that homework brought home is always something the children can deal with on their own. If the child cannot handle their homework then these parents get angry and make the child feel stupid.

This may lead to more arguing and increased dislike of homework in the household. Ultimately the child develops an even worse attitude towards homework.

Another common mistake parents make is never questioning the amount of homework their children get, or how much time they spend on it. It’s easy to just assume whatever the teacher assigned is adequate, but as we mentioned earlier, that’s not always the case.

Be proactive and involved with your child’s homework. If you notice they’re spending hours every night on homework, ask them about it. Just because they don’t complain doesn’t mean there isn’t a problem.

How can parents help?

• While every parent wants their child to become successful and achieve the very best, it’s important to pull back on the mounting pressure and remember that they’re still just kids. They need time out to release their stress and connect with other children.
• Many children may be afraid to admit that they’re overwhelmed by homework because they might be misconstrued as failures. The best thing a parent can do is make home a safe place for children to express themselves freely. You can do this by lending a listening ear and not judging your kids.
• Parents can also take the initiative to let the school know that they’re unhappy with the amount of homework being given. Even if you don’t feel comfortable complaining, you can approach the school through the parent-teacher association available and request your representative to plead your case.
• It may not be all the subjects that are causing your child to get stressed. Parents should find out if there is a specific subject of homework that is causing stress. You could also consult with other parents to see what they can do to fix the situation. It may be the amount or the content that causes stress, so the first step is identifying the problem.
• Work with your child to create a schedule for getting homework done on time. You can set a specific period of time for homework, and schedule time for other activities too. Strike a balance between work and play.
• Understanding that your child is stressed about homework doesn’t mean you have to allow them not to try. Let them sit down and work on it as much as they’re able to, and recruit help from the older siblings or a neighbor if possible.
• Check out these resources to help your child with their homework .

The main idea here is to not abolish homework completely, but to review the amount and quality of homework being given out. Stress, depression and lower grades are the last things parents want for their children.

The schools and parents need to work together to find a solution to this obvious problem.

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How to Prevent Anxiety From Causing Procrastination

Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital.

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How Anxiety Causes Procrastination

Dealing with perfectionism.

• Coping When You're Overwhelmed

Overcoming Fear

Procrastination can be a common problem for many people with anxiety-related conditions, including panic disorder . There are numerous symptoms of panic disorder and common anxious personality traits that can contribute to procrastination.

Listed here are some obstacles that may get in the way of your progress toward your goals and responsibilities. Read through them and consider if you are allowing these potential roadblocks to lead to procrastination.

Anxiety can lead to procrastination for a number of different reasons. Some of these include:

Perfectionism

Having an anxiety disorder puts one at risk of perfectionism . While it might seem like this perfectionism is a positive attribute, having such high standards can increase the risk of procrastination. Perfectionism can cause you to:

• Feel defeated when things don't turn out exactly how you wanted them
• Put off tasks because you know you don't have the time or energy to do them to your standards
• Engage in poor reasoning and self-talk, including the use of "should" statements (“I should complete this task perfectly or not at all.”)
• Experience self-criticism that derails your efforts to achieve your goals

Worrying can also keep you from accomplishing your tasks and goals. Sometimes our worry about the end results will keep us from completing certain responsibilities.

For example, you may put off going through your bills out of worry about if you will be able to pay them. Perhaps you have been putting off certain self-care activities or talking to your doctor about panic disorder because you are nervous about the outcome of these tasks.

Perfectionism also can lead to procrastination when you need to have everything line up perfectly before you feel ready to work on a particular task. You may always be waiting for the “perfect time” to start working on a goal.

Feeling Overwhelmed

When faced with a large task, it is easy to feel discouraged by the amount of work ahead. Procrastination can be a sign that you simply don’t know where to begin. Putting things off may temporarily make you feel better, but in the long run, it will most likely add more stress and anxiety to your life.

Fear and Low Self-Esteem

Sometimes we are held back by our own negative beliefs and overpowering fears. People with anxiety disorders are often prone to poor self-esteem and can find it difficult to overcome negative thinking patterns.

