Stress is an inevitable part of any professional’s life, but how individuals handle it early in their careers significantly impacts both their health and long-term success. While many professionals focus on avoiding stress altogether, developing effective stress management skills provides a more realistic and beneficial approach. Learning to manage stress goes beyond immediate relief. It’s about creating a foundation for sustained career performance, better decision-making, and long-term health outcomes. Professionals who advance most successfully aren’t those who experience the least stress, but those who have developed the skills to manage it effectively when pressure mounts.
What stress really means for your career and health
Early in our careers is when we’re most likely going to feel this chronic stress and additional pressure. According to a study done by the Mental Health Foundation in 2018, nearly half, or 49% of 18-24 year-olds who have experienced high levels of stress felt that their source of stress stemmed from comparing themselves to others. Additionally, 60% of these 18-24 year-olds and 41% of 25-35 year-olds cited that they have higher stress related to the pressure to succeed. Left unmanaged, persistent stress contributes to sleep disruption, weakened immune function, anxiety, and long-term health complications that can derail both career progress and personal well-being.
The long-term health cost of a volatile work schedule
The National Longitudinal Studies tracked 7,300+ participants annually from 1979 to 1994 and biannually after 1994. For nearly three decades, these studies have found that work patterns established in young adulthood have a significant impact on health at age 50. Researchers analyzed data from these studies, examining how different work schedules affected participants aged 22 to 49. The results were clear. People who worked volatile schedules, including evening shifts nighttime hours, or irregular patterns, experienced considerably worse health outcomes decades later. Consequently, these individuals reported lower sleep quality, decreased physical and mental function, and higher rates of depression compared to those maintaining standard daytime schedules.
The study also revealed particularly troubling gender disparities in how work schedules affect health. Women working non-standard hours experienced significantly lower sleep quality despite getting more hours of sleep than men. This finding suggests that irregular work patterns may disrupt women’s sleep cycles more severely, contributing to long-term health problems. Additionally, Black Americans were disproportionately likely to work schedules associated with poorer health outcomes. These disparities highlight how employment patterns intersect with social position, creating lasting health inequalities that extend far beyond the workplace. Your career’s best investment is early stress management
Effective stress management is about developing the skills to handle it before it derails your performance and well-being. Professionals who learn stress management techniques early in their careers experience better long-term health outcomes, stronger decision-making abilities, and more sustainable career growth. Successful stress management depends on taking charge of your thoughts, emotions, schedule, environment, and how you deal with challenges. This level of stress management can be done by developing a balanced approach that allows you to perform under pressure while maintaining your physical and mental health. There’s no universal solution when it comes to managing stress. Some professionals find relief through breathing exercises and mindfulness, while others benefit from physical activity or structured planning. The key is finding what works for your situation and consistently applying those techniques.
Why it matters more than you think
Keeping your stress level in check shouldn’t be something to worry about later when burnout becomes unavoidable. When done early, it creates measurable advantages that compound over time, affecting everything from daily performance to leadership potential. Here are some of the benefits of early stress management:
Protection from health consequences:
Unmanaged stress leads to fatigue, poor sleep, weakened immunity, and, according to the Cleveland Clinic, increased risk of serious conditions like heart disease and depression. These health issues directly reduce your ability to focus, maintain energy, and perform consistently at work. Professionals who combat stress early experience fewer health problems and sustain higher performance levels throughout their careers. They also demonstrate greater emotional resilience and recover more quickly from workplace setbacks.
Better professional relationships:
Managing stress early helps you maintain emotional balance in challenging situations. When you’re able to manage stress levels, you’re also able to respond thoughtfully rather than react impulsively, stay present during important conversations, and maintain a positive professional demeanor even under pressure. This emotional stability strengthens working relationships and creates more opportunities for collaboration and advancement.
Enhanced emotional balance:
Emotional balance isn’t just a soft skill. It’s an essential asset that determines how effectively you perform, communicate, and lead. Stress, when left unmanaged, causes even capable professionals to respond impulsively, misinterpret feedback, or withdraw from collaboration, undermining their credibility and advancement opportunities. However, with early stress management, you can develop emotional discipline and self-awareness. You learn to recognize internal stress signals and regulate your responses before they escalate. This emotional intelligence translates into better communication, sounder judgment, and stronger conflict-resolution skills, criteria for leadership roles.
Improved performance and capacity:
Effective stress management transforms how you function in fast-paced, high-pressure environments. Instead of becoming overwhelmed by competing demands, you learn to prioritise effectively, stay composed, and execute tasks with precision. This enhances both mental clarity and physical energy, making it easier to handle complex projects, juggle multiple responsibilities, and remain productive without burning out. You develop sharper focus, better time management skills, and a more strategic approach to problem-solving, distinguishing you as a top performer.
Preparation for leadership roles:
Leadership positions are inherently stressful, requiring constant high-stakes decisions, team management, and handling uncertain situations. Those who learn stress management early gain a crucial advantage when they advance into leadership roles. Stress-resilient future leaders develop the composure to respond thoughtfully rather than react emotionally during crises. They master the emotional intelligence essential for managing diverse teams, resolving conflicts, and maintaining organizational stability during challenging periods.
Practical ways to manage stress at the workplace
Recognise the warning signs early
The first step in effective stress management is understanding when stress becomes problematic. Most people wait until they’re overwhelmed before taking action, but recognising early warning signs allows you to intervene before stress impacts your health and performance. Physical symptoms often appear first, including headaches, muscle tension, disrupted sleep patterns, or constant fatigue. Mental indicators include difficulty concentrating, irritability, forgetfulness, or feeling constantly on edge. These signs typically intensify gradually, making them easy to dismiss initially.
Identify your stress sources
Stress rarely comes from a single cause. More often, it results from an accumulation of smaller pressures that compound over time. Common workplace stressors include unrealistic deadlines, unclear expectations, difficult relationships, heavy workloads, or lack of control over decision-making. When you notice stress symptoms, pause and ask yourself what happened right before these feelings emerged. Was it a specific conversation, email, or task? Tracking your stress responses over several days or weeks can reveal patterns you might not notice otherwise. In which case, keeping a brief stress log for a week or two is a great way to start tracking and seeing patterns in your particular stress responses and causes.
Lean on your support system
Strong social connections significantly improve your ability to cope with workplace stress. People with strong support networks experience lower stress levels and better mental health outcomes than those who face challenges alone. Your support network can include close family members who provide emotional support, friends who offer perspective and understanding, colleagues who face similar workplace challenges, and professional mentors who can provide guidance on career-related stress.
Look after your health
Physical health directly impacts stress management. Regular exercise, adequate sleep, and balanced nutrition help your body handle stress more effectively. Even simple changes like daily walks, consistent meal times, and limiting caffeine can significantly improve your resilience during high-pressure periods.
Start the conversation
Creating an environment where mental health discussions are normalized benefits everyone. When appropriate, briefly sharing your mental health journey can encourage others to do the same. It can open doors for meaningful discussions and reduce workplace stigma around mental health. Your mental health and the causes of your stress are not your fault, but managing them is your responsibility. The earlier you can implement healthy techniques to mitigate stress, take care of your mental and physical health, and look for warning signs of impending stress responses, the more empowered you will be, not just in your personal life, but in your career. Those who learn to manage stress early on are equipped to handle the curveballs life and career advancement will throw at them, and will be better prepared to lead teams with purpose.
• Kara Dennison writes about careers, leadership, and the job market.
