Do You Get Cubicle Anxiety?
This post is written as being somewhat sarcastic, but I do personally get a case of cubicle anxiety sometimes. If you really do have bad anxiety, consult your physician.
You don’t necessarily have to sit in a cubicle all day long to develop what I call “cube fever”, or cubicle anxiety. Just sit in one place for hours and hours just staring at a computer screen, and you are bound to have some idea of what cubicle anxiety is all about.
It’s a restlessness. You sit down and immediately don’t want to be anywhere near your computer. Call it technology burnout. Call it not wanting to work. Or call it cubicle anxiety.
What are the symptoms of cubicle anxiety?
Restlessness
The first major symptom is restlessness. You just don’t want to sit down. You find yourself having to take breaks every fifteen or twenty minutes to escape the torture that is being inflicted upon your senses. When you return, you immediately think about how to escape again.
Boredom
The second major symptom is boredom, which ties into restlessness. For those having the luxury of desk jobs, sometimes there just isn’t enough to do. Surfing the Internet gets old real quick and the minutes only go by so fast. An eight or nine hour day of boredom can be excruciating. You come home tired, even though you didn’t do anything. Your morale is low. You don’t want to go back to work. Your anxiety is starting to climb.
Nervousness
The third major symptom is a constant tension on your stomach. It’s as if you feel this constant pressure on your stomach/upper chest. It’s not an anxiety attack, but you can still feel your stomach churning as if you’re really nervous.
What are the cures?
Although there are no long-term cures, there are some things that help alleviate some of the anxiety.
Music
The first helper is music. Drown out the normal office sounds with your favorite MP3 player. If you can’t bring one into work, sneak in a CD or something and play it on your computer. If you can’t bring in a CD, then you might have to go for another solution.
Friends
The second helper is friends. Get to know people. Visit their cubes. Do you remember those breaks every fifteen or twenty minutes? Use this time to mingle. Get your mind off of work for a little while and then return refreshed.
Decorations
The third helper is decorating. Don’t let your cube look drab. Invest in a nice chair, put up some pictures, and change the lighting. You can usually bring in your own lamps if you need to.
Exercise
The fourth helper is exercise. After those excruciating days full of nothing to do, finish out the day with working out. You’ll at least feel like you accomplished something that day.
Be Busy
The fifth helper is to be busy. Sometimes you’ll be so busy you’ll forget about your cubicle anxiety all-together.
Alcohol
The sixth helper is wine. For those with really bad cubicle anxiety, a glass of wine during dinner time might alleviate some of the anxiety / stress. For those really adventurous, a lunchtime alcoholic beverage may help. Just don’t let the boss catch you snoozing.
Conclusion
Can you relate? Do you have your own cures? Do tell.
Join the Discussion (14 Comments)
Nice topic. I like your idea of being busy or listening to music while inside the cubicle. Taking breaks is also a good thing. In the end, I think it comes down to using the cures as a way to get adjusted to the smaller space. Being busy is also a good solution. However, if one is drenched in some bad situation, they might get upset or frustrated easily because of their unconscious awareness that they do not like small cubicles.
A good thing to do is to make sure one does not bring office work outside the cubicle. That way, when you go home, you will not associate bigger spaces or things to your work and thus will get used to the cubicle as a workplace faster. Also, I always like leaving work at work.
Posted on February 7th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
Yeah… I don’t know how people blog for a living. I’m curious to know what their hobbies are.
I really want to get a laptop so that I can go from environment to environment and not get “trapped” into one place anymore.
Posted on February 7th, 2007 at 8:52 pm
I should get a laptop again also. I am in the San Francisco area now and some days I am on the move a lot. Having a laptop on the subway or outside would be awesome.
Also, about people blogging for a living: I know that for myself, I cannot simply do one thing forever. Even if I blog for a living and everything for me depends on blogging, I still have to go out and change the surrounding environment once in a while to make sure I do not get fed up.
