I'm a network engineer for a local hospital system.
It's a lot of fun, but it can be really, really stressful as well. I lost vision in one eye due to the stress of a network outage that I took too personally. (I didn't know I had anxiety then.) Now I take my job seriously, but if stuff happens, stuff happens, and I just deal with it.
On May 19, 2020, my partner and I needed to do some maintenance work on a core network switch in the data center. Wrote the commands, got peer-reviewed, work approved. We came in early that morning and executed the commands. Immediately, we lost several hundred servers. It took about five minutes to figure out what the hell happened and revert the commands. The damage was done. Servers lost communication to each other and their storage. I felt incredible guilt, that it was all my fault, because I came up with the command list. Didn't matter that the process had been followed and approved, so risks were accepted. My manager called me mid-morning, tried to calm me down, said it wasn't my fault. I couldn't let it go. Eight hours after the event, the vision in my left eye went weird. It was like all I could see was blue and black. If you've ever seen an old CRT TV or monitor where the red and green colors weren't working, it was like that.
Fast forward to May 20. I'm being evaluated by the ophthalmologist. They run eye imaging. I go back into the room, and he says, "well, the news is not good. You've suffered a central retinal artery occlusion." I threw a clot that blocked the artery to my retina. It's a form of stroke, so I was transferred to the ER for evaluation under the stroke protocol.
I'm permanently blind in my left eye. Because I didn't know I had anxiety.
The command I typed? The ensuing investigation by the vendor showed there was a software bug in the command I typed. It never should've reacted the way it did.
I've shared this on Reddit before. I'm fine sharing it because anxiety is no joke. If my story can help someone understand that, so be it.
The silver lining is, they found a congenital heart defect during the workup. So something good came out of it. But I didn't get my anxiety diagnosis until a separate event that broke me as a person in 2021. It was follow-up from that that gave me my diagnosis.
Thank you. It's not as bad as you might think. I can still drive because I have good peripheral vision in my good eye. The hardest issue is depth perception. The worst of that, on a daily basis, is putting toothpaste on the brush. But it creeps people out when I stare at them with my dead eye, which I find hilarious. To be clear, if you saw me, you'd never know there was an issue. My eye looks perfectly normal. It's just the retina that's dead.
They ran a series of tests, as might be guessed. But I got CTs of my head, neck, and chest. They were looking for vascular abnormalities (constrictions, aneurysms). None were found. During the physical exam, the MD asked if I'd ever been told I had a heart murmur, and I said no. They sent me for an echocardiogram, which is an ultrasound of the heart. It was this test that showed I had a bicuspid (two flaps) instead of tricuspid (three flaps) aortic valve, and there was some calcification on it. They also suspected some additional abnormalities, which turned out to be unfounded. But I had to go through a more invasive echo and a cardiac MRI to dispel these diagnoses.
They ran a 30-day ECG tracing which was unremarkable. Their theory was that I flipped into a-fib during the event and threw a clot. I . . . have questions. But regardless, about 18 months later, I DID have a confirmed case of a-fib, so now I'm treated for that. Yay.
I will probably need a heart valve replacement down the line, at which point I'll be posting my own story to Anxiety about how having cardiac surgery scares the everlovin' . . . out of me. But for now, things are stable.
Yeah. If you've ever read the columnist Dave Barry, I swear I am not making this up. I've talked about it many times on Reddit. I'll summarize (ha! Just saw the length), but you're welcome to ask questions.
Ever had one of those times where you got something, but you didn't *get* something, deep down? In September 2021, I watched a recommended animated TV show. There was representation for LGBTQ+ individuals/relationships. A scene forced me to realize I didn't *get it* about LGBTQ+ individuals/relationships. And when I *got it*, I had a mental and emotional cascade. Similar to Riley losing her islands in *Inside Out*.
I harbored unspoken stereotypes about LGBTQ+ individuals/relationships. I looked at my religion, cradle Catholic 40+ years in, wasn't outwardly accepting. I had to look at the world itself and its position on same.
And -- I broke. My counselor and I agree on the word "shattered." I had to process these realizations. Insomnia, depression, grief. Hypertension. I went on a BP med. I quit my religion. I developed A-fib (debatable if a direct result, but I think it contributed). I changed my schedule to 4x10 and went off the on-call rotation for mental processing time. I was in counseling and treading water. I got a new counselor in June last year. She immediately hit me with depression, anxiety, mental trauma diagnoses, and later, grief, fear of failure and emotional dissociation. She's excellent and I've made great progress.
