Work Makes Me Nervous: Overcome Anxiety and Build the Confidence to Succeed

It is estimated that one of out every eight people suffers from social anxiety. While we all admit being nervous at one point or another, social anxiety sufferers create obsessive feelings of worry and stress which actually threaten their professional and physical wellbeing. Even worse, the causes of social anxiety are most intense in the workplace, where it is rarely acknowledged and constantly overlooked. The ‘triggers’ of anxiety in a workplace environment are endless: meetings, brainstorming, sexual orientation, deadlines, the office dress code, and most commonly, public speaking.

Work Makes Me Nervous: How to Overcome Anxiety and Build the Confidence to Succeed (Wiley; September 2010; $24.95) offers a psychotherapy-based program for conquering public speaking and workplace anxiety. Together, the two authors tell both sides of the story:  Jonathan Berent, LCSW, has been a pioneer in the treatment of workplace anxiety for the past 30 years; writer Amy Lemley is a former workplace anxiety sufferer.

Work Makes Me Nervous poses a simple question to anxiety sufferers: What if you could live the rest of your life and career free of social anxiety fears?

By using Work Makes Me Nervous as a “personal coaching system” for 21 days, you will conquer your nervousness and fears at work. Four essential steps build the premise of the system and the book delves into specific exercises to help overcome anxieties.

1. Clarify your motivation. Why do you want to change? Get a better job? Improve your health?
2. Diagnose your anxiety symptoms and use them to create change. Do you blush? Sweat? Stutter or feel ill?
3. Develop a high performance mind. High performers are proactive, anxiety sufferers are reactive.
4. Master the five step adrenaline control technique. You will learn to surf the wave of adrenaline that comes with anxiety and control it within seconds.

Work Makes Me Nervous is filled with real stories of real people who suffer from workplace anxiety. Their occupations may surprise you: Fortune 500 CEO’s, athletes, lawyers, and even major celebrities are victims of workplace anxiety.