Self-doubt and fear can make you feel that you will fail at reaching your goals. For example, you may jump to conclusions , believing that you don’t have the skills needed to accomplish your goals.

Fortunately, there are strategies you can use to help deal with worry and perfectionism that contribute to procrastination:

• Don't wait for perfection: When you are dealing with anxiety, you might find yourself putting off tasks until you feel like you have all of the tools, information, or time to do them perfectly. By waiting for everything to be in order, you are actually putting off any progress and giving in to procrastination.
• Notice your worries and perfectionist tendencies : To begin to move past these issues, start thinking about how worry and perfectionism may be holding you back.
• Get comfortable with making mistakes : Give yourself permission to make some mistakes. Assess if perfection is necessary and even possible.
• Tackle tasks instead of worrying about them : It can be helpful to just get started on a stressful task rather than continue to worry about it.

The more we put things off, the more anxious we begin to feel about them. Think about what tasks you have been avoiding and begin to take action towards completing them. You may be surprised by how less anxious you feel when you begin to work on your goals and responsibilities.

Coping When You're Overwhelmed

At times when you feel overwhelmed and uncertain of where to begin, just start somewhere.

Pick out one small thing that you can complete toward accomplishing your larger goal. It may be helpful to list out the many small steps that will lead up to accomplishing a greater task.

In order to get started:

• Look at the big picture
• Examine all of the steps that are involved in completing the task
• Make a list of steps and the order in which they must be completed
• Estimate how long each step will take
• Set a timer and work on the project for a specific period of time
• Write them down and track your progress

Goals often become much more manageable when you break them down into smaller parts.

To get past your personal fears or negative self-concepts, begin to assess if you really do not have the skill set needed to complete a specific task.

To get started, ask yourself these questions:

• Can you learn and develop these necessary skills on your own?
• Is there a way you can delegate your tasks?
• Do you know anyone you can recruit to help out?
• Is it possible to hire someone to assist with getting the job done?

For example, let's say you have a goal of doing more physical exercise , but fear and self-consciousness keep you from going to the gym. Is it possible that you can ask a trusted friend to go with you? Does the gym offer a guide or trainer to help you become more efficient in using the equipment? Or maybe you would be more comfortable exercising at home.

When fear and low self-esteem are leading to procrastination, try to push past negative thinking and find creative ways to accomplish your goals.

A Word From Verywell

Anxiety can contribute to procrastination for a variety of reasons. Perfectionism often plays a role, but sometimes people just feel overwhelmed by the task before them. Fear and poor self-esteem can also contribute to procrastination.

The problem with using procrastination as a way to avoid the things that are making you anxious is that it makes anxiety worse in the long-run. Instead of waiting until the last minute, and adding even more stress to your life, finding ways to deal with anxiety and overcome the urge to procrastinate is a more effective response.

Breaking up tasks into smaller steps and taking it one step at a time can be effective solutions, but experiment to find what works for you. Many people find that setting a time and just getting started can lead to the progress they need to lessen anxiety and get things done.

Press Play for Advice On Dealing With Procrastination

Hosted by therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast shares ways to stop procrastinating. Click below to listen now.

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Kelly J. Your best life: perfectionism--the bane of happiness . Clin Orthop Relat Res . 2015;473(10):3108-11. doi:10.1007%2Fs11999-015-4279-9

De palo V, Monacis L, Miceli S, Sinatra M, Di nuovo S. Decisional procrastination in academic settings: the role of metacognitions and learning strategies . Front Psychol . 2017;8:973. doi:10.3389%2Ffpsyg.2017.00973

Henriksen I, Ranøyen I, Indredavik M, Stenseng F. The role of self-esteem in the development of psychiatric problems: a three-year prospective study in a clinical sample of adolescents . Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health . 2017;11:68. doi:10.1186%2Fs13034-017-0207-y

By Katharina Star, PhD Katharina Star, PhD, is an expert on anxiety and panic disorder. Dr. Star is a professional counselor, and she is trained in creative art therapies and mindfulness. 

