Not all days at work go to plan. Sometimes there are changes to the routine, work demands, an emergency and these can create a sense of anxiety and unrest in the workplace. Most people are able to adjust to these interruptions to the normal pattern of work but for those with ASD these changes can cause huge anxiety and potentially inappropriate responses to the situation.
When things go wrong you need to keep calm. Think about strategies that have worked for you in the past and put these into place:
- Breathing- take some deep breaths and gain control of your thoughts
- Movement- take a movement break, get up and walk around your work space to get some fresh air and a glass of water
- Visualisation- think about what has occurred, what are some solutions you could put into action or techniques you have to relax yourself
If the issue that has caused something to go wrong cannot be solved by using your known strategies, then you may need to consider talking with someone. If you need to do that then get yourself prepared by:
- Identifying the issue- jot it down, mind map it
- Make an appointment to meet with your boss to resolve the issue
- Have a possible plan to fix the issue
- Ask your boss for a plan to fix the issue
Remember that all days don’t go to plan and sometimes things just go wrong. The important thing is to keep calm and to be able to communicate the issue clearly so it can be resolved. Raise your issues in the workplace with your boss in a proactive and positive way. There may be solutions that can resolve the problem immediately, some others may not be so easy and may take time to gain a satisfactory outcome.
