Performance Anxiety at Work: Contributors and Practical Ways to Manage It

Feeling anxious before a big presentation, worrying about making a mistake in front of colleagues, or experiencing a steady undercurrent of dread about performance reviews—these are common experiences in the workplace. Performance-related anxiety is rarely just about a single event. It reflects a mix of personal tendencies, learned beliefs, situational pressures, and physiological responses. Below is a concise, research-informed overview of common contributors to workplace performance anxiety and practical approaches that research supports.

Here are some particular contributors to work-related performance anxiety:

• Perfectionism and self-critical standards. Perfectionistic self-presentation and harsh self-evaluation increase fear of mistakes and amplify anxiety before tasks that are judged by others (Hewitt & Flett, 1991).

• Fear of negative evaluation and social-evaluative concerns. Worry about being judged—particularly in public or evaluative contexts—lies at the core of social performance anxiety (Clark & Wells, 1995; Rapee & Heimberg, 1997).

• Imposter feelings. Persistent beliefs that one is a fraud despite evidence of competence (impostor phenomenon) are linked to stress and avoidance of evaluative situations (Clance & Imes, 1978).

• Cognitive distortions and unhelpful performance beliefs. Catastrophic predictions, overgeneralization from single setbacks, and rigid “musts” about performance contribute to anticipatory anxiety (Beck, 1976).

• Physiological arousal and threat appraisals. Bodily symptoms (racing heart, sweating) can feed negative interpretations (“I’m failing”) and worsen anxiety; how an individual appraises arousal (challenge vs. threat) influences outcomes (Blascovich & Tomaka, 1996).

• Organizational and situational factors. High stakes, unclear expectations, chronic overload, ambiguous feedback, and unsupportive cultures increase pressure and the likelihood of anxiety (LePine, LePine, & Jackson, 2004).

Evidence-based Approaches to Manage Performance Anxiety

• Cognitive-behavioral techniques. CBT targeting unhelpful thoughts, avoidance, and safety behaviors has robust evidence for reducing anxiety and improving functioning (Hofmann, Asnaani, Vonk, Sawyer, & Fang, 2012). Practical steps include identifying automatic anxious thoughts, testing predictions with behavioral experiments, and learning balanced self-statements.

• Gradual exposure and behavioral rehearsal. Repeated, graded practice of feared performance tasks (e.g., mock presentations, role-plays) reduces avoidance and builds confidence by disconfirming catastrophic expectations (Clark & Wells, 1995).

• Skills training and behavioral activation. Focused coaching on communication, public-speaking techniques, time management, and problem-solving increases mastery and lowers anxiety through improved competence and predictability.

• Mindfulness and acceptance-based approaches. Mindfulness practices that increase present-moment awareness and reduce fusion with anxious thoughts, as well as acceptance strategies that allow performance while experiencing anxiety, show efficacy for anxiety and stress reduction (Khoury et al., 2015; Hayes, Strosahl, & Wilson, 1999).

• Self-compassion and reducing perfectionistic self-criticism. Cultivating self-compassion (gentle self-talk, normalizing setbacks) is associated with lower anxiety and greater resilience than harsh self-criticism (Neff, 2003; MacBeth & Gumley, 2012).

• Physiological regulation techniques. Breathing retraining, progressive muscle relaxation, and brief grounding exercises help reduce somatic symptoms that can escalate anxious thinking (e.g., Jacobson’s relaxation techniques). These are useful immediately before or during stressful tasks.

• Organizational strategies. Clear expectations, constructive feedback, opportunities for practice, reasonable workload, and supportive supervision all reduce the situational contribution to performance anxiety (LePine et al., 2004). Leaders who normalize learning from mistakes and focus on growth can lower anxiety climate-wide.

• When to consider specialty treatment. If anxiety is severe, persistent, or interfering with work functioning and quality of life despite self-help efforts, evidence-based psychotherapy (CBT, ACT, or skills-based interventions) or consultation about medication may be warranted; evaluation by a licensed clinician can guide next steps.

Practical First Steps You Can Use This Week:

• Identify one recurring anxious prediction about a work task and write down evidence for and against it. Plan a small behavioral test for the prediction.

• Practice a 4–4–6 breathing cycle or a 2–3 minute grounding exercise before an important meeting to reduce immediate physiological arousal.

• Rehearse a short portion of an upcoming presentation aloud for a trusted colleague or record and review it—focus on doing it rather than being “perfect.”

• Replace one self-critical statement with a compassionate alternative (e.g., “I’m learning; one presentation won’t define me”).

• If organizational factors are contributing, schedule a brief conversation with a supervisor to clarify expectations or request targeted feedback.

How CPGR Can Help

CPGR’s clinicians provide tailored, evidence-based treatment for workplace anxiety—CBT, exposure-based rehearsal, mindfulness-informed approaches, and coaching for skills and performance. Therapy focuses on both internal contributors (thoughts, beliefs, physiology) and practical behavioral change that transfers to real work settings.

To explore planning individualized strategies or a targeted treatment plan, contact CPGR to talk with one of our compassionate, expert therapists!

Selected references

• Beck, A. T. (1976). Cognitive therapy and the emotional disorders. International Universities Press.

• Blascovich, J., & Tomaka, J. (1996). The biopsychosocial model of arousal regulation. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 28, 1–51.

• Clark, D. M., & Wells, A. (1995). A cognitive model of social phobia. In R. Heimberg et al. (Eds.), Social phobia: Diagnosis, assessment, and treatment. Guilford Press.

• Clance, P. R., & Imes, S. A. (1978). The impostor phenomenon in high achieving women: Dynamics and therapeutic intervention. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice, 15(3), 241–247.

• Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K. D., & Wilson, K. G. (1999). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Guilford Press.

• Hewitt, P. L., & Flett, G. L. (1991). Perfectionism in the self and social contexts: Conceptualization, assessment, and association with psychopathology. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60(3), 456–470.

• Hofmann, S. G., Asnaani, A., Vonk, I. J., Sawyer, A. T., & Fang, A. (2012). The efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy: A review of meta-analyses. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 36, 427–440.

• Khoury, B., Lecomte, T., Fortin, G., et al. (2015). Mindfulness-based therapy: A comprehensive meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 33, 763–771.

• MacBeth, A., & Gumley, A. (2012). Exploring compassion: A meta-analysis of the association between self-compassion and psychopathology. Clinical Psychology Review, 32, 545–552.

• LePine, J. A., LePine, M. A., & Jackson, C. L. (2004). Challenge and hindrance stress: Relationships with affective commitment, turnover intentions, and performance. Academy of Management Journal, 47(3), 300–320.