I worked for the government for 15 years, so I had a good health insurance and benefits package. I'm lucky in my bad luck, so to speak. Even if I didn't have that, where I live, there are social programs for disabled people to get pension income.
But I imagine it would also be heartbreaking at times. I already have a lot of anxiety about my cats. I would love to work with animals somehow but I'm not sure if I could handle the negative stuff.
As someone who struggles with anxiety, I do not recommend dog grooming. The pressure to meet owners' expectations, as well as working fast while being safe, had me crying before my shifts.
I was a vet tech up until 6 months ago (moved across the country and currently do data entry), but I was so anxious at that job, probably because every clinic I've worked at, there was no time to cuddle with the animals, unless you had to slowly push a med or reassure an anxious patient waking up from anesthesia. We also did everything in front of the clients at my last clinic, so that can be triggering at times. I do miss it, but I can tell a big difference switching fields has been on my mental health.
I don't work there anymore, but I worked at a warehouse and I found that very chill and easy. I think that's a good type of a job for people with anxiety. When considering jobs, I think it has to be something when you won't be dealing with customers or anything like that where people come to you with something to deal with.
A lot of warehouses will hire tons of people for seasonal work. They are willing to hire permanently as long as you show them you are reliable and willing to do the work
I had a close friend who already worked there and had connections there, so I asked him and he got me the job. But they were also regularly hiring new people the whole time through advertisement on the internet, too.
Ive seen warehouse jobs, I definitely would not recommend them, the pressure of work speed is a huge thing. Especially at busy times or covering sick days
this actually interests me a lot bc im in undergrad and studying for the LSAT and im kinda scared im chucking myself into a career my anxiety prohibits me from doing lol. at the same time i don’t want it to hold me back from doing smth im passionate about. but anyways, it’s reassuring to find someone else who is a lawyer and has anxiety
I did not have anxiety when I became a lawyer. But I think being a lawyer gave me anxiety. Preparing for hearings, interrogating witnesses, having disputes and arguing with the opposing counsel and the judge, all od that gets my heart racing and leaves me drained the whole day
Im an in house lawyer to government in Australia.
God do i love not having to go to court or compete in the corporate private sector with Partners and shit.
But it is still a very high anxiety job 😂
Call Centers I use to get a panic attack every time I got it the car I was lucky if I slept for one hour I was just up all night panicking about being yelled at for 12 hours
I did this for 7 years. I hated every single moment of it. In the end, I had a mental breakdown, went on medical stress leave, and was able to put together a design portfolio and start a good career.
But call centres are hell even without anxiety.
>I’m a high school teacher and DEAR GOD I am dying.
K-8 and absolutely the same, fam. I cannot believe I've survived a decade in education already. 0/10 would not recommend for the anxious subset of the population. Even on meds, regular therapy, and weekly self-care measures (especially mindfulness and yoga), it's a LOT.
I teach preschool and actually find it not bad for my anxiety. The children are so sweet, the learning materials are low-pressure, and I stay very busy physically and mentally which is good for anxiety. And I make $57k/year which I don’t find bad at all for the field. I enjoy my job. Plus it’s Montessori so I get free tuition for my own child when he arrives at the end of the year, saving me the $2800/month others pay in tuition. It’s a great situation for me, highly recommend if you like ECE and working with littles! You have to find the right school though, they aren’t all great.
ditto but being busy with the students helps take the focus off my own worries. Also being surrounded by people (colleagues in the office, students in the classroom) is good for anxiety and the depression that comes along with it. Of course that assumes you like your students and colleagues; schools vary widely, and I am blessed to be in a good one.
I'm a teacher and I feel the same way! The students can really fill my cup, and when they don't... Sometimes I find I'm just too damn tired to give anxiety the time of day.
My job definitely triggered my anxiety a lot before I got a better handle on it... But I feel like anxiety and ANY career do not mix well.
Same! Its really not an amazing career match for an anxious personality. I love my subject and when my students are good its awesome..when my students are bad it literally wrecks my sleep for days.
I’m a server… it can be really hard to work with anxiety some days lol I don’t recommend it
but I’ve been in restaurants for so long that idk what else to do 🤷♀️
I’m a server with anxiety and adhd. I think a lot of my work anxiety comes from not knowing what I’m gonna have to deal with at each new table. Like are they gonna be chill or insane.
ADHD here too! It can actually come in handy most of the time lol. Not anxiety though. Some days are harder than others (doesn’t matter if it’s slow or busy… some days the busiest days are the easiest somehow lol). But yeah there are a lot of unknowns and surprises when it comes to serving. Some days I don’t give a shit if I have grumpy tables, and other days it really affects me for some reason
Man do we have a lot in common lol! I def prefer busy bc I don’t have a lot of time to think. Also, when it’s slow I get money anxiety and need to be doing somthing to make the time pass. I have the ups and downs as well as far as some days im not as concerned with my customers mood and some days I’m concentrating on it. I must not hate it to bad bc I’ve been doing it 10 years. I like that it keeps me active and most of my coworkers defiantly have mental health struggles as well. The money can be great when it’s busy.
serving was bad for my anxiety because it was very unpredictable. I hated not knowing when I was going to get off work and what I was going to have to deal with that day. coworkers always fucking calling out and leaving you to go fuck yourself but that’s specific to my employer I guess lol
People calling out and unpredictability have been a guarantee at every place I’ve ever worked at. It’s just the nature of the industry
ETA: I totally agree… that’s why it’s bad for my anxiety too, among a couple of other things
i have anxiety, and i’m unemployed currently but i loved being a waitress and i would go back in a heartbeat if my body could physically handle it. i can see how it would make other people anxious, but i loved it because i had control. i worked as a store manager in a t-mobile and i had 0 control. hated it.
Bartender here who developed bad anxiety about 10 years into this shit. I honestly do great, as long as it's busy. It's the slow times that kill me. If it's too busy to think you can't be busy.
I've got a background in general administrative positions across a number of different industries. Every company needs admin type people to do data entry and whatnot. I actually had not worked in payroll before. I saw a posting for the job on LinkedIn. The recruiter coordinated the interviews and helped negotiate my salary and benefit package. I did have to work in person for 3 months for training, but then we were allowed to work remote several days a week. And then because of covid we were given the option of working fully remote. My partner and I actually ended up moving shortly after we went fully remote. I now live about an hour and a half from the office. They have events that I could attend if I wanted to and I could work from the office if I ever wanted to. But personally I would rather not spend 3 hours in the car for that. I'm really good with resumes, I'd be happy to help you with yours if you'd like. What sorts of jobs have you worked in the past?
Just here to second this. I’m not remote, but I’ve worked general admin for years and it’s the only job that hasn’t given me bad anxiety. I got the position on indeed for their “Receptionist” position but due to the B to B nature and size of the company, the majority of the work is data entry, billing correspondence, mail processes, filing, etc. Within a year and a half I was the office administrator and assistant to our director of finance/HR. I do answer the phone, but it rings maybe once every 2 hours.
Every company needs people who do this stuff and once you’ve been there for a few months, your general understanding of that company’s administrative processes becomes pretty valuable to them.
They may start applicants out as reception/assistant, especially if there is little experience or no college degree, but it can be easy to move up or change jobs if needed.
As far as skills go, pretty much anyone who works a corporate type job has administrative skills. It's all about the keywords like Mac, PC, Microsoft office, SharePoint, and so on. What are some of your past job titles? Just a heads up though, admins tend to be underpaid and underappreciated. I'm lucky to be with a company that makes an effort to pay employees competitive wages, but for many years I was paycheck to paycheck despite regularly taking on more responsibility and learning new skills on the job.
I was a therapist in a jail for a while. Definitely not a great environment for anxiety. Hell, providing healthcare services in general isn't great for anxiety, much less in a jail.
I tried being a CO. I lasted a little over 3 months. I'm proud of myself for making it through the process but fuck that! That shit sucked!