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Work Gives Me Anxiety – What Should I Do?

Declutter The Mind at Work team

Published: August 17, 2022

You spend eight hours at your job daily feeling stressed and overwhelmed by difficult colleagues, a heavy workload, and being overseen as if you’ve done something wrong. With mass layoffs becoming more prevalent, it’s normal to feel a sense of tension at work. However, it’s essential to understand the difference between stress that challenges you to grow and stress that deteriorates you. So, if you’ve concluded that work gives me anxiety, you’ll want to continue reading this article to find your way out of this feeling, so you can enjoy doing your work with as little drama as possible.

Identifying work anxiety

Workplace anxiety has several symptoms that you should identify and then resolve for the sake of your mental health. In general terms, a job anxiety disorder manifests itself through nervousness. You may feel a deep fear for your future. You repeat to yourself: “work gives me anxiety,” but you can’t get out of this situation. Job anxiety negatively affects your physical, mental, and emotional health while worsening your job satisfaction. You might start sleeping poorly. You maintain poor nutritional quality, and you are unwilling to exercise. You think you will lose your job and damage your financial situation. You avoid social interaction and don’t even want to communicate with your closest friends or family.

Work anxiety sufferers don’t enjoy their jobs and aren’t as enthusiastic about their daily tasks as they used to be. Worst of all, work performance begins to drop and they begin to distrust their ability. As a result, your relationship with your boss becomes strained, and you experience job competition with sadness, whereas in the past, it used to excite you. So if you are experiencing these factors, you should know that you can overcome this circumstance. The first thing you must do is to be aware of this situation and trust yourself to make the necessary positive changes.

1. Overcome work anxiety by working on yourself

You can overcome work anxiety if you work on yourself. Try to be comfortable and calm in the privacy of your home to start feeling good about yourself . Whether you need to stop panic attacks, deal with things in your personal life, or learn to handle so much stress to improve your anxiety disorder, making changes in your life to improve your well being will help you get back to feeling completely normal. You can start applying the following strategies to eliminate work anxiety to improve your mental health.

2. Breathe well

Try to do breathing exercises before and after work. First, lie down on your bed and take five deep breaths. Then, inhale through your nose, hold your breath and then exhale through your mouth. Guided meditation for anxiety can be a game-changer for you, but you don’t need to find a meditation that exactly matches your problem. For example, it’s possible that a loving-kindness meditation can help you practice the self care you need to heal from your anxiety disorder. A body scan meditation might help you become aware of where anxiety sits in your body when you’re feeling like “work gives me anxiety.” You can check out the Declutter The Mind app for countless meditations for you to try out.

Declutter The Mind is a meditation app for your workplace to help make your team happier and culture healthier. In an average 9-to-5 work day, just 5 minutes of mindfulness meditation can release stress, improve focus, and boost creativity. For your company, a more mindful team means better workplace culture and teamwork.

3. Listen to good quality music

Sometimes, you’re not ready to talk to a mental health professional. Maybe you think the anxiety disorders you’re developing from your job aren’t a big enough deal yet. Fortunately, you can turn to music to alleviate some of your mental health problems. High-quality music such as classical music positively influences your mood and can deeply relax you. You can also choose genres such as jazz or bossa nova. Alternatively, you can listen to a list of positive songs or even songs about anxiety to help you find music you relate to or allows you to just enjoy life again. Listening to positive music at work can also help you get through a stressful job.

4. Organize your activities

One of the reasons for work anxiety is feeling overwhelmed by the number of activities to do. You can solve this by organizing your tasks. So sit down quietly and start writing down your work priorities in a new document on your computer, or if you prefer, you can write them down in a notebook. This simple exercise will control your activities, preventing you from being overwhelmed by circumstances. You can also use a free tool like Google Keep to organize all your tasks, so you can stop feeling anxiety at work.

5. Make the most of your spare time

You should dedicate your free time after work, during vacations, or on weekends to your enjoyment. Don’t think about anything related to your anxiety at work. Instead, you can entertain yourself on social networks, talk to a friend, read a favorite genre novel, go hiking, etc. Your workplace doesn’t pay you to think about your job after hours. So, use your free time to focus on your mental health, recharge your batteries, improve your physical symptoms, and combat any work-related stress.

