How to deal with new job anxiety and stress

Congrats! It’s your first day on the new job, and you feel extremely excited. You get a shiny new desk and paperclips in all the colors of the rainbow—the works. But you are feeling stressed out. It feels like the first day at a new school where you don’t know anybody and have no one to eat lunch with. Yikes!

Starting a new job is a stressful experience for most people. You are going to enter a new environment and learn how to cope with new challenges. Things can seem even more stressful if this is your first job after college. Here are some simple tips to help you tackle work-related stress and anxiety.

Manage your time around things that make you happy

If you are a recent grad, you are used to making time for the things you love. At college, you planned out your entire week, managing your time to fit in your passions. Do the same thing once you start a new job. Don’t make your life all about your work. Invest time in your work projects while you still enjoy your life outside of work. Once you clock out of the office, disconnect from work mentally. Be available to meet up with your friends and family. Allocate a few hours each week for a hobby or passion. This will allow you to stay fresh throughout the week and avoid burnout.

Set realistic expectations for yourself

Don’t expect yourself to make zero mistakes or achieve all your goals as soon as you start a new job. You are still learning the ropes of the trade, and you are bound to get some things wrong. Take things slowly, in the first couple of weeks at your new job. Also, don’t forget to celebrate the little wins. Clearing out your to-do list for the week, identifying and solving a problem, (or even figuring out how the overly complicated copier works) are small victories that you should celebrate! Don’t assign too many tasks to yourself. It is easier to get overwhelmed, stressed, and burned out when you push yourself too hard, too soon. Career counseling will be able to help you figure out realistic goals and expectations.

Get enough sleep every day

Battling new job anxiety will require you to be in your best mental and physical health. Sleeping is one way you can rest both your mind and your body. A normal adult needs seven to eight hours of restful sleep every night to function properly the next morning. When you are well-rested, you can easily tackle the challenges your new job brings during the day. Having trouble sleeping? Try to use a sleep mask, blackout curtains, earplugs, or essential oils to improve your sleep quality. You can even use a sleep pattern app to guide you on healthy sleeping habits.

Avoid getting caught up in workplace drama

Every organization has its internal politics and drama. On your first few days, you will hear many stories about Sharon from Accounting or Dave from IT through the office grapevine. But you should always take care not to feed fuel to all the negative office talk and gossip. Remember, you are there to do your job, not to judge others for their choices. The best way to ensure an amicable relationship with everyone at your workplace is to stay out of the workplace drama.

Talk about it

You are not the first person in this world to go through new job anxiety and stress. There are thousands of workers just like you all over the USA, and the world, who are experiencing the same troubling mental dilemma. Communicating about your work-related stress with a friend, family member, career coach, or life coach will make you feel a whole lot better. Work-related anxiety about a new job can be acute or chronic. A professional can help you understand what you are going through and recommend courses of action to deal with it. If you are feeling overworked, talk to your supervisor about it. That way, you will be able to fix the root cause of your stress.