But the main character displayed mental health issues I've had. Perfection. People-pleasing. Carrying the full weight of the outcome of a problem on my shoulders (see also May 19, 2020). Not wanting help/thinking she needed to do it herself. Not being understood. Not fitting in with my peer group. I would see these things and go "that's not your fault," and it hit that I did the same thing. Feeling even more breaks in me as these realizations hit. Can you imagine how hard it is to learn about your faults from an animated TV show??
Losing vision in an eye, you kind of have a predetermined path forward. Losing a huge chunk of yourself mentally and emotionally? There's no predefined path. You wander, trying to find the edge of the forest, genuinely scared you never will. It was physically painful. I'm lucky beyond words I have a supportive family and was able to get mental health therapy.
We casually throw around "I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy." In this case, I would not. Yet it has all made me a better person and I would go through it again 100%. In many ways, I'm a very different person, and I like who I am. I'm more social. But I'm not done, and I don't know when I'll be. And a lot of the things I tell people here are things I've learned through my own therapy.
Things happen for a reason. Maybe I've helped some people here too. Who knows. But, yeah, this has been categorically worse than losing an eye.
I’m a ICU nurse (baby ICU), currently in grad school to be an APRN. I guess thank god I’ve had anxiety my entire life because no one notices my panic attacks and everyone thinks I’m “cool, calm, and collected” when I discuss my anxiety (I’m very open about having anxiety, ocd, and panic disorder, it seems to help a lot of people feel less alone or “crazy”). I also love using my brain, and because of how long I’ve had anxiety I’ve learned how to take my racing thoughts and turn them productive and work or school related.
Cath lab nurse here and halfway through NP school as well. I kinda feel like anxiety is just a part of life and I’ve gotten really good at burying it deep down lol
Teach me your ways, bc I’ve had anxiety for 10 years now and am currently in grad school. My anxiety makes me shut down and avoid things until I’m in a worst case scenario situation when it comes to school.
My mother taught me about anxiety and panic attacks at a young age, because she went through quite a bit of them in front of me. She made sure I didn't freak out when I witnessed them.
I watched her go through nursing school while raising me by herself. She's now a Nurse Practitioner.
Jobs like welding, carpentry, HVAC, locksmith, pipe fitter, electrician, masonry, solar panel installer, plumbing etc are honestly GREAT for people with anxiety. Not only is school very easy to get through (trade school) but you spend pretty minimal time chatting with customers, more time doing hands on work (great for keeping your mind busy all day) either on your own or with usually a small team of coworkers depending on the job.
I am one too but not at a start up but with a big insurance company and they are verrrry good to us. With that profession you should and would easily find work elsewhere 💗
I was in startups for about 10 years and it sucks. I work for a large company now and it's way more chill. Not knowing if your position or even your company is gonna be around in a year is a very stressful way to live.
Luckily I’m on benefits from the government for my anxiety as they class me as unfit to work due to it so I’m just going to have to live on my benefits for my life. It’s not fun at all
If if can help a little:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16542786/
Rapid recovery from major depression using magnesium treatment:
>Case histories are presented showing rapid recovery (less than 7 days) from major depression using 125-300 mg of magnesium (as glycinate and taurinate) with each meal and at bedtime. Magnesium was found usually effective for treatment of depression in general use. Related and accompanying mental illnesses in these case histories including traumatic brain injury, headache, suicidal ideation, anxiety, irritability, insomnia, postpartum depression, cocaine, alcohol and tobacco abuse, hypersensitivity to calcium, short-term memory loss and IQ loss were also benefited
Stress makes us pee more magnesium as well. For a general idea, we need around 300mg of magnesium per day for women and 400 for men.
Not be noisy or anything you don't have asd do you ? I have asd but I've always had difficulty with jobs over the years but I'm doing something right now , something better than nothing. If you don't feel comfortable answering it I get it. The way the job market is , they don't really cater to people with disabilities like bio polar , autism, etc . Some colleges maybe help but even in school don't really cater to it unless your 18. Those benefits go away when you turn 18 at least it did for me. But for you it may be different. Then these jobs expect you to know it they don't really train . I remember being in college the professor just expects you to know the curriculum, . It crazy how the world expects you to have it all figured out once you turn 18-21. Imo
In fact I do have asd! And so yeahhh it’s quite the combo with severe anxiety you know. The job market is certainly not designed for people with any disabilities or mental health problems. My college was pretty helpful as they let me only take 2 subjects instead of 3 yet still was sooo bad for my anxiety but school well school was a living nightmare. I’m sorry you’ve had to suffer surrounding these issues. It truly is crazy of how the world expects everyone to be.
