Work Stress and Overthinking: What Changes in Work Anxiety When You Step Back?

Your mind leaves the meeting, but somehow you don’t. Hours later you’re still hearing the comment, still seeing the expression, still replaying what you said and what you wish you’d said. We’ve been there, and it can turn ordinary workplace stress into full-on work anxiety fast. We explore a simple idea with big impact: the problem isn’t always that we’re thinking too much, it’s that we’re thinking from one position. When you keep reliving a tense moment from the same mental seat, your interpretation can start to feel like proof. So we borrow a different viewpoint, the “office owl” perspective, to step back just enough to see more of the room: pressure, context, missing information, patterns, and choices that were invisible in the emotional blast zone. We also talk about why distance is not denial. You don’t have to pretend the meeting was fine or excuse poor behaviour. Instead, we practice a balanced approach that combines self-compassion with responsibility, without sliding into self-blame. To make it practical, we share a quick journaling method using an evidence bank: record what happened, then revisit it later with three prompts, “An observer might notice…”, “A compassionate friend might notice…”, and “My future me might notice…”. If you want a grounded tool for rumination, emotional regulation, and clearer next steps at work, press play. Subscribe, share with a friend who replays meetings on loop, and leave a review with the perspective shift that helped you most. Send us Fan Mail The contents of this podcast are for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. If you have a specific health concern or condition, please consult a qualified Healthcare professional for more details. Check out herguru dot uk forward slash disclaimers Support the show Got feedback, a question, or a future episode suggestion? https://podcastfeedback.com/workstressanxiety Work Stress Anxiety by ABGW is part of HerGuru Hypnotherapy and Coaching™ and grounded in the ABGW Method®. Calm first. Reality first. Then change.™ Connect with Cheryl Paris LinkedIn: https://go.workstressanxiety.com/linkedin  Facebook: https://go.workstressanxiety.com/Facebook Shared stories are anonymised. This podcast is provided for educational and self- reflective purposes only and does not constitute medical, psychological, legal, workplace, or professional advice. Disclaimer: https://herguru.uk/disclaimers/ © Cheryl Paris. Copyright 2026. All rights reserved.