Imagine the scenario. You’re delighted to have been appointed to a new job, once you start personal doubts start setting in and then within a few weeks, you find that it’s not working out quite as you hoped. Then you suddenly find that it’s not just the different parts of the job that you’re having to come to terms with but you also start to suffer with new job stress as well.

It’s not uncommon to experience stress when starting out a new job, because of the familiarity and the pressure to do well, but it’s important that you learn how to keep this under control so it doesn’t become serious and have a detrimental effect on your overall health and well-being. It’s important that you adopt a range of strategies to ensure that the job is not over stressful and you see it as something to enjoy and be excited about.

Here are my tips for learning how to deal with new job stress.

1. Understand your role: Make sure that you’re aware of your role and the goals that you have for the first 3, 6 and 12 months. Understanding what you have to achieve will help to reduce your stress.

2. Look for short-term wins: Getting some early wins can help you to establish yourself and your credibility and improve your confidence and self-esteem. But don’t try too much too soon.

3. Give yourself a break: When you start a new job, it’s easy to put lot of stress on yourself to make your mark and appear to know everything. You can’t possibly know everything, so don’t be so hard on yourself.

4. Give yourself time: It can take on average about 3 months to settle into a new job and be really effective, so give yourself time.

5. Remember the unfamiliar will become the familiar: Most people find that in starting a new job, there are a lot of things to learn. Remind yourself that things that seem unfamiliar will become ‘second nature’ in the future.

6. Be a good listener: Make sure that you take the opportunity to listen to colleagues and managers and learn as much as you can.

7. Don’t get involved in workplace politics: Although it’s important that you understand the culture of where you’re working, don’t get involved in workplace politics or gossip. It can lead to damaging relationships.

8. Avoid making comparisons: There’s nothing more irritating to new colleagues than hearing someone say “At my last place...” Don’t fall into the trap of making comparisons.

9. Don't be afraid to ask for help: It’s not a sign of weakness to ask for help, because you are unfamiliar with the set up or the organisation’s way of doing things.

10. Try not to take things personally: When you start a new job, you may find there are certain people who are not that friendly. Remember you may have got a role that someone else was expected to get. It takes time to establish trust and effective relationships so give it time.

11. Take your breaks: Make sure that you don’t skip lunch breaks or stay working late just to impress. It’s a poor strategy to adopt and a difficult habit to break if you start doing it. If you can fit in some exercise at lunch time like a 20 minute walk - even better. It will help you feel less stressed.

12: Don’t take work home: Trying to cram in more work at home will only add to your stress and could lead you struggling with stress both at work and at home. Make sure that you know how to manage your time effectively.

13: Ask for a mentor: Not all jobs offer a mentor or a buddy. If they don’t ask for one. Again this is not a weakness. It gives you a further opportunity to discuss any issues that you have in your own role.

14: Celebrate and acknowledge your successes: It’s a good habit to remind yourself of your successes and make sure that you celebrate them. The choice of celebration is up to you, but it might just mean going out for a meal with colleagues.

Whenever you start a new job, it’s important to know how to deal with new job stress. The things that you may find challenging are always individually, so I hope that you will take the tips above and apply which ones resonate with you and are relevant to your circumstances.