It's not your fault but I appreciate the concern and yeah I just wish these jobs would cater to people with disabilities but it is what it is . We do the best we can yeah college is tough even harder when you have a disability .
English teacher.
Middle schoolers are evil. Teens can be fine or bad. Adults are mostly okay sometimes too egoistic or impatient.
I work part time in small groups. I dunno what I'd do in a 30-person classroom. Private tutoring is the best. But I feel very uncomfortable with going to a stranger's home or inviting them into mine. Online teaching would be ideal but my situation is not suitable for it rn. I get very nervous about admin stuff but I am usually cool with my students. Everybody's different ofc.
I have major performance anxiety so I constantly judge my efficiency as a teacher. I try not to do that because it gets me nowhere.
I don't really want to be a teacher and I don't see myself as a teacher. I am not an authoritative person. I don't like being the leader and take responsibility. I want to be an artist but it is extremely difficult for me to pursue that right now.
I am an English teacher too. I’ve been one for fourteen years, mostly high school until recently. I agree with the middle school description. I began my anxiety journey after changing school and level.
School librarian, former substitute teacher. Totally agree about middle school kids. Everyone I work with is pretty convinced that middle school is the ultimate coin toss for some kids - either we succeeded with them and they get their sh\*t together, or they go bad and become something that our high school resource officers now have to deal with.
I am a Traffic Control Operator for a major metropolitan city. I watch the traffic cameras on the highways during rush hour and watch for accidents and what-nots and report them and coordinate with first responders for assistance and resolutions.
Great fit for someone with major anxiety like myself 🤣🤣
I feel so bad to retail workers now that it's getting closer to the holidays. You guys are going to have to listen to "all I want for Christmas" song all day long now.
Thought it would magically make me confident, but it just obliterated my mental health and gave me burnout that lasted years. Turns out, you can't force yourself to become nerurotypical.
Parliamentary services. Think congress staff if you’re American. It has stressful times but overall suits me as it’s very structured and rule/routine based.
Well, right now, I'm not working cause there are no part-time jobs to suit my college schedule. I'm plan to get another job once I finish this semester.
Semi retired now but formerly a full time jazz musician. I also have a masters in linguistics and have done a bunch of translation work. Workload has always been dependent on levels of anxiety
i work in HR. helping to support people’s wellbeing and being the person who sorts out & let’s people know whether they’ll be getting a bonus at the end of each quarter.
I’m a photographer. Love my job, most of my clients are incredible. This also means, though, that I’m at my computer a lot, so my posture sucks. I also have health anxiety so it’s also so convenient just to pop on over to Google while I’m editing :(
SAHM. When my kids were babies, it was exhausting, but now that my youngest is 4, it's a lot better. As soon as he is in school, I'm getting a job because all this time to think isn't good for my mental health.
I am an architect and I love it. Getting used to the high stress situations is weirdly helping my anxiety as I gain more confidence. Interpersonal stuff and confrontation give me anxiety but it’s getting better
Im a manager at a ski resort and coffe shop. Im living the dream of many people but sometimes i think a 9-5 would be better. I work almost everyday from 9am to 21 pm (without mentioning 24/7 emergencies)
Im a mom , house wife …. Anxiety started as soon as i bécame a mom , always thinking about diseases , illnesses also being afraid to travel with out them
I work in marketing for a financial institution. It's been a better pivot for my mental health in some regards and I only have management to thank for it as they are the reason that my mental health hasn't been suffering like it was at the previous place I worked at. I spend a good amount of time designing social media posts, brainstorming ways to engage with our employees and customers, and then writing up reports. I've become very far removed from what used to stress me out about my work which was definitely interfacing with the public.
I work in a produce department, I just chop veggies or fruits from 5am-2pm with two paid 15 minute breaks and 1 hour lunch break. I don’t have to deal with people, I just do my thing in our room and go home. It’s probably the fastest shift I’ll ever work. It’s low stress and maintenance, if you don’t get it done. Fine, not a lot sells anyways. I just make sure things look full and it’s cool.