Posted on February 7th, 2007 at 10:15 pm
Cubicle anxiety. That pretty much sums up my life. I have been a cubicle prisoner for about 8 years now, and I really identify with the Andy Dufresne character from Shawshank Redemption (well, except for the homosexual attacks…that hasn’t happened…yet). Like Andy I’ve been trying to tunnel out for awhile now, covering up my tunnel with distractions like happily leading meetings at work, in general doing a good job, BSing my way through reviews, etc. My plan is to bust out of this cubicle prison and flee to Montana to live the life of adventurous outdoor writer, photographer, poet, fly fisher, hiker, bamboo rod builder. Even if I have to crawl through a tunnel of sh** like Andy to do it. So there you have it, that’s how I feel about cubicle anxiety. I live it.
I enjoyed your article, Ronald. I’ve gone through all your solutions in the past, and they actually do help a lot. Especially the music, friends, and staying busy. Becoming a coffee connoisseur helps pass the time as well. But these are only superficial bandages for one not meant for office work. Montana (or some other remote, still wild, beautiful place) is my only option. Take care,
hawgdaddy
Posted on February 8th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
What’s with people and Montana?
My instructor at Devry always made fun of Montana and two of my good friends are from there. I hope you get to live your dream. You and your wife should just buy a house out there near a river or lake.
Cubicle anxiety can be a joking matter, but for some people, it’s all too real. Thanks for sharing all.
Posted on February 8th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
I only find cubicles unnerving if people can approach my back without me knowing. The last place I worked was like that, but my work laptop had a glossy screen. Acted just like a mirror with the right desktop wallpaper.
I think music is the best solution for me. It really helps me block out the noise of coworkers.
Montana is the perfect place to get rid of cubicle anxiety. Not too many places left that have that much wide open space without people to bother you. Go Montana! (disclaimer: I am one of the good friends that is from Montana…)
cetroyer
Posted on February 12th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
[...] couple of days ago, I asked if you get cubicle anxiety. I was surprised by the response because sometimes I feel like I’m alone in my [...]
Posted on February 13th, 2007 at 12:20 am
cetroyer,
Some people actually place those automotive mirrors (those little round ones) on their computer monitors so that they can see who might be sneaking up on them. I plan on inventing the invisible tripwire so that you can sleep in your cube and be alerted if there is anybody nearby.
I’m also going to invent the cubicle noisemaker for those who have a home office and yearn for the cube farm. The sounds that will be generated will be: clipping nails, farting, burping, eating, seat shifting, speakerphone, laughing, and snoring.
Posted on February 14th, 2007 at 1:56 am
You mean like this?
cetroyer
Posted on February 14th, 2007 at 5:01 pm
Nice.
Mine would have an added feature of vaporizing intruders.
Posted on February 14th, 2007 at 10:44 pm
You may have cubicle anxiety but the alternative is much worse.
The first cubicle was introduced in 1968 by Herman Miller Inc. It was designed to solve a previously unknown problem with human physiology.
Workers using the first prototypes of close-spaced workstations had begun to have mental breaks.
The cubicle blocks peripheral vision for a concentrating knowledge worker. This prevents the subliminal detection of threat movement to trigger an attempt of the startle reflex.
Posted on January 11th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
I’m in my cube now…I hate it. In fact, it’s the only part of my job that I HATE! Almost all of my cube walls are covered with pictures and posters. I grew up on a farm, outside all day….summers coming, it’s only going to get worse!
We have other telecommuters, so I’m just biding my time.
I just moved to this department so my thoughts are that I’ll show how good of a worker I am and in a few months ask for a laptop and the freedom to work from home…or the hammock at my grandparent’s house in FL
Wish me luck
Oh, and thanks for letting me rant and moan about being in a cube.
Posted on April 8th, 2008 at 10:26 am
lostdmw »
Yes, being in a cubicle all day sucks, especially if you’re used to being out and about. I have to take constant breaks.
You’re welcome on letting you rant
Posted on April 8th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Thanks Ronald….I’ll make it I think. Yesterday I discovered a park that’s not too far from my office. I plan on frequenting it during lunch breaks to help my sanity.
Posted on April 9th, 2008 at 9:21 am