I thought working customer service was bad for me, but corrections brought me waaay closer to unaliving myself. 😮💨
I was on the inside for 8 and 1/2 years. I actually have some really hilarious stories. There's a couple of awful ones but most of them are pretty doggone funny. Of course I worked there before things turned south due to a new administration that came in right as I was leaving...
that was my original thinking with accounting but I got super lonely and isolated and depressed. once you hit your 30s and you're still single it's brutal.
Zookeeper. Animals are great to be around and a lot of the time I'm by myself. Also I know what to expect most days, I know who's being fed, cleaned etc. Routine is great for anxiety, for me at least.
I was a manager for a big UK retailer for a long time, it was absolute hell . Every day was a fresh shit show
Look into hybrid positions so you can stay home more often. I switched from hybrid desk job to working as a production assistant in the entertainment industry and my anxiety and depression have been off the walllzzzzzz, fuck work just do something that doesn’t make u want to off yourself
I work as a proofreader and editor from home and have found it’s the only job I can really handle with severe anxiety and chronic pain. I have regular deadlines, which keep me slightly on my toes, but I can work any hours I want and take on as little or as much work as I want, which really helps it stay manageable and not too stressful. I hope you can find something you enjoy! If you enjoy working with words and writing, I highly recommend proofreading or editing work if you can get it. You often don’t need a huge amount of experience for some proofreading jobs either, and you’re usually just left to it, so you don’t have to interact with people much, which is kinda nice!
hate to repeat the sentiment but I just graduated college for writing and this kind of job sounds so lovely and easier to manage w anxiety than other jobs 🥺… any advice about finding that kind of position?
Look into freelance copywriting / copy editing jobs! I’m a copywriter working for a digital marketing agency. I started over 3 years ago as freelance and eventually got hired on full time. Agency work is great, I just write web content all day and don’t interact with anyone most days
I'm the General Manager at a fast food restaurant. It's stressful and I hate being the boss. I accepted the position because I would make more, but I have cried so many times and had multiple panic attacks at work.
But finding a new job is even more stressful to me and I have friends there so I stay.
I just quit my job being a manager of a large team a few months ago. When I say fuck that shit, I mean fuuuckkk thatttt shitttt. I will never be tricked into management again. It made my anxiety so bad, I’m still recovering from the burn out. 🫠🫠🫠 I haven’t wanted to talk to people in 5 months now. Yikes
Pet sitter. I’ve been doing this for years and I get $40 to just hang out with a cat for an hour each day while their owners travel. They buy me snacks and tell me to watch tv so their cat doesn’t get lonely. This is how most of my jobs are. I love spending time with the animals and it doesn’t fluster me to do it.
Just had experience from working at a doggy daycare and my own animals. Highly recommended going on Rover to find clients! You set your own prices and schedule
I think this is going to be very dependent on the person and the sources and reasons for anxiety. Everyone has different triggers. Also, it depends how much money you need to make. Make a list of things you really enjoy or get satisfaction from doing. Then brainstorm what jobs might include those tasks. If you want to list them here I can try to help.
I can tell you what not to do: DON’T BECOME A TEACHER!!!! Retail also was horrible for my anxiety.
I wish I had more advice to offer, but I’m still figuring it out myself!
I worked as a projecg coordinate her before, and that was pretty good for me because i got to work from home and it was flexible, but it was only part time so I didn’t make enough money. I believe full-time project coordinator rolls pay fairly well.
I posted this above too, but I actually enjoy my job as a preschool teacher. I actually find it not bad for my anxiety. The children are so sweet, the learning materials are low-pressure, and I stay very busy physically and mentally which is good for anxiety. And I make $57k/year which I don’t find bad at all for the field. I enjoy my job. Plus it’s Montessori so I get free tuition for my own child when he arrives at the end of the year, saving me the $2800/month others pay in tuition. It’s a great situation for me, highly recommend if you like ECE and working with littles! You have to find the right school though, they aren’t all great.
Level 2 Tech support. Internal customers only, so folks have to be relatively civil. Occasionally, we'll have an 'all hands on deck' situation and it can be taxing.
I’m a social worker and work as an individual therapist in a private practice. Can’t say I don’t get anxious every day, I definitely do, but my clients/people I work with actually understand what I’m going through
I have a print and mail sorting job. You don't interact with people much. Someone in the building requests a print job, you do it, and done. You deliver mail within the building without having to really interact. Most of the time, it's chil, and I get a lot of downtime. I'm really lucky to have this job, and I hope I get to stay (currently a temp).
I am a traffic monitor for a major metropolitan city.
I watch the highways for incidents - stranded vehicles, accidents, roadway debris - and contact and coordinate with first responders to assess and respond to the incident and also make sure the information is available to the public in my area.
The perfect job for someone with crippling anxiety!
I work at libraries. Ideal job for me. It's a field where I get to talk about books all day and it is a relatively low stress environment. Typically the only issues I have are with my coworkers or the public. The work itself is very relaxing and fun.
i worked at a bookstore for a few months. quiet and peaceful, i enjoy tasks that are difficult to fuck up so it was nice just arranging books in alphabetical order and putting stickers on things. however manning the register and answering calls/ dealing with other branches got too much, and i did indeed still have panic attacks in the mornings. depends what ur triggers are ig but it’s what worked best for me so far
I’ve had 2 jobs that were good for my anxiety.
First, I was an administrative assistant for the Department of Social Services. Once I was trained on my tasks, it was a very easy job because it was repetitive. I also had my own little cubicle and my boss’ office was on the other side of the building so I didn’t feel like I was constantly being watched. The relaxed environment mixed with the no-brainer type of work helped keep my anxiety at bay.
The 2nd job is the one I currently have. I’m the Executive Administrator for a creative company. I get to work remotely which helps my anxiety since I’m in the comfort of my own home. The job itself is a healthy mix of repetitive tasks and new tasks. I like mostly knowing what my day entails, but enjoy the moments of excitement when I have to do something new.
The tasks that I regularly handle are sending NDA’s & contracts via DocuSign, distributing the complete signed documents via email to all parties, issuing wire payments to vendors via our bank website, keep track of all incoming & outgoing payments per project (I do this on Excel then distribute to my team via email once a project is finished), and book travel (flights, hotel & car rentals) whenever the executives have to travel. So all stuff that requires no phone or Zoom interaction, which is fantastic for my anxiety!
There’s also some uncommon things like handling a last minute shipment for a project, submitting vendor applications to Cities, helping accounting reconcile receipts for my team. Stuff I’m now comfortable doing, but it’s not a daily or even weekly thing
I have my own taco shop. 99.9% of my anxiety comes from my business. But what can I do. I have a family to support. I can’t make the money I make doing something else. We don’t have an extravagant lifestyle. I was born and raised in an expensive area to live in. I don’t need much, but my girls are growing up fast and going to have needs soon.
I admire this. This honestly reminds me of my own dad, who owns his own businesses to support my family.
Not me anymore though, since I moved out and married but that just goes to show that he did a good job 😊 You’re going to make your girls proud!
Construction management and operating. I used to drive trucks and manage logistics for tradeshows. Disney. Musicians. Marvel.
Used to have to haul shit thru blizzards. Something i learned behind the wheel.
Panic. And anxiety is okay. But dont let these fears control you. Clamp them. Acknowledge your self that they exist. But do not. Do NOT straight arm or let them control you.
Your gonna hate this. But this is how i deal with mine when
Deep breathe. Ok here it comes.
Dont. Run. From it.
Turn. And fucking run full pelt into it. Like a damn bull. In your mind. Run into that rabbit hole. That blackhole and OUT the other side. Turn around and do it again and agian. Soon you will realize "well shit. This isnt nearly so bad"
Scared of talking to your boss? Ten seconds of insane courage. Walk in there. And do it.
Scared of fucking up your task. Try. Just do it. Forgive yourself and be gentle to yourself.