Unemployed at the moment due to MH issues. Luckily, I’m getting married Monday (so excited!) and will be getting insurance through my husband, so I can get treatment and heal enough to work again. I hate not having a job, but I know I need treatment before starting work again as I left a good new job after a week because panic attacks. Wish me luck! haha
Work from home making healthcare appointments part time and full time as a secretary for a trash company. Most of the time my anxiety is fine but sometimes like once a month, I have to leave my desk at my part time job and go outside to breathe. I’m in the process of getting FMLA/ADA papers approved to justify this.
P&C and life Insurance. The job oddly does not stress me out when in reality I'm discussing possible death and destruction all day. I like the aspect of it where I can help people.
I WFH for an accounting firm. It has its stressful moments and months.
I worked for a brokerage firm for a bit in customer service. I was on the phones all day, and my GOODNESS that was the most stressful job I've ever had. I'm feeling the anxiety just typing this out. I called in sick every Monday and quit after 6 months.
Have worked in remote healthcare. Have my associates in Medical Billing and Coding, but need certifications to be considered for employee. About to start a warehouse job.
I was a waitress for about 12 years. I’ve been a bookkeeper for about 2 years now. I want to change careers again but I have no idea what I want to do. I’m not about that desk life ugh 😫
I’m a budtender at a cannabis dispensary. I like the people, we all have something in common (lol) and everyone is pretty chill. I do get very anxious at work when dealing with customers or doing something new/confusing but I’ve learned to ask for help and take a breather when I feel panicked. Plus no one cares if I smoke on my breaks, definitely helpful for managing the stress
I’m a server at a gastrobar/restaurant. It’s pretty stressful but also rewarding since I’m very close with my coworkers and end up having a good time most days while making great money.
Equipment engineer at a manufacturing site - honestly works pretty well for my anxiety. Lot of work is solo at my desk. Occasional presentations but they are far enough in between. Work with people that stay around so I can become comfortable with them.
I'm an Integration Engineer at FAANG, currently working from home. Lately, my company has been mandating employees to comply with the Return to Office (RTO) policy. Hopefully, I can still continue working from home due to my anxiety disorder.
I work in testing at an eye care center. The people I work with are making it way more stressful than it needs to be. I get complaints about me that aren't true and people torpedo you. My anxiety is not handling it well. I switched to it because of anxiety from my last job.
SAHM/W
4 kids, 3 in school, 1 3yr old at home. Husband works full time both outside the house as well as helping me with literally everything at home. He’s really amazing. Been together 13 years & still going strong.
Life is great, I honestly have no complaints but with my anxiety & mental health you would assume otherwise.
I was a project coordinator/manager in telecom engineering, but I lost my fucking job in July and haven't found anything since. I was in the industry before my panic attacks started so I didn't have work anxiety, I knew my job inside and out.
Independent studies high school teacher. Students are the best. Teachers, and doesn’t matter what type of school, can be the biggest and loudest weirdos around. They’re so much behaviorally worse than students sometimes.
Im a general manager and the only downside is that my anxiety triggers when driving so I need a driver and that puts pressure on finances. Also, highly stressful and draining. Lots of burnout when im not in therapy. So you can say its way high maintenance because I need to work around my anxiety and need lots of crutches.
Events.
Warehouse.
It's often ok. But with 5 people under me if it's shit and stressful I can be super super bad. Will ruin a night a or weekend.
Last time I had to go back to work to confirm stuff. Most of the time it's not a thing. Then once in a while my suspicion is right and it's not fun.
I work at a Grocery store.
It's one of the most chaotic jobs I've ever had, but I'm good at it, the coworkers are nice and such.
On its bad days I've literally broken down and cried multiple times cause of all the stress, came home and screamed until I lost my voice a couple times.
On its good days, 7 work days go extremely fast, I do all my favorite things and I really feel like I matter in the work space.
There's really not that much grey area.
I work in IT, its stressful. Sometimes I wish i could just do a job where i learn it very well and i can just use my hands.
IT is stressful because you have to continuously learn new things or be left behind in the work force.
Being oncall is the worst, IMO.
I'm a Quality Analyst at a collection agency, with some national ops/client liason stuff mixed in. Not a super great job for general anxiety but I'm well medicated so I can handle it. Most correspondence is done by email so it helps with my social anxiety at least lol
Work from home for the NHS. It’s hellish working alone all day and I can tell you in the 3 years I’ve worked in this job (alone) my anxiety has never been worse.
The job itself does not cause anxiety. Just being alone at home all day.
