Starting a New Job? Here’s 5 hacks to come out a champion

As exciting as a new job is, it comes with it’s fair share of overwhelm (with a collateral shift in environment & people) and stress to prove yourself worthy.

Stress is an undeniable fact of life for millions of people across the globe. While most colleagues and family may beguile you to limit the stress inducers in your life, such advice may seem like a meaningless cliché when faced with the reality of a new job.

When you’re exiting an old job and entering a new company, you’ll be faced with a gush of problems that can rather seem daunting. These problems, majorly anxiety, are even more extreme when you’re entering the workforce fresh from college. Excitement about a new career can quickly transform into panic.

Here are a few tips on how to tackle work-related stress and beat anxiety:

1. Exercise regularly

Anxiety can feel like a suffocating shroud, enveloping you in a cloud that drains you of focus and energy. When you feel especially anxious, one of the best ways to manage it is by staying active. Exercise is not only advantageous for your body, but it also has a tremendous effect on your mental health.

A simple workout, daily before you go into the office, can simultaneously boost your confidence and ease your tensions about the day. Exercise will stimulate the release of endorphins in the brain, making you feel more at peace. Remember that you don’t have to join an expensive gym or push yourself with an extreme routine. An effective workout can be as simple as walking to work or jumping in front of your mirror.

In addition to working out at home, you can also make a commitment to being more active in your work environment. If you have to sit in a chair all day, consider taking intermittent breaks for a walk around your building. You could also climb stairs or even do squats in the bathroom — anything to get your heart pumping and your muscles stretched.

2. Avoid drama in the workplace

Workplace stress is a bigger problem than it was ever because it’s so much easier to drum up drama and turmoil. With social networking becoming more prominent, it has made it easier for people to prey on others, and sometimes the boundaries of work and personal life can blur.

The psychological effects of work stress can be hazardous to your health. To abstain the effects of stress, it’s best to avoid drama as much as possible.

As with any workplace, your new job is bound to have a lot of internal disarray that may stem from any number of issues. It’s best to try to avoid unnecessary conflict while maintaining your focus and a positive attitude. Remember that completing your work is more important than establishing arbitrary relationships or feeding into the negative energy of others who only want to gossip.

3. Communicate how you feel

While many people ask themselves how to deal with a stressful job, one of the best solutions is to pose the question to a friend, or better yet, a professional therapist or career coach who can help you work through anxiety.

A lot of new employees may feel apprehensive about talking about their feelings to their colleagues, but communicating honestly is one of the best things you can do to make your work experience healthy and fruitful.

Consulting a therapist can help those struggling with anxiety disorders as well as other mental health issues that can make a new career seem overwhelming and draining. It can also help to bring grievances and concerns to the attention of your boss, co-workers, friends, or family.

4. Manage your time

Freshers are used to scheduling their study time around their favorite activities; this is something you should aim for as well. After starting a new job, you will surely be eager to invest as much time as possible into new work projects. However, it’s important to make time for your passions or you’ll burn out easily.

Making time for yourself, your family, and your hobbies and disconnecting mentally from your job will allow you to return to work the next day refreshed. Schedule out your week in advance and make sure you have time blocked out to unwind with family and friends. If you have a hobby, schedule that in too. Block out a certain number of hours weekly to read, run, play, paint, or whatever it is that you enjoy doing. Setting this time aside will help ensure that you don’t get overly wrapped up in your new work.

5. Stay positive and set realistic expectations

Every failure is a new learning experience. Even the most experienced employee is bound to fall short of a goal now and then. And as a new employee, it’s going to take time to learn and develop best practices of your new workplace. Give yourself the chance to learn during this transitional period and use your missteps as a way to become a more efficient and knowledgeable employee.

Try not to clutter your daily to-do list with an excessive number of tasks. When starting out at a new job, it does feel like taking on everything possible to prove yourself, but it’s important to take things slow and celebrate every accomplishment and step forward. If you assign yourself too many tasks, you won’t be able to get to them, and that will only add to your stress. Focus on your top few priorities each day. You will feel much more accomplished when you’re able to clear your to-do list on a daily basis.

To conclude, new-job-related stress can be reduced by putting your health and wellbeing first: Exercise, sleep well, and make time for yourself. By implementing these practical tips, you can thrive at your new job without being weighed down by unnecessary stress.