The stressors of young professionals

When I first entered the job market, I thought it would be an easy climb to the top – just work hard, stay dedicated, and recognition would follow naturally.

With a bit of youthful confidence (or maybe ego), I was sure my efforts would be recognized quickly, and that before long, I would be the most successful in my friend group.

But it wasn’t quite like that.

I found myself feeling stressed, unsatisfied and mentally exhausted. And I’m far from alone.

Studies show that young employees experience significantly higher levels of stress and feel overwhelmed at work far more often than their older colleagues.

In the previous newsletters of this February, we’ve explored how many factors in today’s world make it difficult to avoid chronic stress - and we have seen the crazy impacts stress can have on our well-being.

Now, let’s look at what exactly is causing young professionals like us to feel this way. Understanding these factors is the first step to navigating them.

Today’s insights is drawn from the scientific article: 

“Investigating Young Employee Stressors in Contemporary Society Based on User-Generated Contents”

Today's newsletter

• Takeaways:

• The study in a nutshell:

• What they did:

• What the authors found out:

• What can we learn from this study?

• Quick Answers to Your Top of Mind Questions

Takeaways:

📱 Control your social media narrative

A feed full of unrealistic success stories can distort reality and fuel stress. Be mindful—curate who you follow and set time limits.

💵 Get your personal finances sorted out

Financial stress is real—it has been for a long time and will be for a while. Get a clear overview, create a savings plan, and move forward with one less thing to stress about.
- Check the bottom for helpful resources.

🧐 Recognize exploitation disguised as opportunity 

It’s difficult as a young, ambitious professional (I know), but be mindful early on in a new job. If you’re asked to work overtime, are you compensated with pay, time off, or career growth? If not, it could become a major stressor.

The study in a nutshell:

This study investigates the factors that are contributing to the stress of young employees like us. The authors used a machine-human hybrid approach - combining AI-data analysis with human knowledge.

(If you’re interested in how AI is used in science, I recommend giving this video a watch).

Instead of focusing on just one stressor and measuring it with self-reported data (which is normally done in traditional studies), this study analyzed real discussions from an online Q&A platform for a more objective view.

The findings reveal four key stressors: 

- long work hours and career stagnation

- financial and family pressures

- social media-driven narratives

- unrealistic personal expectations

This research gives valuable insights into the stressors affecting young, ambitious professionals like us.

What they did:

The authors collected data from an online discussion forum and converted it into numerical data that a machine could process.

They then used technology to filter and cluster the data and did a final review by humans.

The argument is that this approach gives a more objective identification of stressors compared to traditional surveys, which often rely on self-reported data.

What the authors found out:

The analysis identified four main categories of stressors that affect young employees:

1. Working conditions – Long hours, lack of career growth, difficult workplace relationships, and job dissatisfaction.

2. Financial and family pressures – Low salaries, rising housing costs, education expenses, and family responsibilities.

3. Social media & tech – Excessive time spent on social media, unrealistic material desires fueled by online content, and blurred work-life boundaries due to constant digital connectivity.

4. Cognitive biases and expectations – The frustration of unachievable dreams, widening wealth gaps, and social comparison.

Beyond these broad categories, the study also revealed two newly emerging stressors:

• Workplace exploitation – Many employees reported that supervisors pressured them into excessive work without fair compensation or career growth opportunities.

• Social comparison anxiety – Employees increasingly felt inadequate due to idealized lifestyles showcased on social media, intensifying dissatisfaction with their own lives.

What can we learn from this study?

While long hours, financial burdens, and career stagnation are factors that are causing stress now like it has done in the past, this study also identifies new stressors: workplace exploitation (being pressured to overwork without fair rewards) and social comparison anxiety (feeling inadequate due to idealized lives on social media).

These findings expand the traditional Job Demand-Resources (JD-R) theory, which explains workplace stress as a balance between job demands (pressures like workload and long hours) and resources (things that help, like one’s own skills, career growth opportunities and fair pay). When demands outweigh resources, stress rises.

This study shows that new factors such as feelings of unfair exploitation and social media-driven pressure, might be causing stress for young employees today.

As young ambitious professionals, I believe it’s important that we recognize these factors because awareness is the first step in developing strategies to navigate them effectively.

We may face more stressors today than people did 20 years ago.

But what are you going to do about it? They’re properly not going to disappear on their own.

That’s why I hope that you have identified at least one practical step you can take today to start navigating these stressors better tomorrow.

Quick Answers to Your Top of Mind Questions

🙋‍♀️   Why is workplace stress increasing among young professionals?

Many feel trapped in jobs with high demands and little career growth. On top of that, workplace exploitation - being pressured to overwork without fair rewards - seems to be a rising issue, making stress levels worse.

🙋‍♂️ How does social media contribute to professional burnout?

Constant exposure to curated success stories can make you feel like you’re falling behind. This fuels social comparison anxiety, leading to unrealistic expectations and dissatisfaction with your own progress.

_{Disclaimer: The above is based on the article “Investigating Young Employee Stressors in Contemporary Society Based on User-Generated Contents” by Ning Wang, Can Wang, Limin Hou & Bing Fang and aims to provide key takeaways and a condensed overview of its content. While the essence is drawn from the original article, some parts have been simplified or rephrased to enhance understanding. Please note that we at, OptiMindInsights or any other potential writers or contributors to our summaries, do not accept responsibility for any consequences arising from the use of this summary. The information provided should not be considered a substitute for personal research or professional advice. Readers are encouraged to consult the original article for detailed insights and references. The summary does not include references, but they can typically be found within the original publication. Always exercise due diligence and consider your unique circumstances before applying any information in your personal or professional life. We refer to the creative commons for reproducibility rights.}