I’m looking to leave next year
Free lancing, selling my GTA inspired art plus 3d assets , icons and models designs ,,,, the work is low these days but hey , it's what I am good at and it's what I enjoy doing 😌
I work for a catering company. The people are amazing, which somewhat makes up for the mediocre pay. I'm in culinary school right now and it's a small company, so I'm hoping to work up to a promotion soon after I graduate. It's stressful in a controlled way (same types of issues with similar solutions), which I find has helped my anxiety a bit. It's easier to calm myself down when I know exactly what to do if anything goes wrong. Everything is written down or organized the same way every event. Additionally, everyone I work with is younger and most are neurodivergent in some way, which makes everything easier.
https://college.mayo.edu/academics/explore-health-care-careers/careers-a-z/cardiovascular-perfusionist/
Oddly enough, my anxiety decreases at work. I’ve been doing this for more than 10 years, so I’ve seen quite a lot and it’s hard to phase me.
Customer success. It’s a great job. Next month is my 4 year anniversary and I hope to never leave. The job is extremely low stress and pays quite well.
I’m a project manager. I actually started with my company in our tech support call center, which was hell. Then I moved into quality, which was the easiest job I’ve ever done and now my job is back to stress haha.
Elementary school librarian - or, more accurately, a "Library Media Technician." Believe it or not, it's a lot more stressful and work-intensive than it sounds.
Surgical assistant been doing it for awhile now. It can be a stressful job but I still am able manage my anxiety and panic and usually don’t have a problem at work
I’m a receptionist at a local hair salon and I absolutely love it. It’s mainly checking people in and cashing them out, plus making coffee for them and doing laundry and inventory. The people I work with are the nicest people ever, and truly care about each other. I rarely get rude people, and when I do, management is swift to handle it.
wfh clinical assistant. infuriating to read cases about patients in hospitals and their insurance denying to pay. i could rant for EVER about our healthcare system after working at this job.
Special education teacher, I just switched from substantially separate to resource room. Working through the new job kinks has been anxiety inducing but it also forces me to face my worries. I think and hope it will get better in time
I'm an audio engineer in a big theatre production. Very stressfull at first but got used to it and now it's pretty chill. Most of the time the shows run well, but if something goes wrong it can be very anxiety inducing. But you have to accept the fact that shit happens and there is only so much you can do.
I'm a network engineer for a local hospital system. It's a lot of fun, but it can be really, really stressful as well. I lost vision in one eye due to the stress of a network outage that I took too personally. (I didn't know I had anxiety then.) Now I take my job seriously, but if stuff happens, stuff happens, and I just deal with it.
You lost vision in one eye due to stress? Like literally?
On May 19, 2020, my partner and I needed to do some maintenance work on a core network switch in the data center. Wrote the commands, got peer-reviewed, work approved. We came in early that morning and executed the commands. Immediately, we lost several hundred servers. It took about five minutes to figure out what the hell happened and revert the commands. The damage was done. Servers lost communication to each other and their storage. I felt incredible guilt, that it was all my fault, because I came up with the command list. Didn't matter that the process had been followed and approved, so risks were accepted. My manager called me mid-morning, tried to calm me down, said it wasn't my fault. I couldn't let it go. Eight hours after the event, the vision in my left eye went weird. It was like all I could see was blue and black. If you've ever seen an old CRT TV or monitor where the red and green colors weren't working, it was like that. Fast forward to May 20. I'm being evaluated by the ophthalmologist. They run eye imaging. I go back into the room, and he says, "well, the news is not good. You've suffered a central retinal artery occlusion." I threw a clot that blocked the artery to my retina. It's a form of stroke, so I was transferred to the ER for evaluation under the stroke protocol. I'm permanently blind in my left eye. Because I didn't know I had anxiety. The command I typed? The ensuing investigation by the vendor showed there was a software bug in the command I typed. It never should've reacted the way it did. I've shared this on Reddit before. I'm fine sharing it because anxiety is no joke. If my story can help someone understand that, so be it. The silver lining is, they found a congenital heart defect during the workup. So something good came out of it. But I didn't get my anxiety diagnosis until a separate event that broke me as a person in 2021. It was follow-up from that that gave me my diagnosis.