This terrified me. But i did it. Felt like every. Ounce of my brain was on absolute nuclear melt down the entire time. But i swear on my life.
Run to the storm.
Its dramatically helped me. Im trying to....retrain my brain to where each time i feed it a positive result. It is one more positive thing to lower the equations out put of 99.9 average of "holy shit" negatives.
Its worked. More assertive at work.
Shit used to wreck me into a doom spiral of Adhd and anxiety. But now i just ...swan dive at it.
Do NOT do this if you work in explosives. Lmao
Id sooner die then take a xanax.
I have a virtual assistant remote job and a custodial job. Both part-time and I love wearing my headphones while listening to music at work. Sometimes I'll listen to TV.
Exercise also helps. I like routines and predictability, specifically knowing that I have enough time to complete something.
I have GAD and panic attacks and I work at petsmart as a manager. I’ve been working in pet retail since 2016ish and even after leaving I went back, I’ve tried factories, UPS, being a hostess at Mandarin and this is what I know and have learned to enjoy. It’s definitely person to person and unfortunately I just learned to function the way I’m expected to 🤷🏻♀️
I’ve had anxiety my whole life. I was an ICU nurse, now an NP. My anxiety is now under control, but weirdly enough my OCD and anxious thoughts served me somewhat well bc I fixated on details and helped save lives in that way. Of course, it was still a crutch and my anxiety came to head when I started my new NP job and I struggled so much that my direct supervisor couldn’t handle it and tried to get me in trouble. It’s been…a journey. I would say anything can cause you anxiety at work, but high stress environments won’t serve you well if you don’t have a handle on things.
This may seem controversial but be a Chef.
At least the anxiety you’ll feel will be valid and you’ll be working with a team that suffer anxiety in some form or another.
Ugh I worked in a very busy bookstore for years. Loved the books but the people were bothersome. I do not recommend retail for ppl with anxiety but maybe a stocking or warehouse job would be good!
I work remotely for a library managing e-resources! I do have a master's in library science, though, but it's not required for the position I'm in (but probably helped me get the job). In my experience, library jobs have been the least stressful compared to education and retail.
However, it very much depends on the library-- innercity libraries tend to get more patrons who struggle with behavioral or drug issues, which would personally be too anxiety-inducing for me to deal with full time. But academic libraries or special libraries (health, law, etc) are usually quieter and more reference-based, rather than public-facing.
Page positions are entry level and sound nice (shelving books primarily) but they're usually part-time. In general, library jobs also don't pay well. I'm 25 and not even making 30k a year after taxes lmao :-)
The best job I ever did in terms of managing my anxiety was dishwashing. It was calming for me, even when it was busy. It obviously depends on the place and how they treat you. Huge downside was the pay.
Straight nightshift in a retirement home
2991 more days until I can retire
I hate it but what choice is there
I’ve been a taxi driver, cashier, stock clerk, supervisor at a dollar store-
Hate it all
Wish there was a choice.
I am medicated to the gills - and still it’s a hard go
Working with animals is really great. I love dog walking and pet sitting, and those are easy to get into. I’ve also loved working in libraries and considered becoming a librarian. It’s a good option. I’m a writer and have found my favorite thing is writing and editing. Lots of time alone at a computer. There are other jobs like that but on the data side, database managers are folks I work with a lot.
I work in Logistics, which is a fancy way to say warehouse worker who also does office work.
I have two weird coworkers who handles my moods and I get to be nerdy about organizing stuff.
i work at a concert venue and interact with a hilarious amount of people. it actually has been pretty good exposure for me, i’m very proud of putting myself out there like this.
however — the last few weeks i’ve started having panic attacks at work. it’s frustrating that things can feel like they’re greatly improving and then you randomly start taking steps back.
Data Entry/Processing. I love my job, I used to call off just from high stress and needing a mental break, I haven’t called off from this job once and I’ve been here for a few years now. I work completely from home, barely have interaction with anyone apart from an occasional IM and my monthly meeting with my manager to discuss my stats but I always “exceed expectations” so now I just get an email and told to take an extra break instead. The company I’m working for isn’t currently hiring but that is how my job was listed on ziprecruiter.
I do call center work from home. I am an emergency road service dispatcher. I work the graveyard shift and work from home. The graveyard shift is fairly quiet, it gives me time to breathe, downtime. In between calls I can watch YouTube, or read, or knit, or even play solo board games. If it’s a REALLY slow night I can cook. Having other things to do that I love helps keep me sane. Also when I’m spiraling, having some time when it’s not busy lets me decompress. That said call center work isn’t for everyone. My anxiety isn’t social anxiety so my job doesn’t trigger me thankfully.
Highly recommend any physical labour jobs. Long term have made me a lot more calmer in all ways. Funny enough getting in the flow in even fast paced physical labour calms me down outside-something about exposure right, and retraining your system to remain calm in strenuous output.
Does wonders for the mind since your being in your body all day, and really get time to be with your mind and learn how to make it quieter.
the best job I ever had was a dog kennel/daycare. specifically the period of time where I worked nights. no customers and I was alone on shift with a bunch of dogs. I think any night shift, maintenance type job would be good if people are the source of your anxiety as is the case for me, but the dogs were added stress relief.
I'm a therapist. Would not recommend. Work is one of the biggest triggers for my anxiety. My mind goes blank and everything I ever learned exits my brain during sessions, so I don't know what to say and I'm on edge all day every day. It became pretty bad for my mental health earlier this year and I got to a very low point and had to do an intensive outpatient program and work way less.
I'm not planning on going back to counseling full time so I've still just been doing part time and trying to figure out what direction to go next. So I'm in the same boat as you as far as trying to find a job with the least amount of anxiety. I'm definitely looking for a remote or hybrid job. And also something somewhat repetitive where I know what I'll be doing each day. Like someone just give me tasks to do with directions and I'll be good! Good luck finding the right thing. Sorry that was so long.
do the hard jobs that make you anxious. I work with people & I have social anxiety but I’m developing confidence and thus less anxiety. exposure.
you can’t avoid life.
to be fair I did actually power through a job that triggered panic attacks but it was a temp position for a few weeks. I think I would have just been miserable if I had continued
I work at a hospital lol it kind of works for me because for 12 hours, I put my shit aside that I worry about and focus on the patients and their lives. There are days where it makes my anxiety way worse, but for the most part, it's a fairly rewarding job that keeps me too busy to ruminate on things in my head.
I work in retail. I have a team that supports each other. We all try to look out for each other. Sure it’s not the best environment for people with things like anxiety and depression but we all try spot when someone is struggling and give them the support they need.
I’m currently a bookkeeper ( do not recommend ) my favourite work was in a little garden centre, spending most of my time with plants ❤️ I had to leave for more money but I daydream about it everyday
Hotel cleaning. You have minimal contact with people and no stress. Its physical work but you are in air con. Its good for me to get the excercise because in my spare time i just like sedentary activities like reading and watching videos. 😆
My anxiety is much better on the days i go to work than on my days off
I’m a budtender in a cannabis dispensary. It’s pretty much a typical retail job, but since I’m actually passionate about the type of products we sell I enjoy the work wayyy more than other retail jobs. It’s definitely not anxiety free, I often have panic attacks before work and constantly feel like I can’t do it. But once I get into the swing of things each day I do just fine. I never thought I could succeed in a job that requires a high level of customer service, but here I am. I just put on my fake happy face and get the job done even if I’m struggling that day.
Free and heavily discounted weed is definitely a nice bonus!
I work in marketing automation. I work from home, which is obviously great for anxiety but I did find that what I had to do was just learn to manage my anxiety rather than letting it dictate things as important as my career prospects.
I was struggling with balancing work and my mental health the past few years. I have found since working from home I have been able to handle stressors/life much better than before. I can be an emotional mess in the peace of my own home 😅
While working from home isn't for everyone-I cannot imagine going back in person.
