Nail biting, grinding teeth, getting the shivers. We all know these reactions due to stress, but how we deal with this nervous reaction can affect our mental and emotional balance. You may think that trying to have a decent social life while working part-time to pay your way through college was a stressful situation. And you are right. But the stress experienced in college is nothing in comparison with what awaits you in your first job.

However much you love your job, even if its the most challenging one in the world and in a great firm, even if you gel very well with your colleagues and have a huge salary, there will always be times when you feel the breaking point is in touching distance. You are paid a huge amount to deliver top-level performance, and sometimes, those expectations can seem too high for one person.

Here are some types of stress that you will encounter in your first (or any new) job and ways to overcome them.

Think positive

Remember the recruitment brochure or website that was so attractive? Its description of the challenging tasks that you’d have to do and the interesting people you would work with? All of it will look like a fairy tale.

Nothing is as beautiful as shown in promotions. You will experience ups and downs in the course of your employment and you might even doubt yourself. Accept it. We’ve all experienced the moment when, having made an important decision such as accepting a new job, buying a car or even getting married, we asked ourselves: “What have I done?”

Give yourself time to get used to it and look for positive aspects of your job. And whatever you do, do not compare yourself to your friends. Don’t lose heart. Instead, try to find out the advantages of your situation.

Team up

Some days you may well feel as if you were in another country where you do not know the language. Do not worry. Nobody expects you to know everything at once, but they expect you to want to learn. If you feel inefficient, rely on your team and people around you who are more familiar with the tasks at hand. Talk to them and be open to new ideas. After about three months, you will wake up knowing everything there is to know.

One at a time

The most common stress factor for people early on in their careers is having too much on their plates. First, you should get used to that. You’ll always have plenty to do and not enough time. However, instead of wanting to curl up and die, you must prioritise and work on one project at a time. End one, go on to the next. In addition, if you’re really too busy, it’s okay to say no. If people other than your supervisors give you too much work, make sure your boss is aware of your workload. It is important to inform your boss and your colleagues if you are on the verge of having too much, otherwise you cannot give each project the attention it deserves. Do not play the martyr. Ask for help.

Have a life

Here are some suggestions to reduce stress and preserve what remains of your sanity during the first month in your new job:

Go to the movies

Exercise

Do not spend all your time in the office

Have dinner or a drink with friends

Get a massage or a French manicure

Call your family or visit them (if this is not another cause of stress).