Determining the best job for someone experiencing anxiety often depends on the person. People’s anxiety can get triggered by many different factors. Some may not experience anxiety when they work with a large group but may get anxiety if they work next to just one person. For others, the opposite may be true.
For many, though, a regular job that’s anxiety-friendly tends to be one where you’re alone. Here is a brief list of examples:
Any job that lets you work from home. With no commute and no coworkers, you may be less likely to experience anxiety before, during, and after work hours.
A job or career that allows you to work alone. Jobs that allow you to work independently may include an accountant, computer programmer, or writer. These can be great job options for people experiencing mental health conditions, as well.
Artistic positions. Artistic opportunities may relieve your anxiety by giving you an outlet to express yourself. Being creative is a mindful process that may keep your mind off feeling anxious while at your place of employment.
Librarian jobs. For someone who would rather work with books, a job as a librarian may be perfect. Librarians typically work in peaceful atmospheres, which can help reduce stress levels. Librarian is a great example of jobs for folks who might be introverted or depressed.
In some cases, it may help to talk to a therapist about your job anxiety to explore the best career paths for you.
What mental illness keeps you from working?
Many mental illnesses can make it more difficult to work, but some can prevent you from working at all. In some cases, it’s not a mental illness itself, but the severity of it. Below are a few examples:
Depression can make it difficult to get out of bed and can have a major impact on your ability to work. If a job is contributing to your mental health condition, it can ironically prevent you from working.
A mental illness that impairs cognitive function. If you have to focus for long periods of time at work but your mental illness doesn’t allow it, it can prevent you from making meaningful progress in your career.
Severe mood swings. If you’re prone to sudden anger, this may make you unable to work at certain places.
These are just a few examples that can keep a person from working. In most cases, you can still work even if you're experiencing a mental health condition, and if you can’t, you may need a couple of years of documentation in order to apply for disability benefits. The American Disabilities Act safeguards people experiencing a mental illness disability from discrimination in the workplace. The ADA allows for these people to have reasonable accommodations, such as providing additional time for completing tasks or adjustments to the physical environment.
What are challenges in a job search related to your mental health?
Young adults who experience mental health challenges sometimes have trouble getting out of bed in the morning, let alone finding the energy to look for a job. If you’re experiencing symptoms only during the winter months, you may have seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which leads to symptoms when you’re deprived of light. There are helpful treatments available for SAD. Another way to approach your job hunt is to look for jobs where you can work during the seasons that you feel most healthy and well.
Also, substance use and mental health conditions are often related. As you look forward to getting your first job or returning to work, you might seek out mental health services to avoid the risk of substance use and mental health problems.
What can I do about my job anxiety?
Some folks have job anxiety. Job anxiety can involve anything related to a job that makes you anxious. This includes:
Anxiety over applying to a job. You may be worried that you won’t provide the best application or that you won’t be hired.
Anxiety over being late to your job. This may lead to insomnia or getting up extra early when you don’t need to.
Fear in the workplace. You may be afraid to go to the workplace for several reasons, such as a bad coworker or a tough boss.
Anxiety related to speaking to colleagues or customers. Jobs that require a lot of verbal interaction may not be ideal for people who have anxiety. However, this may not be the case for everyone experiencing anxiety.
There are many reasons why you may have job anxiety. Here are some things you can do about them.
Learn mindfulness. Every time a self-defeating thought gets into your mind, you might try to simply observe it. You can practice meditative breathing and learn how to focus on the present.
Remove the cause. If a coworker or someone else at your company is giving you trouble, you can report them or ask to be moved.
Change your bedtime so that you have plenty of time to sleep and get up to go to your job.
Try a job that doesn’t involve leaving your house. Plenty of jobs are doable from the comfort of your home.
How can I get experience without a job?
Teens and young adults tend to run into a paradox, where they need a job and job experience, but they don’t have job experience to get a job. Below are some ways to get some experience:
Translate your experience. If you’re applying for a job, you might try to think of some experiences that could translate into something relevant for a new job. If you’re applying to be an assistant, for example, you might talk about your experience organizing files, even if it was for personal or academic use.
List your soft skills. Soft skills are skills that may not be listed in a job description but that could be relevant. For example, if you’re good at communication, you might talk about any of your hobbies or activities that require interaction and could relate to potential jobs.
Try some freelancing jobs. If you have a skill, like art, writing, or another marketable talent, freelancing websites might help you get short-term jobs. Even if you don’t have an extensive portfolio, you might gain valuable experience that takes you to the next level on these websites.
Participate in volunteer work. While not the ideal job for many, doing volunteer work can show employers that you care for your community. It can also give you valuable job experience.
Search for internships. Internships can be especially valuable for someone who is in college. An internship can provide a relevant experience that you can add to your resume.
Speak to a job counselor about finding a job or finding experience when you don’t have either. You can search for pro bono counselors, online counselors, college counselors, or counselors who offer a sliding scale fee structure.
If you're interested in learning more and jobs and careers, check out these related articles:
The information on this page is not intended to be a substitution for diagnosis, treatment, or informed professional advice. You should not take any action or avoid taking any action without consulting with a qualified mental health professional. For more information, please read our terms of use.
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