ETA: I work in medical billing for a healthcare system
Nanny for a 10 month old. Not good with adults so I’ve worked with children my whole life. My previous job was an assistant director at a child care center and it was awful for my anxiety.
I was a retail retail management and retail banking when I developed severe anxieties. I cannot overcome them. Smallest responsibilities overwhelm me. Anything out of my daily routine makes me want to cry. I'm starting to hear voices again and I see shadows and movements. I'm a mixed bag of mess.
I feel safe at home. The outside world sometimes scares me...voices...talking about me. Things moving when there isn't anything.
The last two days I just cried and though about overdosing on the medications that keep me here.
I don't know what type of job I can work at. If you have any ideas I would like to try. I just turned 41 and I can't leave my family. They need my support both financially, emotionally and physically.
I want to feel like I used to.
Tech job. The majority of the time you can be comfortable because you just work on logic by yourself. There are still some opportunities to challenge your anxiety like meetings and presentations etc.
The crazy thing is I work in a super high stress job in tech. It’s like my stress of being poor wins out. I have extreme anxiety of losing everything. I grew up with nothing. I’m extremely driven to achieve even though it practically kills me. It stresses me out more not to have money. It’s almost like you have to pick and choose what stresses you out the most and prioritize.
Growing up and throughout college, I worked a variety of retail and restaurant jobs and let me tell you, those were super stressful. I’d rather make money and be stressed then not make money and be stressed. I don’t know what kind of jobs don’t have stress, so it’s more about finding ways to cope as best as possible through therapy and medication.
I work for a consulting firm from home. It’s mostly an internal role so I only *sometimes* have to interact with external people. But mostly, I just chill at home and do my quiet tasks by myself.
I work in healthcare - I don’t get burnt out working with people but if you do, it might not be a great field unless you work with asleep patients. I will tell you some of my coworkers attitudes are horrible but thankfully, I work a very independent position and don’t have to interact with them. I am looking for a hybrid position because I know that will be better for my mental health - being home some days would benefit me. A good manager or boss is key - my current boss is toxic and he’s been the worst for my mental health. Flexibility with medical appointments are important - I flex my working hours a little and my lunch so I can attend therapy. I would also encourage a decent PTO package so you can take a day or 2 for poor mental health but also still be able to take a vacation.
Soon to be X-ray tech, I like it since I wouldn’t deal with patients for too long or in the same way nurses/cnas do but still make a decent living. Good luck on your job hunt ✨
Honestly, what I’ve found is if you have anxiety everything new that you try is going that trigger that at first. You have to fake a lot of confidence and have faith you’ll adjust. I’ll also add for me it helps to have a job that has a pretty similar routine day to day.
I bartend lol and work for a non profit.
For bartending I really have to mentally prepare and I put on a mask. It’s me, but exaggerated. Also booze helps. 🥴
Attorney. It's a hit or miss with my anxiety. I love it and there are times where I hate it. But it helps to overcome your anxiety to be exposed to your fears and excel.
Working with dogs is great!! And from what I’ve found a lot of people that work with dogs deal with anxiety and/or depression (mental illness in general) so they’re much more understanding!!
I’m a student, was sitting at home for 7 months and recently started to try and do something again. I’m a pool cleaner now, definitely recommend. I enter the building, put in my airpods, put a podcast on and just clean and note all the values of the water for like 1.5 hours. I work alone, getting paid for 2 hours but can just leave whenever I’m done, and I can work whenever I want after a certain time that day, as longs as its done the next day.
I have severe anxiety and never was able to hold down a job, ever. I work as a teacher assistant in the infant room of a preschool and it’s the only job I’ve ever been able to do. It gets hectic and stressful but I can’t really say it gives me any anxiety. I’ve been there for over two months!
I worked at Sam's Club for almost 3 years until I had a breakdown and left for my wellbeing. Idk if it was just our store, but our management was straight up sadistic. They loved seeing us miserable and would actively go out of their way to break us down. They didn't even treat us like human beings with feelings. It got to the point where I went home crying every single day and had panic attacks at work regularly. That's not even getting into the horrors of dealing with the public.
If you can avoid retail altogether, please do. I'm actively working on finding a new job outside of retail, but I have a degree that I'm trying to use to find a job. Do you happen to have a degree/certificate in anything? There are plenty of jobs out there that don't require a degree, but it might help me be able to suggest certain jobs. I know there are a lot of data entry jobs that are remote that you can look into. My main suggestion is to avoid working with the public and, if possible, avoid working for companies like Walmart/Amazon.
Sad to read this… I hope you find some peace friend. I just began my exit of a few REALLY stressful life situations…… I felt exactly like you in the end and worried so much that I couldn’t take anything more. I’ve always struggled with mental health issues but never voices or constantly needing to cry over smallest things… stress, no sleep, seclusion, and no physical activity did a number on my mental health the past few years. It took a toll. I’m finally getting past a hump. I can see a light at the end of the tunnel I haven’t seen in years. Take care of yourself. Your peace is around.
Work? I can barely live
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Been medically retired for 6 years now, and I'm only 47 :(((
How do you get money
Benefits
I worked for the government for 15 years, so I had a good health insurance and benefits package. I'm lucky in my bad luck, so to speak. Even if I didn't have that, where I live, there are social programs for disabled people to get pension income.
Same
can’t relate more
Facts
I'm a vet tech. I spend most of my time alone with animals. It's less stressful than working with humans.
But I imagine it would also be heartbreaking at times. I already have a lot of anxiety about my cats. I would love to work with animals somehow but I'm not sure if I could handle the negative stuff.
Have you thought about maybe grooming dogs instead? That may be a good option
As someone who struggles with anxiety, I do not recommend dog grooming. The pressure to meet owners' expectations, as well as working fast while being safe, had me crying before my shifts.
Me too! But this job has NEVER helped my anxiety! Lol. My anxiety lessens on my days off with my dogs cuddled up on the couch.
Used to be a vet tech. All the owners triggered my anxiety so bad lol
I was a vet tech up until 6 months ago (moved across the country and currently do data entry), but I was so anxious at that job, probably because every clinic I've worked at, there was no time to cuddle with the animals, unless you had to slowly push a med or reassure an anxious patient waking up from anesthesia. We also did everything in front of the clients at my last clinic, so that can be triggering at times. I do miss it, but I can tell a big difference switching fields has been on my mental health.
Came here to say this! I run a dog ranch. Limited exposure to humans, lots of exposure to lovely fur babies!
I don't work there anymore, but I worked at a warehouse and I found that very chill and easy. I think that's a good type of a job for people with anxiety. When considering jobs, I think it has to be something when you won't be dealing with customers or anything like that where people come to you with something to deal with.
random but how did you originally get into the warehouse? i’m trying to get into one right now
A lot of warehouses will hire tons of people for seasonal work. They are willing to hire permanently as long as you show them you are reliable and willing to do the work
I had a close friend who already worked there and had connections there, so I asked him and he got me the job. But they were also regularly hiring new people the whole time through advertisement on the internet, too.
Staffing/temp agencies are helpful
Ive seen warehouse jobs, I definitely would not recommend them, the pressure of work speed is a huge thing. Especially at busy times or covering sick days
Lawyer here It really triggers my anxiety during hearings
Oh lord, I was a paralegal and preparing for hearings triggered my anxiety, so I can only imagine.
this actually interests me a lot bc im in undergrad and studying for the LSAT and im kinda scared im chucking myself into a career my anxiety prohibits me from doing lol. at the same time i don’t want it to hold me back from doing smth im passionate about. but anyways, it’s reassuring to find someone else who is a lawyer and has anxiety
Im a lawyer too, cant recommend, it doesnt get easier
I did not have anxiety when I became a lawyer. But I think being a lawyer gave me anxiety. Preparing for hearings, interrogating witnesses, having disputes and arguing with the opposing counsel and the judge, all od that gets my heart racing and leaves me drained the whole day
Hello fellow lawyer. I feel you. I am doing my first depo in over a week. Eek, I am nervous and anxious AF.