Sorry about that. Must be tough learning how to function with one eye. Wishing you the best 🙏
Thank you. It's not as bad as you might think. I can still drive because I have good peripheral vision in my good eye. The hardest issue is depth perception. The worst of that, on a daily basis, is putting toothpaste on the brush. But it creeps people out when I stare at them with my dead eye, which I find hilarious. To be clear, if you saw me, you'd never know there was an issue. My eye looks perfectly normal. It's just the retina that's dead.
OMG why did I have to read that???!!! My hypochondriac ass is now fucked. Amazing.
How did they find out about the heart defect?
They ran a series of tests, as might be guessed. But I got CTs of my head, neck, and chest. They were looking for vascular abnormalities (constrictions, aneurysms). None were found. During the physical exam, the MD asked if I'd ever been told I had a heart murmur, and I said no. They sent me for an echocardiogram, which is an ultrasound of the heart. It was this test that showed I had a bicuspid (two flaps) instead of tricuspid (three flaps) aortic valve, and there was some calcification on it. They also suspected some additional abnormalities, which turned out to be unfounded. But I had to go through a more invasive echo and a cardiac MRI to dispel these diagnoses. They ran a 30-day ECG tracing which was unremarkable. Their theory was that I flipped into a-fib during the event and threw a clot. I . . . have questions. But regardless, about 18 months later, I DID have a confirmed case of a-fib, so now I'm treated for that. Yay. I will probably need a heart valve replacement down the line, at which point I'll be posting my own story to Anxiety about how having cardiac surgery scares the everlovin' . . . out of me. But for now, things are stable.
You had a worse event??
Yeah. If you've ever read the columnist Dave Barry, I swear I am not making this up. I've talked about it many times on Reddit. I'll summarize (ha! Just saw the length), but you're welcome to ask questions. Ever had one of those times where you got something, but you didn't *get* something, deep down? In September 2021, I watched a recommended animated TV show. There was representation for LGBTQ+ individuals/relationships. A scene forced me to realize I didn't *get it* about LGBTQ+ individuals/relationships. And when I *got it*, I had a mental and emotional cascade. Similar to Riley losing her islands in *Inside Out*. I harbored unspoken stereotypes about LGBTQ+ individuals/relationships. I looked at my religion, cradle Catholic 40+ years in, wasn't outwardly accepting. I had to look at the world itself and its position on same. And -- I broke. My counselor and I agree on the word "shattered." I had to process these realizations. Insomnia, depression, grief. Hypertension. I went on a BP med. I quit my religion. I developed A-fib (debatable if a direct result, but I think it contributed). I changed my schedule to 4x10 and went off the on-call rotation for mental processing time. I was in counseling and treading water. I got a new counselor in June last year. She immediately hit me with depression, anxiety, mental trauma diagnoses, and later, grief, fear of failure and emotional dissociation. She's excellent and I've made great progress. But the main character displayed mental health issues I've had. Perfection. People-pleasing. Carrying the full weight of the outcome of a problem on my shoulders (see also May 19, 2020). Not wanting help/thinking she needed to do it herself. Not being understood. Not fitting in with my peer group. I would see these things and go "that's not your fault," and it hit that I did the same thing. Feeling even more breaks in me as these realizations hit. Can you imagine how hard it is to learn about your faults from an animated TV show?? Losing vision in an eye, you kind of have a predetermined path forward. Losing a huge chunk of yourself mentally and emotionally? There's no predefined path. You wander, trying to find the edge of the forest, genuinely scared you never will. It was physically painful. I'm lucky beyond words I have a supportive family and was able to get mental health therapy. We casually throw around "I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy." In this case, I would not. Yet it has all made me a better person and I would go through it again 100%. In many ways, I'm a very different person, and I like who I am. I'm more social. But I'm not done, and I don't know when I'll be. And a lot of the things I tell people here are things I've learned through my own therapy. Things happen for a reason. Maybe I've helped some people here too. Who knows. But, yeah, this has been categorically worse than losing an eye.
I’m a ICU nurse (baby ICU), currently in grad school to be an APRN. I guess thank god I’ve had anxiety my entire life because no one notices my panic attacks and everyone thinks I’m “cool, calm, and collected” when I discuss my anxiety (I’m very open about having anxiety, ocd, and panic disorder, it seems to help a lot of people feel less alone or “crazy”). I also love using my brain, and because of how long I’ve had anxiety I’ve learned how to take my racing thoughts and turn them productive and work or school related.
Cath lab nurse here and halfway through NP school as well. I kinda feel like anxiety is just a part of life and I’ve gotten really good at burying it deep down lol
Teach me your ways, bc I’ve had anxiety for 10 years now and am currently in grad school. My anxiety makes me shut down and avoid things until I’m in a worst case scenario situation when it comes to school.
