Feeling anxious and stressed about starting a new job is a normal human response. This reaction can happen even if you’re excited about this new chapter and worked toward it. You may be feeling fear surrounding interactions with new people or facing imposter syndrome.
Whatever the case, you’re not alone. Try these effective strategies to help manage your new job anxiety and stress.
Sit with Your Feelings
One of the common mistakes people make when experiencing anxiety and stress is trying to push the feelings away. This approach leads you to bottle your feelings up rather than process them in a healthy way.
Instead of pushing your feelings down, sit with them for a while and let yourself feel them. Reflect upon your emotions and label them. Explore why you’re feeling this way so you can reframe the experience and create positive reassurance.
As you label your emotions, try to separate yourself from them. Rather than saying, “I am anxious,” try, “I feel anxiety.” This simple shift trains your brain to recognize that you control your emotions; they don’t control you. Once you’ve worked through your emotions, ask whether your thoughts are facts or feelings. Chances are, they’re the latter. It’s something you feel, not something that defines you.
Writing a journal while sitting and reflecting is a better option. Journaling serves as a safety net for what is going on in your life. Writing about your feelings during times of extreme stress or anxiety can help reduce the intensity of those emotions and help avoid resulting mental health problems.
Prioritize Sleep
Getting enough sleep is paramount for managing stress and anxiety. Unfortunately, sleep and stress have a cyclical relationship. If you’re feeling stressed, you likely won’t sleep well. Conversely, if you’re not sleeping well, you’re more likely to experience stress.
Labeling and processing your emotions will help you shut down negative self-talk while you’re trying to fall asleep. It will also help mitigate the risk of waking up from stressful dreams. It’s also beneficial to create a structured nighttime routine to help you sleep, using implements like a white noise machine and a Hapbee wearable device.
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Plan a Celebration
Plan small celebrations you can look forward to as you start your new job. Reward yourself for milestones, like making it through your first day, week, and month. For example, you might celebrate your first day with your favorite dinner or your first week by going to happy hour with friends.
You can shift your focus away from anxious thought patterns by giving yourself something positive to look forward to. Make your celebrations as simple or elaborate as you want.
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Create New Routines
Creating consistent habits and routines is a direct route to success when facing something scary or stressful. Consider what challenges you anticipate as you navigate your new job. For example, you might be preparing for a long commute or struggling to balance busy evenings running kids to extracurricular activities.
Brainstorm some solutions and put them in place to help ease your transition into this new role and decrease new job anxiety. For example, you could lay clothing out for the week, so it’s ready to go each morning or pack your lunch and water bottle the night before. Engaging in meal prep or planning leftover nights for the busiest nights of your week will also help mitigate the stress of a new routine.
Over time, you can assess the efficacy of your new routines and adjust them as needed. Remember to cut yourself some slack during this transition period.
Treat Yourself to Personal Decor
Finally, make your new workstation feel more welcoming by treating yourself to some personal decor. Pick a few items that speak to you and bring you joy, such as a single-can mini-fridge or a beverage warmer for your preferred office drink. You can also use washi tape or upcycled dollar store finds to add a touch of class and pizzaz.
Use these tricks to help offset your new job anxiety and stress to make the first few weeks more manageable.