Staying Calm at work

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I'm wondering if anyone has tips for staying calm at work. I find lately that I want to engage in perseverative behaviors to stay calm, and many of these are inappropriate. I find that my stress level feels high and this makes me more tired. I could go on and on explaining this but things like rocking or spinning in my office chair are not appropriate for work and are hard to manage. Also the sensory aspects of working in an office and how stressful the noise is and dealing with the personalities of others is hard for me. I'm wondering if anyone has tried something like a weighted vest at work. I have no idea how I'd explain that to my coworkers or boss though. Also maybe I need meds. I have no clue. Suggestions would be helpful. I'm trying to keep my job until I can find one more suited to me.

Things that help me sometimes include just hiding in a restroom stall for some time. Usually people don't question someone being in there for several minutes (well, they might wonder, but they'll usually not say anything, assuming you are "sick" or something )

When I really need a break, I go in a stall off to a side, and either:

- Rub my palms together (to warm them) and then gently cover my eyes so its all black. Then I try to breathe calmly and think of something better

- or -

While there I pull the front of my shirt up over my face and eyes, also to make things dark (only works with a dark or thick shirt), and just breathe slowly. I run out of air soon, of course, but breathing more CO2 or something helps me calm down.

Other things I try:

- Listening to zone-out music on an MP3 player
- Listening to podcasts about my special interest (also on an MP3 player)
- Making jokes (which sometimes makes others less bothersome, as well).

My therapist suggested the bathroom. Thanks for the other suggestions. I'll buying an mp3 player soon and think that will help.

Good luck! It IS hard a lot of times. I'm going thru an especially hard time at work right now, too. I go outside and away from everything on lunch. I stick my nose in a fun book (away from everyone else) on breaks. And I do the above things too. When I can't reduce or eliminate the sensory and drama overload, I try to redirect what I'm processing. It isn't as good as not having the overload, but i do what I have to to get by. Be creative!

Yesterday I walked for 45 minutes of my hour long lunch after inhaling my food. I am having a really horrible time in general lately and I was just recently diagnosed anyway, and I have no idea what's even going on in my life right now. lol. I have been known to read at lunch too.

Good for you! Hang in there.

Think about the main reason that you're working at the job, that you are. If you start to feel like you're going crazy on the inside, just focus on that reason.

I'll try that. I'm also looking for a new job.