Ergophobia or fear of work – Online Psychologists

Lucas is 45 years old and works in a multinational company. Until recently, job It was part of his life, like many other things, not only as a way to earn a good salary, but also as a way to satisfy his personal fulfillment.

However, a few months ago, Lucas begins to notice a series of physical sensations Every time he goes to work, he confuses it with an anxiety disorder, but when he goes to the doctor's office, the diagnosis is different.

Lucas suffers ergophobiathat is, fear (or phobia, to be strict) of work. This phobia does not prevent Lucas from continuing to perform his duties in his company, but it does pose a problem for him. intense discomfort that blossoms as soon as it sets foot in the company.

This is a complex phobia, as it could have been preceded by an accident. in itinere or by an explosion in the facilities. These types of situations are experienced by the worker as a traumatic event and highly stressful, which will eventually cause intense anxiety.

Ergophobia can have economic consequencessince, many times, anxiety is so high that it leads them to take long sick leaves. This can end up being a problem for both their finances and their interpersonal relationships.

And, in the event that they do not take sick leave because the anxiety is not intense, the truth is that the discomfort ends up delaying projects, which can cause Problems in relationships with bosses and colleagues. Something that is intensified, on many occasions, because it is experienced in secret and without speaking clearly about it.

And, contrary to what it may seem, ergophobia is a more common and more serious disorder than it seems, so both companies and workers should be aware of it.

These are those that members of Human Resources (HR) or the rest of the company can influence, such as:

Yes. In fact, your company's HR department should be responsible for preventing ergophobia through a series of preventive measures which include:

Therefore, it is important to pay enough attention to the team members in order to be able to detect mood disorders in timeas well as the presence of inappropriate behavior in some members that may be causing harm to another worker.

They help precisely to improve employee moraleto strengthen ties and ensure that all employees feel valued.

He mindfulness It can have a very beneficial impact on workers, but also on the company's work environment, since employees feel more concentrated and focused on the present moment, which increases their perceived well-being.

You can learn relaxation and breathing techniques to control anxiety. It is also good for you to practice mindfulness.

It is important that you sleep well. And that you sleep, whenever possible, the same number of hours and that you respect the time of going to bed and the time of getting up.

In the same way, it is important that you practice exerciseseveral times a week, and at least two hours before going to bed.

You have to maintain a routine to be able to balance the possible work overload and, at the same time, to have free time that you can use for other things that are not related to work.

Establishes small goals so that it will be easier to achieve a higher goal later.

Many times we set ourselves a big goal and, when we reach situations like this and see that we don't achieve it, we get frustrated, we become demotivated and our self-esteem decreases.

It is therefore a matter of taking the path in reverse. In addition, I recommend that you Celebrate every small goal that you achieve, because only then will your attitude improve and your self-esteem heal.

If you have made a mistake, first of all, think that to err is human.

Then, learn from it so you don't repeat it, and finally, do what you can to rectify it.

If you feel that you lack training, keep training. In fact, we could be training for a lifetime and never finish. If not, work to ensure that it doesn't happen againbut don't torment yourself.

You know, perfection doesn't exist, but excellence does.

It will help you feel good about your work environment and with your job, so it can help you to get rid of this irrational fear.

Let them know what's happening to you, because only in this way can they put measures in place to help you to improve your situation.

Your family, friends and coworkers can provide the support you need to improve your self-esteem and make you feel better.

If anxiety overwhelms you and you cannot control the fear, when Sunday comes, of thinking that you have to return to work on Monday, you need professional help to carry out a diagnosis and give you the right tools to overcome ergophobia.

Nowadays, third generation therapies and, especially, virtual reality can help you in a very effective way.

At we have been helping patients from all over the world find their well-being since 2012. We were pioneers in offering online therapy and that is why we know that it is an economical, but equally effective, alternative to traditional therapies.

To date, more than 1,600 people have turned to us to find an online psychologist. If you also want to try our services, you can request a consultation First session free by clicking the button below.