6. Do activities that give you pleasure

Remember all the things you like to do and put them into practice. Cooking, doing crossword puzzles, and going out with your friends are activities that are good for your soul. So prioritize your well-being, which will reflect a good quality of life. Your mental health will always worsen when you put your own interests in second place. Whether you have a mental illness or simply begin feeling anxious at work, you need to invest in things that lift you up and make you happy.

Focus on your overall health

Positively address your work anxiety by focusing your attention on your overall health. Once your health is balanced, your relationship with work will improve significantly.

1. Eat properly

Good nutrition is essential for you to feel good both physically and mentally. If you are well nourished, it will be reflected in a balanced behavior. Eat lean meats, cereals, fruits, vegetables, and seeds. And drink plenty of water. Mindful eating will be particularly helpful for you. You can do this during your lunch break, especially if you have a social anxiety disorder when eating alone in a cafeteria. You can practice a mindful eating meditation using the Declutter The Mind app during your lunch break, so you can be mindful and enjoy your lunch time meal while separating your anxiety and depression association from your break.

2. Do physical activity

Physical activity is a powerful antidepressant, especially for those who experience anxiety at work. Choose a physical activity that you enjoy and stay consistent throughout the year. Any activity is valid: dancing, swimming, biking, running, walking. Consider playing a sport. Doing this will help you shake out an anxious feelings within you, so you can get a good night sleep or get ready for the day ahead of you. Those with anxiety disorders who regularly exercise can often minimize their symptoms (even though sometimes it doesn’t feel like it).

3. Sleep well

Get used to going to sleep at a particular time. Try to sleep between 7 and 8 hours every night. Maintain correct sleep hygiene throughout the year. Do not go to sleep with your cell phone, notebook, or tablet. Electronic devices interrupt the sleep cycle. If you notice you’ve been struggling with insomnia , cutting out carbohydrates might help you sleep better. A meditation for sleep can also help you wind down at night, by hearing a relaxing voice to guide you to sleep, especially if you struggle with anxious thoughts.

4. Avoid harmful habits

Harmful habits such as smoking, drinking alcohol in excess, and consuming illegal substances harm your psychological balance. The best thing you can do is never to start consuming any harmful substance or reach out to someone to help you quit. The good thing to know is that there are multiple ways to quit an addiction, it’s not a one size fits all sort of thing. So work with an addictions therapist who can educate you on different recovery methods, so you can pick one that works for you.

5. Cultivate your social life

Get into the habit of hanging out with friends, talk openly about what is going on with people you trust, and care about others. This will make you feel useful and at peace with yourself.

Overcoming anxiety while at work

When you’re thinking “work gives me anxiety” it’s time to work with smart strategies to help you overcome it. When faced with a stressful situation at work, take control of yourself and feel capable of mastering any situation.

1. Adopt a contemplative attitude

When you start to feel anxious at work, start observing yourself and the situation you are facing. A difficult situation at work does not manifest itself through no fault of your own but through a set of factors completely unrelated to you. This attitude will keep you away from problems, and you will begin to focus positively on yourself.

2. Do stretching exercises.

Different stretching exercises for the neck, back, and shoulders do not require specific clothing. Go to the bathroom of your office or any other place where you are alone and stretch your muscles. You will feel balanced immediately.

3. Decrease your coffee consumption

Coffee is a delicious herbal tea, but it tends to make you too alert. Reduce your intake a little so you don’t feel so nervous when faced with insignificant situations. If you can, don’t drink coffee during working hours.

4. Talk to a co-worker

When you feel “work gives me anxiety”, start talking to a co-worker with whom you feel confident. Good communication with the other will make you feel good because you will feel accompanied.

5. Don’t trust your thoughts

Sometimes the mind can betray you by filling you with negative thoughts. When they appear, be aware that they do not deserve your attention. However, these thoughts do not express any objective truth as your stress and nervousness drive them. The best decision is to disqualify them and ignore them.