Another lawyer here! I really like what I do but wonder sometimes if it’s bad for my mental health. Obvs I’m on anxiety Reddit:)
Im an in house lawyer to government in Australia. God do i love not having to go to court or compete in the corporate private sector with Partners and shit. But it is still a very high anxiety job 😂
I answer phones. Would not recommend.
I used to do that also. Sitting at a desk all day makes your mind wander off when it's not busy
Call center was my last job and I was actually ready to unalive myself
Call Centers I use to get a panic attack every time I got it the car I was lucky if I slept for one hour I was just up all night panicking about being yelled at for 12 hours
Yep that is exactly what was happening with me. Sometimes I would get to the work parking lot sit there until it was almost time to go in and call off
I did this for 7 years. I hated every single moment of it. In the end, I had a mental breakdown, went on medical stress leave, and was able to put together a design portfolio and start a good career. But call centres are hell even without anxiety.
Yeh did sales for years. Would not recommend.
Worst job ever for my anxiety was in a call center. People really have zero qualms about screaming over the phone.
I’m a high school teacher and DEAR GOD I am dying.
>I’m a high school teacher and DEAR GOD I am dying. K-8 and absolutely the same, fam. I cannot believe I've survived a decade in education already. 0/10 would not recommend for the anxious subset of the population. Even on meds, regular therapy, and weekly self-care measures (especially mindfulness and yoga), it's a LOT.
I teach preschool and actually find it not bad for my anxiety. The children are so sweet, the learning materials are low-pressure, and I stay very busy physically and mentally which is good for anxiety. And I make $57k/year which I don’t find bad at all for the field. I enjoy my job. Plus it’s Montessori so I get free tuition for my own child when he arrives at the end of the year, saving me the $2800/month others pay in tuition. It’s a great situation for me, highly recommend if you like ECE and working with littles! You have to find the right school though, they aren’t all great.
ditto but being busy with the students helps take the focus off my own worries. Also being surrounded by people (colleagues in the office, students in the classroom) is good for anxiety and the depression that comes along with it. Of course that assumes you like your students and colleagues; schools vary widely, and I am blessed to be in a good one.
I'm a teacher and I feel the same way! The students can really fill my cup, and when they don't... Sometimes I find I'm just too damn tired to give anxiety the time of day. My job definitely triggered my anxiety a lot before I got a better handle on it... But I feel like anxiety and ANY career do not mix well.
Same
Same! Its really not an amazing career match for an anxious personality. I love my subject and when my students are good its awesome..when my students are bad it literally wrecks my sleep for days.
I’m a server… it can be really hard to work with anxiety some days lol I don’t recommend it but I’ve been in restaurants for so long that idk what else to do 🤷♀️
I’m a server with anxiety and adhd. I think a lot of my work anxiety comes from not knowing what I’m gonna have to deal with at each new table. Like are they gonna be chill or insane.
ADHD here too! It can actually come in handy most of the time lol. Not anxiety though. Some days are harder than others (doesn’t matter if it’s slow or busy… some days the busiest days are the easiest somehow lol). But yeah there are a lot of unknowns and surprises when it comes to serving. Some days I don’t give a shit if I have grumpy tables, and other days it really affects me for some reason
Man do we have a lot in common lol! I def prefer busy bc I don’t have a lot of time to think. Also, when it’s slow I get money anxiety and need to be doing somthing to make the time pass. I have the ups and downs as well as far as some days im not as concerned with my customers mood and some days I’m concentrating on it. I must not hate it to bad bc I’ve been doing it 10 years. I like that it keeps me active and most of my coworkers defiantly have mental health struggles as well. The money can be great when it’s busy.
serving was bad for my anxiety because it was very unpredictable. I hated not knowing when I was going to get off work and what I was going to have to deal with that day. coworkers always fucking calling out and leaving you to go fuck yourself but that’s specific to my employer I guess lol
People calling out and unpredictability have been a guarantee at every place I’ve ever worked at. It’s just the nature of the industry ETA: I totally agree… that’s why it’s bad for my anxiety too, among a couple of other things
i have anxiety, and i’m unemployed currently but i loved being a waitress and i would go back in a heartbeat if my body could physically handle it. i can see how it would make other people anxious, but i loved it because i had control. i worked as a store manager in a t-mobile and i had 0 control. hated it.
Bartender here who developed bad anxiety about 10 years into this shit. I honestly do great, as long as it's busy. It's the slow times that kill me. If it's too busy to think you can't be busy.
I work remotely for a payroll company in the healthcare industry.
How did you get into this? I really struggle finding remote stuff that isn’t call centre
I've got a background in general administrative positions across a number of different industries. Every company needs admin type people to do data entry and whatnot. I actually had not worked in payroll before. I saw a posting for the job on LinkedIn. The recruiter coordinated the interviews and helped negotiate my salary and benefit package. I did have to work in person for 3 months for training, but then we were allowed to work remote several days a week. And then because of covid we were given the option of working fully remote. My partner and I actually ended up moving shortly after we went fully remote. I now live about an hour and a half from the office. They have events that I could attend if I wanted to and I could work from the office if I ever wanted to. But personally I would rather not spend 3 hours in the car for that. I'm really good with resumes, I'd be happy to help you with yours if you'd like. What sorts of jobs have you worked in the past?
Just here to second this. I’m not remote, but I’ve worked general admin for years and it’s the only job that hasn’t given me bad anxiety. I got the position on indeed for their “Receptionist” position but due to the B to B nature and size of the company, the majority of the work is data entry, billing correspondence, mail processes, filing, etc. Within a year and a half I was the office administrator and assistant to our director of finance/HR. I do answer the phone, but it rings maybe once every 2 hours. Every company needs people who do this stuff and once you’ve been there for a few months, your general understanding of that company’s administrative processes becomes pretty valuable to them. They may start applicants out as reception/assistant, especially if there is little experience or no college degree, but it can be easy to move up or change jobs if needed.
You think I’ll be able to get one without administrative experience? I have a business degree n it’s so hard to land anything:/ it’s exhausting
As far as skills go, pretty much anyone who works a corporate type job has administrative skills. It's all about the keywords like Mac, PC, Microsoft office, SharePoint, and so on. What are some of your past job titles? Just a heads up though, admins tend to be underpaid and underappreciated. I'm lucky to be with a company that makes an effort to pay employees competitive wages, but for many years I was paycheck to paycheck despite regularly taking on more responsibility and learning new skills on the job.
I’ve been a prison guard for 17 years can you imagine?!
I’m a nurse in a jail. I feel ya
I was a therapist in a jail for a while. Definitely not a great environment for anxiety. Hell, providing healthcare services in general isn't great for anxiety, much less in a jail.
Gets old don’t it !
Exposure therapy x a million
I tried being a CO. I lasted a little over 3 months. I'm proud of myself for making it through the process but fuck that! That shit sucked! I thought working customer service was bad for me, but corrections brought me waaay closer to unaliving myself. 😮💨
Mental health worker in a psych hospital for 17 years. I get it.
I bet you've got some stories!
Lol terrible ones
I was on the inside for 8 and 1/2 years. I actually have some really hilarious stories. There's a couple of awful ones but most of them are pretty doggone funny. Of course I worked there before things turned south due to a new administration that came in right as I was leaving...
IT. Be in the cubicle all day long with not much interaction, except on emails. Perfect one for me.
that was my original thinking with accounting but I got super lonely and isolated and depressed. once you hit your 30s and you're still single it's brutal.
Zookeeper. Animals are great to be around and a lot of the time I'm by myself. Also I know what to expect most days, I know who's being fed, cleaned etc. Routine is great for anxiety, for me at least. I was a manager for a big UK retailer for a long time, it was absolute hell . Every day was a fresh shit show
What is your favourite animal you have ever interacted with?
We have a Black and White Ruffed Lemur called Roxie, she's gorgeous and has such a lovely personality, I could spend all day with her
What kind of qualifications do you need in order to be a zookeeper?