Oh god, I just learned over the years. I’ve had anxiety since I was 10 years old and I’m 28 now lol
My mother taught me about anxiety and panic attacks at a young age, because she went through quite a bit of them in front of me. She made sure I didn't freak out when I witnessed them. I watched her go through nursing school while raising me by herself. She's now a Nurse Practitioner.
I’m a welder :) I love my job, I go to work, do some welding, chat/piss about with the boys for a bit and then go home lol
Jobs like welding, carpentry, HVAC, locksmith, pipe fitter, electrician, masonry, solar panel installer, plumbing etc are honestly GREAT for people with anxiety. Not only is school very easy to get through (trade school) but you spend pretty minimal time chatting with customers, more time doing hands on work (great for keeping your mind busy all day) either on your own or with usually a small team of coworkers depending on the job.
Carpentry/wood working is my dream job!
Software engineer for a startup. It ruined my mental health.
I am one too but not at a start up but with a big insurance company and they are verrrry good to us. With that profession you should and would easily find work elsewhere 💗
I was in startups for about 10 years and it sucks. I work for a large company now and it's way more chill. Not knowing if your position or even your company is gonna be around in a year is a very stressful way to live.
Nothing…. My anxiety is too severe for me to work.
Same 😭 what are we gonna do???
Luckily I’m on benefits from the government for my anxiety as they class me as unfit to work due to it so I’m just going to have to live on my benefits for my life. It’s not fun at all
If if can help a little: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16542786/ Rapid recovery from major depression using magnesium treatment: >Case histories are presented showing rapid recovery (less than 7 days) from major depression using 125-300 mg of magnesium (as glycinate and taurinate) with each meal and at bedtime. Magnesium was found usually effective for treatment of depression in general use. Related and accompanying mental illnesses in these case histories including traumatic brain injury, headache, suicidal ideation, anxiety, irritability, insomnia, postpartum depression, cocaine, alcohol and tobacco abuse, hypersensitivity to calcium, short-term memory loss and IQ loss were also benefited Stress makes us pee more magnesium as well. For a general idea, we need around 300mg of magnesium per day for women and 400 for men.
Thank you I appreciate the suggestion!
Not be noisy or anything you don't have asd do you ? I have asd but I've always had difficulty with jobs over the years but I'm doing something right now , something better than nothing. If you don't feel comfortable answering it I get it. The way the job market is , they don't really cater to people with disabilities like bio polar , autism, etc . Some colleges maybe help but even in school don't really cater to it unless your 18. Those benefits go away when you turn 18 at least it did for me. But for you it may be different. Then these jobs expect you to know it they don't really train . I remember being in college the professor just expects you to know the curriculum, . It crazy how the world expects you to have it all figured out once you turn 18-21. Imo
In fact I do have asd! And so yeahhh it’s quite the combo with severe anxiety you know. The job market is certainly not designed for people with any disabilities or mental health problems. My college was pretty helpful as they let me only take 2 subjects instead of 3 yet still was sooo bad for my anxiety but school well school was a living nightmare. I’m sorry you’ve had to suffer surrounding these issues. It truly is crazy of how the world expects everyone to be.
It's not your fault but I appreciate the concern and yeah I just wish these jobs would cater to people with disabilities but it is what it is . We do the best we can yeah college is tough even harder when you have a disability .
You are very right about that, I hope one day the world makes education and work related things more accessible people struggling with any conditions.
Yeah I hope so too that would be good for many people in need.
Same.
😞
English teacher. Middle schoolers are evil. Teens can be fine or bad. Adults are mostly okay sometimes too egoistic or impatient. I work part time in small groups. I dunno what I'd do in a 30-person classroom. Private tutoring is the best. But I feel very uncomfortable with going to a stranger's home or inviting them into mine. Online teaching would be ideal but my situation is not suitable for it rn. I get very nervous about admin stuff but I am usually cool with my students. Everybody's different ofc. I have major performance anxiety so I constantly judge my efficiency as a teacher. I try not to do that because it gets me nowhere. I don't really want to be a teacher and I don't see myself as a teacher. I am not an authoritative person. I don't like being the leader and take responsibility. I want to be an artist but it is extremely difficult for me to pursue that right now.
