Office Anxiety Triggers

[Kneghx]

So I just started a job in an office a few weeks ago. They sat me in a cubicle but their cubicles are actually those half cubicles where you only have 2 walls. Anyway, the cubicle floor is surrounded by the offices, so all day I have sustained low level anxiety because I know there could be someone behind me watching me from their office window. Furthermore, there's a lot of foot traffic in this office. So people are always walking back and forth. So there are always people moving in my periphery which makes me extremely anxious. Put these things together and you've got a recipe for 3-5 anxiety attacks per week. I sometimes wear headphones and listen to an audiobook, this allows me to be focused enough on the story that I lose awareness of whatever is happening in my peripheral vision. There are 2 problems with this though. 1. If someone needs to talk to me I get snapped out of my focus very abruptly (another anxiety trigger). 2. Not all my work is mindless enough to do this. If i need to concentrate on my work I can't listen to my book BUT my work is never so requiring of concentration that it can drown out other thoughts or senses. Lastly, the management so far hasn't been very accepting to requests like additional walls or cubicle curtains. Anyone have any ideas?

 

[Vanilla]

If it's preventing you from being able to do your job, and is causing you that much anxiety, it's obviously both bad for your work, and your health. Perhaps you need to advise your manager/ boss that you are experiencing anxiety. If you give them good reason as to why you require a 3rd wall, maybe they'll be more willing to listen.

 

[walkerbretm]

Depending on your locale they may have to provide the additional wall. In the United States the ADA requires reasonable accommodations that is if you want to tell your employer about your AS.

 

[Kneghx]

Hi Vanilla and walkerbretm. Thanks for the post. It's been one day and I already love this community. Everyone is so friendly and the forums are so active.

Anyway, I'm concerned about doing that because technically this is a contract position. So I have the job as a third party contractor for 6 months. At the end of that time they have the option to renew my contract or hire me on as a full employee. But they have no legal obligation to do so and since non-renewal doesn't legally count as being "fired" I would have no legal recourse either. It took me over 5 months to find a job and I can't afford to take any chances with it.

 

[Vanilla]

Hmm...if you'd rather not tell them, it's a bit trickier. Are you able to move your desk within your cubicle to another spot?

 

[Kneghx]

Unfortunately the desk/cubicle/cabinets/drawers that constitute my work space are one interconnected unit. There's no rearranging of them

 

[Vanilla]

Unfortunately the desk/cubicle/cabinets/drawers that constitute my work space are one interconnected unit. There's no rearranging of them

Hmm...I'm afraid you'd either have to tell them, or learn to adjust. If you're hoping to stay there past the contract though I imagine you'd want to be comfortable, so it's up to you. If you're worried, perhaps you can find an advocate to assist you in speaking to your employer/ temp agent.

 

[Kneghx]

Well then I guess the question is, how do I learn to deal with this?

 

[Vanilla]

Maybe use a mirror to allow you to see directly behind yourself as you work?

 

[Judge]

Been there. Being in a cubicle where people were facing my back. Ugh.

Being a contractor and not an employee. More ugh.

I still recall the brief elation I once felt being placed in a cubicle with a wall to my back. Didn't last long, the management seemed to love playing "musical chairs" with us.

Yeah...so simple. Having a mirror or reflective surface of some kind would have lessened my anxiety. Odd I didn't think of it back then. But back then I was often in denial of my anxiety as well.

 

[142857]

I worked with a guy last year who set up a couple of rear-view mirrors next to his monitors so that he could see people coming up behind him.

Some people find noise-cancelling headphones helpful. I tend to listen to the same music over and over. People used to ask me why I never changed the CD, I would tell them that then I'd be listening to the music, but the same music over and over is like "white noise" used to keep out distractions and annoyances.

 

[MoCoffee]

I have this problem in restaurants too. If I have a choice I sit in the corner with my back against the wall. I used to hate it when people would stand behind me at work. I would get all flustered and make mistakes because my hands would shake so much.

 

[Vanilla]

I worked with a guy last year who set up a couple of rear-view mirrors next to his monitors so that he could see people coming up behind him.

Some people find noise-cancelling headphones helpful. I tend to listen to the same music over and over. People used to ask me why I never changed the CD, I would tell them that then I'd be listening to the music, but the same music over and over is like "white noise" used to keep out distractions and annoyances.

Haha, I do that too. My sister can't understand how I can listen to the same songs over and over again, or why I like soundtrack music. No lyrics, makes thinking to myself easier, and it can actually help my thinking, if the song is a good, stimulating one.

 

[Spinning Compass]

So I just started a job in an office a few weeks ago. They sat me in a cubicle but their cubicles are actually those half cubicles where you only have 2 walls. Anyway, the cubicle floor is surrounded by the offices, so all day I have sustained low level anxiety because I know there could be someone behind me watching me from their office window. Furthermore, there's a lot of foot traffic in this office. So people are always walking back and forth. So there are always people moving in my periphery which makes me extremely anxious. Put these things together and you've got a recipe for 3-5 anxiety attacks per week. I sometimes wear headphones and listen to an audiobook, this allows me to be focused enough on the story that I lose awareness of whatever is happening in my peripheral vision. There are 2 problems with this though. 1. If someone needs to talk to me I get snapped out of my focus very abruptly (another anxiety trigger). 2. Not all my work is mindless enough to do this. If i need to concentrate on my work I can't listen to my book BUT my work is never so requiring of concentration that it can drown out other thoughts or senses. Lastly, the management so far hasn't been very accepting to requests like additional walls or cubicle curtains. Anyone have any ideas?

Are you sure you don't work down the cube row from me? Because it sure sounds like my office! And there isn't much that can be done about it, either. Lately we've been having a problem with visitors coming into our cube farm and having loud, disruptive conversations. One of my coworkers went and made up some signs which she put on the doors that asked people to please be considerate. OMG. You would think that she asked something totally unreasonable from the reaction she got. "That's so childish." "So petty." People were actually OFFENDED to be reminded that others were working and that their conversations were distracting. I feel for you. And it's always worse when you are under stress.