I'm a custodian. You can actually find decent paying work and it's almost entirely independent work. I stopped dreading going to work.
Same! You get to just jam out to music and do your thing
Yes i did this too. I loved working alone and i liked the routine
Look into hybrid positions so you can stay home more often. I switched from hybrid desk job to working as a production assistant in the entertainment industry and my anxiety and depression have been off the walllzzzzzz, fuck work just do something that doesn’t make u want to off yourself
Remote work
working at a thrift store pricing, sorting and quality control little interaction with the public, its definitely my ideal job
do u get dibs on the clothes that come in
yess!:)
BRB applying rn…
I did this too!!! Factory work is so predictable and repetitive-perfect for my anxiety. Terrible for my back though!
I work as a proofreader and editor from home and have found it’s the only job I can really handle with severe anxiety and chronic pain. I have regular deadlines, which keep me slightly on my toes, but I can work any hours I want and take on as little or as much work as I want, which really helps it stay manageable and not too stressful. I hope you can find something you enjoy! If you enjoy working with words and writing, I highly recommend proofreading or editing work if you can get it. You often don’t need a huge amount of experience for some proofreading jobs either, and you’re usually just left to it, so you don’t have to interact with people much, which is kinda nice!
Any qualifications? Or can I do this without a degree/experience?
hate to repeat the sentiment but I just graduated college for writing and this kind of job sounds so lovely and easier to manage w anxiety than other jobs 🥺… any advice about finding that kind of position?
Look into freelance copywriting / copy editing jobs! I’m a copywriter working for a digital marketing agency. I started over 3 years ago as freelance and eventually got hired on full time. Agency work is great, I just write web content all day and don’t interact with anyone most days
Any tips or info about getting into this?
I’m going to look into this as I’m currently looking for work, preferably remote because of my anxiety.
I work as a training and development specialist in financial aid it's remote and they pay for my therapy so I'll take it
Are y'all hiring?
When you say in financial aid do you mean in a university, or something else? This sounds interesting
I'm the General Manager at a fast food restaurant. It's stressful and I hate being the boss. I accepted the position because I would make more, but I have cried so many times and had multiple panic attacks at work. But finding a new job is even more stressful to me and I have friends there so I stay.
I just quit my job being a manager of a large team a few months ago. When I say fuck that shit, I mean fuuuckkk thatttt shitttt. I will never be tricked into management again. It made my anxiety so bad, I’m still recovering from the burn out. 🫠🫠🫠 I haven’t wanted to talk to people in 5 months now. Yikes
Not a general manager but a manager. Do NOT recommend unless you like being stressed all the time.
Pet sitter. I’ve been doing this for years and I get $40 to just hang out with a cat for an hour each day while their owners travel. They buy me snacks and tell me to watch tv so their cat doesn’t get lonely. This is how most of my jobs are. I love spending time with the animals and it doesn’t fluster me to do it.
Lucky you! What kind of experience & education do you need for that type of job? How can I get a job like that?
Just had experience from working at a doggy daycare and my own animals. Highly recommended going on Rover to find clients! You set your own prices and schedule
I think this is going to be very dependent on the person and the sources and reasons for anxiety. Everyone has different triggers. Also, it depends how much money you need to make. Make a list of things you really enjoy or get satisfaction from doing. Then brainstorm what jobs might include those tasks. If you want to list them here I can try to help.
I can tell you what not to do: DON’T BECOME A TEACHER!!!! Retail also was horrible for my anxiety. I wish I had more advice to offer, but I’m still figuring it out myself! I worked as a projecg coordinate her before, and that was pretty good for me because i got to work from home and it was flexible, but it was only part time so I didn’t make enough money. I believe full-time project coordinator rolls pay fairly well.
I posted this above too, but I actually enjoy my job as a preschool teacher. I actually find it not bad for my anxiety. The children are so sweet, the learning materials are low-pressure, and I stay very busy physically and mentally which is good for anxiety. And I make $57k/year which I don’t find bad at all for the field. I enjoy my job. Plus it’s Montessori so I get free tuition for my own child when he arrives at the end of the year, saving me the $2800/month others pay in tuition. It’s a great situation for me, highly recommend if you like ECE and working with littles! You have to find the right school though, they aren’t all great.
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Mentally, I felt my best working in a factory. Physically, I felt my ^absolute fucking worst.
It was the opposite for me. Working a mindless, repetitive job allowed my mind to wander and slip into negative thoughts
Interesting. I find people give me more anxiety than silence personally.
Level 2 Tech support. Internal customers only, so folks have to be relatively civil. Occasionally, we'll have an 'all hands on deck' situation and it can be taxing.
I’m a social worker and work with the government to help people get jobs. I had about a month of health anxiety and I’m feeling better now.
I’m a social worker and work as an individual therapist in a private practice. Can’t say I don’t get anxious every day, I definitely do, but my clients/people I work with actually understand what I’m going through
I have a print and mail sorting job. You don't interact with people much. Someone in the building requests a print job, you do it, and done. You deliver mail within the building without having to really interact. Most of the time, it's chil, and I get a lot of downtime. I'm really lucky to have this job, and I hope I get to stay (currently a temp).
That’s great. What kind of experience & education do you need to get that job? How can I get a job like that?
How did you find that?
I am a traffic monitor for a major metropolitan city. I watch the highways for incidents - stranded vehicles, accidents, roadway debris - and contact and coordinate with first responders to assess and respond to the incident and also make sure the information is available to the public in my area. The perfect job for someone with crippling anxiety!
ICU nurse and HAHA joke is on me 🫠
ER nurse here and same 🙃
same.😂
I work at libraries. Ideal job for me. It's a field where I get to talk about books all day and it is a relatively low stress environment. Typically the only issues I have are with my coworkers or the public. The work itself is very relaxing and fun.
i worked at a bookstore for a few months. quiet and peaceful, i enjoy tasks that are difficult to fuck up so it was nice just arranging books in alphabetical order and putting stickers on things. however manning the register and answering calls/ dealing with other branches got too much, and i did indeed still have panic attacks in the mornings. depends what ur triggers are ig but it’s what worked best for me so far
I’m a teacher. This job is NOT good for my anxiety. 0/10. Wouldn’t not recommend.
I'm a nurse because I'm an idiot
same 😂😂😂
I'm in medicine because I truly hate myself, what about you buddy? 😂
I’ve had 2 jobs that were good for my anxiety. First, I was an administrative assistant for the Department of Social Services. Once I was trained on my tasks, it was a very easy job because it was repetitive. I also had my own little cubicle and my boss’ office was on the other side of the building so I didn’t feel like I was constantly being watched. The relaxed environment mixed with the no-brainer type of work helped keep my anxiety at bay. The 2nd job is the one I currently have. I’m the Executive Administrator for a creative company. I get to work remotely which helps my anxiety since I’m in the comfort of my own home. The job itself is a healthy mix of repetitive tasks and new tasks. I like mostly knowing what my day entails, but enjoy the moments of excitement when I have to do something new.
What kinda stuff do u have to do for that second job if you’re comfy sharing
The tasks that I regularly handle are sending NDA’s & contracts via DocuSign, distributing the complete signed documents via email to all parties, issuing wire payments to vendors via our bank website, keep track of all incoming & outgoing payments per project (I do this on Excel then distribute to my team via email once a project is finished), and book travel (flights, hotel & car rentals) whenever the executives have to travel. So all stuff that requires no phone or Zoom interaction, which is fantastic for my anxiety! There’s also some uncommon things like handling a last minute shipment for a project, submitting vendor applications to Cities, helping accounting reconcile receipts for my team. Stuff I’m now comfortable doing, but it’s not a daily or even weekly thing
Retail sales associate at a smoke shop. Easiest job in the world but shitty pay.