Change your perspective on work

Work is an essential part of life and deserves to be lived in the best possible way. If you feel that “work gives me anxiety,” it is time to change your belief system regarding this specific issue. Instead, apply the following strategies to have a good concept of work, in general, to reflect it in your daily well-being.

1. Work is important, but it is not everything

You feel that a problem in that area unbalances your whole life. A fulfilling life requires good health, satisfying interpersonal relationships, and high-quality leisure time. Try to take care of all aspects of your life, as good health and satisfying interpersonal relationships will support you in difficult times.

2. Work does not encompass your entire identity

You as a human being are valuable for multiple factors, not only for your job performance.

3. Work is also a source of happiness

Maybe you associate work with obligations, money, and the bills you must pay; that’s why you feel anxious about it. Work should be a source of personal satisfaction, where you can give the best of yourself.

4. Remember the good things your job has given you

When you have negative feelings about work, remember the good things it has given you: friends, personal fulfillment, goals achieved, etc.

5. Work is not the only source of income

You believe that work is the only source of income that exists. You think that if you have a job problem, you will lose your job and, therefore, your source of income. You can get money from other sources: sell objects you don’t use, monetize your social networks, etc. That does not mean you should quit your job, but understand that money can come from different sources.

When you feel “work gives me anxiety,” it is because you have lost control of yourself. The above strategies will help you control your behavior and life in general. You will be able to master your character and not allow external circumstances to affect your mood.

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Homework Struggles May Not Be a Behavior Problem

Exploring some options to understand and help..

Posted August 2, 2022 | Reviewed by Abigail Fagan

• Mental health challenges and neurodevelopmental differences directly affect children's ability to do homework.
• Understanding what difficulties are getting in the way—beyond the usual explanation of a behavior problem—is key.
• Sleep and mental health needs can take priority over homework completion.

Chelsea was in 10th grade the first time I told her directly to stop doing her homework and get some sleep. I had been working with her since she was in middle school, treating her anxiety disorder. She deeply feared disappointing anyone—especially her teachers—and spent hours trying to finish homework perfectly. The more tired and anxious she got, the harder it got for her to finish the assignments.

One night Chelsea called me in despair, feeling hopeless. She was exhausted and couldn’t think straight. She felt like a failure and that she was a burden to everyone because she couldn’t finish her homework.

She was shocked when I told her that my prescription for her was to go to sleep now—not to figure out how to finish her work. I told her to leave her homework incomplete and go to sleep. We briefly discussed how we would figure it out the next day, with her mom and her teachers. At that moment, it clicked for her that it was futile to keep working—because nothing was getting done.

This was an inflection point for her awareness of when she was emotionally over-cooked and when she needed to stop and take a break or get some sleep. We repeated versions of this phone call several times over the course of her high school and college years, but she got much better at being able to do this for herself most of the time.

When Mental Health Symptoms Interfere with Homework

Kids with mental health or neurodevelopmental challenges often struggle mightily with homework. Challenges can come up in every step of the homework process, including, but not limited to:

• Remembering and tracking assignments and materials
• Getting the mental energy/organization to start homework
• Filtering distractions enough to persist with assignments
• Understanding unspoken or implied parts of the homework
• Remembering to bring finished homework to class
• Being in class long enough to know the material
• Tolerating the fear of not knowing or failing
• Not giving up the assignment because of a panic attack
• Tolerating frustration—such as not understanding—without emotional dysregulation
• Being able to ask for help—from a peer or a teacher and not being afraid to reach out

This list is hardly comprehensive. ADHD , autism spectrum disorder, social anxiety , generalized anxiety, panic disorder, depression , dysregulation, and a range of other neurodevelopmental and mental health challenges cause numerous learning differences and symptoms that can specifically and frequently interfere with getting homework done.

The Usual Diagnosis for Homework Problems is "Not Trying Hard Enough"

Unfortunately, when kids frequently struggle to meet homework demands, teachers and parents typically default to one explanation of the problem: The child is making a choice not to do their homework. That is the default “diagnosis” in classrooms and living rooms. And once this framework is drawn, the student is often seen as not trying hard enough, disrespectful, manipulative, or just plain lazy.

