Scientific research can be an extremely exciting endeavor, but also an extremely stressful one at times. A recent article in Science Careers magazine highlights the top stressors facing research scientists:

Competition
Many scientists have mission- or ambition-driven personalities and work in highly competitive environments in which they are forced to “sink or swim.” Because competition is keen, colleagues and supervisors sometimes compete with colleagues instead of supporting them. 

Limited Job Opportunities
Stress also results from a dearth of future job prospects. Many perceive a “bottleneck” in the opportunity pipeline in academia because tenured positions are rare and senior scientists seem to be retiring older. 

Mismatch Between Job Demands and Rewards
Even scientists fortunate enough to secure positions find that they are called on to meet exceedingly high standards. Their jobs require tenacity and precision over long hours. Many science jobs offer inferior financial compensation compared with other fields. “Academia seems like a recipe for underpaid, overworked scientific martyrdom,” said one respondent to the Science Careers poll. Supervisors, who often lack management skills, may add other demands that exacerbate stress.

Lack of Control
Scientists have limited control over their own research. The positive results they hope for can turn out negative. Their work may be stymied for months or years because they are unable to execute an experiment, for any number of reasons, such as too few subjects, methodology problems, broken equipment, or lapses in funding. Many trainees say that career success can be elusive, a matter of good luck and insider connections rather than a reward for hard work and performance. The “flavor of the month”–research topics hot with funders and hiring committees–can change quickly, said another respondent to the Science Careers poll.

Lack of Support
Many scientists, especially women, juggle career, family, and children with minimal or no support from supervisors and their institutions, adding another element of stress to their lives. 

We found this article to be very insightful and agree that the stressors listed above are indeed present in chemistry.  An additional stress, one that was not mentioned in the article and is specific to chemistry, is the danger of working with chemicals that are pyrophoric, carcinogenic, and/or explosive! Most chemists work with dangerous chemicals on a regular basis. 

Finally, we must point out that female chemists have to deal with all of these stressors PLUS the stress of dealing with sexism in the lab. 

What should you do if you are stressed? If you are a chemist, male or female, chances are high that you are stressed out right now. This is what we have found that works to alleviate stress:

1. Exercise.
2. Learn how to say “NO.” Your time is worthwhile. Don’t give it away.
3. Set boundaries with colleagues in a professional manner.
4. Chit-chat less with your colleagues and cultivate inner silence at work.
5. Try group therapy. 
6. Watch comedies.
7. Keep a journal. 
8. Set realistic goals and forget about being perfect.
9. Find a mantra, like “May I find joy in my day today.”
10. Do something to help someone else who is in pain (volunteer 1 hour a week to deliver food to shut-ins).
11. Scream at the top of your lungs (preferably at home and not at work).

For other tips on dealing with stress, go to the MayoClinic stress center.