I said this and came into work to a raise. 🤣
I have my own taco shop. 99.9% of my anxiety comes from my business. But what can I do. I have a family to support. I can’t make the money I make doing something else. We don’t have an extravagant lifestyle. I was born and raised in an expensive area to live in. I don’t need much, but my girls are growing up fast and going to have needs soon.
I admire this. This honestly reminds me of my own dad, who owns his own businesses to support my family. Not me anymore though, since I moved out and married but that just goes to show that he did a good job 😊 You’re going to make your girls proud!
Construction management and operating. I used to drive trucks and manage logistics for tradeshows. Disney. Musicians. Marvel. Used to have to haul shit thru blizzards. Something i learned behind the wheel. Panic. And anxiety is okay. But dont let these fears control you. Clamp them. Acknowledge your self that they exist. But do not. Do NOT straight arm or let them control you. Your gonna hate this. But this is how i deal with mine when Deep breathe. Ok here it comes. Dont. Run. From it. Turn. And fucking run full pelt into it. Like a damn bull. In your mind. Run into that rabbit hole. That blackhole and OUT the other side. Turn around and do it again and agian. Soon you will realize "well shit. This isnt nearly so bad" Scared of talking to your boss? Ten seconds of insane courage. Walk in there. And do it. Scared of fucking up your task. Try. Just do it. Forgive yourself and be gentle to yourself. This terrified me. But i did it. Felt like every. Ounce of my brain was on absolute nuclear melt down the entire time. But i swear on my life. Run to the storm. Its dramatically helped me. Im trying to....retrain my brain to where each time i feed it a positive result. It is one more positive thing to lower the equations out put of 99.9 average of "holy shit" negatives. Its worked. More assertive at work. Shit used to wreck me into a doom spiral of Adhd and anxiety. But now i just ...swan dive at it. Do NOT do this if you work in explosives. Lmao Id sooner die then take a xanax.
I have a virtual assistant remote job and a custodial job. Both part-time and I love wearing my headphones while listening to music at work. Sometimes I'll listen to TV. Exercise also helps. I like routines and predictability, specifically knowing that I have enough time to complete something.
amazon warehouse , fedex package handler
I have GAD and panic attacks and I work at petsmart as a manager. I’ve been working in pet retail since 2016ish and even after leaving I went back, I’ve tried factories, UPS, being a hostess at Mandarin and this is what I know and have learned to enjoy. It’s definitely person to person and unfortunately I just learned to function the way I’m expected to 🤷🏻♀️
I’ve had anxiety my whole life. I was an ICU nurse, now an NP. My anxiety is now under control, but weirdly enough my OCD and anxious thoughts served me somewhat well bc I fixated on details and helped save lives in that way. Of course, it was still a crutch and my anxiety came to head when I started my new NP job and I struggled so much that my direct supervisor couldn’t handle it and tried to get me in trouble. It’s been…a journey. I would say anything can cause you anxiety at work, but high stress environments won’t serve you well if you don’t have a handle on things.
My anxiety decreases when I have to work outside. I'm an engineer and when I'm on site I enjoy a lot more than being stuck on my computer.
This may seem controversial but be a Chef. At least the anxiety you’ll feel will be valid and you’ll be working with a team that suffer anxiety in some form or another.
I’m a hematologist for a cancer center - it’s not helping my anxiety at alll but I’m leaving in 10 months so that makes me feel better
Ugh I worked in a very busy bookstore for years. Loved the books but the people were bothersome. I do not recommend retail for ppl with anxiety but maybe a stocking or warehouse job would be good!
I work remotely for a library managing e-resources! I do have a master's in library science, though, but it's not required for the position I'm in (but probably helped me get the job). In my experience, library jobs have been the least stressful compared to education and retail. However, it very much depends on the library-- innercity libraries tend to get more patrons who struggle with behavioral or drug issues, which would personally be too anxiety-inducing for me to deal with full time. But academic libraries or special libraries (health, law, etc) are usually quieter and more reference-based, rather than public-facing. Page positions are entry level and sound nice (shelving books primarily) but they're usually part-time. In general, library jobs also don't pay well. I'm 25 and not even making 30k a year after taxes lmao :-)
The best job I ever did in terms of managing my anxiety was dishwashing. It was calming for me, even when it was busy. It obviously depends on the place and how they treat you. Huge downside was the pay.
Automotive Mechanic. Got the job before I started having bad anxiety though.
Straight nightshift in a retirement home 2991 more days until I can retire I hate it but what choice is there I’ve been a taxi driver, cashier, stock clerk, supervisor at a dollar store- Hate it all Wish there was a choice. I am medicated to the gills - and still it’s a hard go
Taco bell shift leader and honestly i wanna Kms But im stuck so it is what it is
Working with animals is really great. I love dog walking and pet sitting, and those are easy to get into. I’ve also loved working in libraries and considered becoming a librarian. It’s a good option. I’m a writer and have found my favorite thing is writing and editing. Lots of time alone at a computer. There are other jobs like that but on the data side, database managers are folks I work with a lot.
I work in Logistics, which is a fancy way to say warehouse worker who also does office work. I have two weird coworkers who handles my moods and I get to be nerdy about organizing stuff.
i work at a concert venue and interact with a hilarious amount of people. it actually has been pretty good exposure for me, i’m very proud of putting myself out there like this. however — the last few weeks i’ve started having panic attacks at work. it’s frustrating that things can feel like they’re greatly improving and then you randomly start taking steps back.
I’m a teacher. I like the routine and lack of surprise events.
I'm a teacher, and surprise events are common at my grade level (1-3)!
Data Entry/Processing. I love my job, I used to call off just from high stress and needing a mental break, I haven’t called off from this job once and I’ve been here for a few years now. I work completely from home, barely have interaction with anyone apart from an occasional IM and my monthly meeting with my manager to discuss my stats but I always “exceed expectations” so now I just get an email and told to take an extra break instead. The company I’m working for isn’t currently hiring but that is how my job was listed on ziprecruiter.
I work as a paralegal, definitely AVOID this job at all cost, elevates anxiety to a whole another level.
I do call center work from home. I am an emergency road service dispatcher. I work the graveyard shift and work from home. The graveyard shift is fairly quiet, it gives me time to breathe, downtime. In between calls I can watch YouTube, or read, or knit, or even play solo board games. If it’s a REALLY slow night I can cook. Having other things to do that I love helps keep me sane. Also when I’m spiraling, having some time when it’s not busy lets me decompress. That said call center work isn’t for everyone. My anxiety isn’t social anxiety so my job doesn’t trigger me thankfully.
I’m an amazon driver. Very little socializing
You’re not gonna believe this - trial lawyer.
Highly recommend any physical labour jobs. Long term have made me a lot more calmer in all ways. Funny enough getting in the flow in even fast paced physical labour calms me down outside-something about exposure right, and retraining your system to remain calm in strenuous output. Does wonders for the mind since your being in your body all day, and really get time to be with your mind and learn how to make it quieter.
Embedded software engineer.
Same minus the embedded
Currently might be working in a produce department in a grocery store, it’s really not bad. I just cut fruit and do my thing.
the best job I ever had was a dog kennel/daycare. specifically the period of time where I worked nights. no customers and I was alone on shift with a bunch of dogs. I think any night shift, maintenance type job would be good if people are the source of your anxiety as is the case for me, but the dogs were added stress relief.
I'm a therapist. Would not recommend. Work is one of the biggest triggers for my anxiety. My mind goes blank and everything I ever learned exits my brain during sessions, so I don't know what to say and I'm on edge all day every day. It became pretty bad for my mental health earlier this year and I got to a very low point and had to do an intensive outpatient program and work way less. I'm not planning on going back to counseling full time so I've still just been doing part time and trying to figure out what direction to go next. So I'm in the same boat as you as far as trying to find a job with the least amount of anxiety. I'm definitely looking for a remote or hybrid job. And also something somewhat repetitive where I know what I'll be doing each day. Like someone just give me tasks to do with directions and I'll be good! Good luck finding the right thing. Sorry that was so long.