The fundamental disconnect here is that the diagnosis of homework struggles as a behavioral choice is, in fact, only one explanation, while there are so many other diagnoses and differences that impair children's ability to consistently do their homework. If we are trying to create solutions based on only one understanding of the problem, the solutions will not work. More devastatingly, the wrong solutions can worsen the child’s mental health and their long-term engagement with school and learning.

To be clear, we aren’t talking about children who sometimes struggle with or skip homework—kids who can change and adapt their behaviors and patterns in response to the outcomes of that struggle. For this discussion, we are talking about children with mental health and/or neurodevelopmental symptoms and challenges that create chronic difficulties with meeting homework demands.

How Can You Help a Child Who Struggles with Homework?

How can you help your child who is struggling to meet homework demands because of their ADHD, depression, anxiety, OCD , school avoidance, or any other neurodevelopmental or mental health differences? Let’s break this down into two broad areas—things you can do at home, and things you can do in communication with the school.

Helping at Home

The following suggestions for managing school demands at home can feel counterintuitive to parents—because we usually focus on helping our kids to complete their tasks. But mental health needs jump the line ahead of task completion. And starting at home will be key to developing an idea of what needs to change at school.

• Set an end time in the evening after which no more homework will be attempted. Kids need time to decompress and they need sleep—and pushing homework too close to or past bedtime doesn’t serve their educational needs. Even if your child hasn’t been able to approach the homework at all, even if they have avoided and argued the whole evening, it is still important for everyone to have a predictable time to shut down the whole process.
• If there are arguments almost every night about homework, if your child isn’t starting homework or finishing it, reframe it from failure into information. It’s data to put into problem-solving. We need to consider other possible explanations besides “behavioral choice” when trying to understand the problem and create effective solutions. What problems are getting in the way of our child’s meeting homework demands that their peers are meeting most of the time?
• Try not to argue about homework. If you can check your own anxiety and frustration, it can be more productive to ally with your child and be curious with them. Kids usually can’t tell you a clear “why” but maybe they can tell you how they are feeling and what they are thinking. And if your child can’t talk about it or just keeps saying “I don't know,” try not to push. Come back another time. Rushing, forcing, yelling, and threatening will predictably not help kids do homework.

Helping at School

The second area to explore when your neurodiverse child struggles frequently with homework is building communication and connections with school and teachers. Some places to focus on include the following.

• Label your child’s diagnoses and break down specific symptoms for the teachers and school team. Nonjudgmental, but specific language is essential for teachers to understand your child’s struggles. Breaking their challenges down into the problems specific to homework can help with building solutions. As your child gets older, help them identify their difficulties and communicate them to teachers.
• Let teachers and the school team know that your child’s mental health needs—including sleep—take priority over finishing homework. If your child is always struggling to complete homework and get enough sleep, or if completing homework is leading to emotional meltdowns every night, adjusting their homework demands will be more successful than continuing to push them into sleep deprivation or meltdowns.
• Request a child study team evaluation to determine if your child qualifies for services under special education law such as an IEP, or accommodations through section 504—and be sure that homework adjustments are included in any plan. Or if such a plan is already in place, be clear that modification of homework expectations needs to be part of it.

The Long-Term Story

I still work with Chelsea and she recently mentioned how those conversations so many years ago are still part of how she approaches work tasks or other demands that are spiking her anxiety when she finds herself in a vortex of distress. She stops what she is doing and prioritizes reducing her anxiety—whether it’s a break during her day or an ending to the task for the evening. She sees that this is crucial to managing her anxiety in her life and still succeeding at what she is doing.

Task completion at all costs is not a solution for kids with emotional needs. Her story (and the story of many of my patients) make this crystal clear.

Candida Fink, M.D. , is board certified in child/adolescent and general psychiatry. She practices in New York and has co-authored two books— The Ups and Downs of Raising a Bipolar Child and Bipolar Disorder for Dummies.

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