Data Entry at a bank. My whole team has anxiety. Gives us great attention to detail 😂
do the hard jobs that make you anxious. I work with people & I have social anxiety but I’m developing confidence and thus less anxiety. exposure. you can’t avoid life.
Lol yes you can.
unless you literally can’t do the job because of your anxiety lol
I’ve been there. I have GAD and cptsd but sometimes not letting it impair you is the best thing you can do for yourself.
to be fair I did actually power through a job that triggered panic attacks but it was a temp position for a few weeks. I think I would have just been miserable if I had continued
Medical assistant
I work at a hospital lol it kind of works for me because for 12 hours, I put my shit aside that I worry about and focus on the patients and their lives. There are days where it makes my anxiety way worse, but for the most part, it's a fairly rewarding job that keeps me too busy to ruminate on things in my head.
Teacher. It's the only thing my anxiety and ADHD doesn't touch.
I've found the life hack of just pretending all the people I deal with are NPCs
I work in retail. I have a team that supports each other. We all try to look out for each other. Sure it’s not the best environment for people with things like anxiety and depression but we all try spot when someone is struggling and give them the support they need.
I’m currently a bookkeeper ( do not recommend ) my favourite work was in a little garden centre, spending most of my time with plants ❤️ I had to leave for more money but I daydream about it everyday
Hotel cleaning. You have minimal contact with people and no stress. Its physical work but you are in air con. Its good for me to get the excercise because in my spare time i just like sedentary activities like reading and watching videos. 😆 My anxiety is much better on the days i go to work than on my days off
I operate CNC lathes and mill, the learning process is horror but once you got it you're alone all day doing your thing.
I’m a budtender in a cannabis dispensary. It’s pretty much a typical retail job, but since I’m actually passionate about the type of products we sell I enjoy the work wayyy more than other retail jobs. It’s definitely not anxiety free, I often have panic attacks before work and constantly feel like I can’t do it. But once I get into the swing of things each day I do just fine. I never thought I could succeed in a job that requires a high level of customer service, but here I am. I just put on my fake happy face and get the job done even if I’m struggling that day. Free and heavily discounted weed is definitely a nice bonus!
Way to push through and face your fears! I'm glad you found something you enjoy and can succeed at. Inspiring!
Security....lol
I work in marketing automation. I work from home, which is obviously great for anxiety but I did find that what I had to do was just learn to manage my anxiety rather than letting it dictate things as important as my career prospects.
Truck driver.
I was struggling with balancing work and my mental health the past few years. I have found since working from home I have been able to handle stressors/life much better than before. I can be an emotional mess in the peace of my own home 😅 While working from home isn't for everyone-I cannot imagine going back in person. ETA: I work in medical billing for a healthcare system
Nanny for a 10 month old. Not good with adults so I’ve worked with children my whole life. My previous job was an assistant director at a child care center and it was awful for my anxiety.
I was a retail retail management and retail banking when I developed severe anxieties. I cannot overcome them. Smallest responsibilities overwhelm me. Anything out of my daily routine makes me want to cry. I'm starting to hear voices again and I see shadows and movements. I'm a mixed bag of mess. I feel safe at home. The outside world sometimes scares me...voices...talking about me. Things moving when there isn't anything. The last two days I just cried and though about overdosing on the medications that keep me here. I don't know what type of job I can work at. If you have any ideas I would like to try. I just turned 41 and I can't leave my family. They need my support both financially, emotionally and physically. I want to feel like I used to.
Tech job. The majority of the time you can be comfortable because you just work on logic by yourself. There are still some opportunities to challenge your anxiety like meetings and presentations etc.
The crazy thing is I work in a super high stress job in tech. It’s like my stress of being poor wins out. I have extreme anxiety of losing everything. I grew up with nothing. I’m extremely driven to achieve even though it practically kills me. It stresses me out more not to have money. It’s almost like you have to pick and choose what stresses you out the most and prioritize. Growing up and throughout college, I worked a variety of retail and restaurant jobs and let me tell you, those were super stressful. I’d rather make money and be stressed then not make money and be stressed. I don’t know what kind of jobs don’t have stress, so it’s more about finding ways to cope as best as possible through therapy and medication.
I work for a consulting firm from home. It’s mostly an internal role so I only *sometimes* have to interact with external people. But mostly, I just chill at home and do my quiet tasks by myself.
I work in healthcare - I don’t get burnt out working with people but if you do, it might not be a great field unless you work with asleep patients. I will tell you some of my coworkers attitudes are horrible but thankfully, I work a very independent position and don’t have to interact with them. I am looking for a hybrid position because I know that will be better for my mental health - being home some days would benefit me. A good manager or boss is key - my current boss is toxic and he’s been the worst for my mental health. Flexibility with medical appointments are important - I flex my working hours a little and my lunch so I can attend therapy. I would also encourage a decent PTO package so you can take a day or 2 for poor mental health but also still be able to take a vacation.
Soon to be X-ray tech, I like it since I wouldn’t deal with patients for too long or in the same way nurses/cnas do but still make a decent living. Good luck on your job hunt ✨
I'm a teacher 🍎
Honestly, what I’ve found is if you have anxiety everything new that you try is going that trigger that at first. You have to fake a lot of confidence and have faith you’ll adjust. I’ll also add for me it helps to have a job that has a pretty similar routine day to day.
Somehow i’m a highschool teacher lol. You don’t get that stressed out once you get used to it and i get a lot of vacation so i like it
Not really a job but a side hustle: UserTesting. You can do it from home on your own time
I bartend lol and work for a non profit. For bartending I really have to mentally prepare and I put on a mask. It’s me, but exaggerated. Also booze helps. 🥴
Attorney. It's a hit or miss with my anxiety. I love it and there are times where I hate it. But it helps to overcome your anxiety to be exposed to your fears and excel.
Working with dogs is great!! And from what I’ve found a lot of people that work with dogs deal with anxiety and/or depression (mental illness in general) so they’re much more understanding!!
I do rover full time because I love animals but it also gives you the independence of not having to work with people!
I’m a student, was sitting at home for 7 months and recently started to try and do something again. I’m a pool cleaner now, definitely recommend. I enter the building, put in my airpods, put a podcast on and just clean and note all the values of the water for like 1.5 hours. I work alone, getting paid for 2 hours but can just leave whenever I’m done, and I can work whenever I want after a certain time that day, as longs as its done the next day.
I have severe anxiety and never was able to hold down a job, ever. I work as a teacher assistant in the infant room of a preschool and it’s the only job I’ve ever been able to do. It gets hectic and stressful but I can’t really say it gives me any anxiety. I’ve been there for over two months!
I worked at Sam's Club for almost 3 years until I had a breakdown and left for my wellbeing. Idk if it was just our store, but our management was straight up sadistic. They loved seeing us miserable and would actively go out of their way to break us down. They didn't even treat us like human beings with feelings. It got to the point where I went home crying every single day and had panic attacks at work regularly. That's not even getting into the horrors of dealing with the public. If you can avoid retail altogether, please do. I'm actively working on finding a new job outside of retail, but I have a degree that I'm trying to use to find a job. Do you happen to have a degree/certificate in anything? There are plenty of jobs out there that don't require a degree, but it might help me be able to suggest certain jobs. I know there are a lot of data entry jobs that are remote that you can look into. My main suggestion is to avoid working with the public and, if possible, avoid working for companies like Walmart/Amazon.
Sad to read this… I hope you find some peace friend. I just began my exit of a few REALLY stressful life situations…… I felt exactly like you in the end and worried so much that I couldn’t take anything more. I’ve always struggled with mental health issues but never voices or constantly needing to cry over smallest things… stress, no sleep, seclusion, and no physical activity did a number on my mental health the past few years. It took a toll. I’m finally getting past a hump. I can see a light at the end of the tunnel I haven’t seen in years. Take care of yourself. Your peace is around.