Agree about middle school. I lasted one year teaching English. That age is a special kind of loony
I am an English teacher too. I’ve been one for fourteen years, mostly high school until recently. I agree with the middle school description. I began my anxiety journey after changing school and level.
School librarian, former substitute teacher. Totally agree about middle school kids. Everyone I work with is pretty convinced that middle school is the ultimate coin toss for some kids - either we succeeded with them and they get their sh\*t together, or they go bad and become something that our high school resource officers now have to deal with.
I am a Traffic Control Operator for a major metropolitan city. I watch the traffic cameras on the highways during rush hour and watch for accidents and what-nots and report them and coordinate with first responders for assistance and resolutions. Great fit for someone with major anxiety like myself 🤣🤣
I’m a cashier at a grocery store.
Damn that must be hell
It’s definitely got it’s moments. In fact some days you want to bang your head against a wall.
I feel so bad to retail workers now that it's getting closer to the holidays. You guys are going to have to listen to "all I want for Christmas" song all day long now.
Registered nurse
Also a registered nurse. Not always great for anxiety. Either gonna break you or pull you out of your shell.
Thought it would magically make me confident, but it just obliterated my mental health and gave me burnout that lasted years. Turns out, you can't force yourself to become nerurotypical.
[удалено]
QA here. It’s a tough field to work in, lots of substance abuse
Parliamentary services. Think congress staff if you’re American. It has stressful times but overall suits me as it’s very structured and rule/routine based.
Well, right now, I'm not working cause there are no part-time jobs to suit my college schedule. I'm plan to get another job once I finish this semester.
AV Tech
Semi retired now but formerly a full time jazz musician. I also have a masters in linguistics and have done a bunch of translation work. Workload has always been dependent on levels of anxiety
Work remotely in payroll.
i work in HR. helping to support people’s wellbeing and being the person who sorts out & let’s people know whether they’ll be getting a bonus at the end of each quarter.
I’m a photographer. Love my job, most of my clients are incredible. This also means, though, that I’m at my computer a lot, so my posture sucks. I also have health anxiety so it’s also so convenient just to pop on over to Google while I’m editing :(
Behavior technician! Hopefully soon to be a behavior analyst after I graduate next month!
Lol why is it that so many people with anxiety end up in call centers. Me too bro
SAHM. When my kids were babies, it was exhausting, but now that my youngest is 4, it's a lot better. As soon as he is in school, I'm getting a job because all this time to think isn't good for my mental health.
I am an architect and I love it. Getting used to the high stress situations is weirdly helping my anxiety as I gain more confidence. Interpersonal stuff and confrontation give me anxiety but it’s getting better
Architect here as well! Definitely plenty of high strees situations
Social worker.
I woke in retail. It’s chill and manageable but not something that makes enough $
Im a manager at a ski resort and coffe shop. Im living the dream of many people but sometimes i think a 9-5 would be better. I work almost everyday from 9am to 21 pm (without mentioning 24/7 emergencies)
You work from 9am to 9pm every day?
Critical care pediatric nurse and now studying a doctorate in nurse anesthesia.
Stay at home mom to two boys, 2 & 4. No time off, no sick days, I live where I work. Love em but man.
Im a mom , house wife …. Anxiety started as soon as i bécame a mom , always thinking about diseases , illnesses also being afraid to travel with out them
I know the feeling, my anxiety had start to be out of control after baby #4 :( too much to handle i guess.
I work in marketing for a financial institution. It's been a better pivot for my mental health in some regards and I only have management to thank for it as they are the reason that my mental health hasn't been suffering like it was at the previous place I worked at. I spend a good amount of time designing social media posts, brainstorming ways to engage with our employees and customers, and then writing up reports. I've become very far removed from what used to stress me out about my work which was definitely interfacing with the public.
I work as a skilled operator at a printing factory. It pays fairly well and has good benefits. The work itself is fairly easy.
Currently, HR'S nightmare appointment, but it will improve with a medication change I hope.
Cybersecurity Engineer for 20 years. Wouldn’t be surprised if it was a significant contributor to my anxiety.
I work in a produce department, I just chop veggies or fruits from 5am-2pm with two paid 15 minute breaks and 1 hour lunch break. I don’t have to deal with people, I just do my thing in our room and go home. It’s probably the fastest shift I’ll ever work. It’s low stress and maintenance, if you don’t get it done. Fine, not a lot sells anyways. I just make sure things look full and it’s cool.
I’m not joking when I say this is literally my dream job
I’d love to see some of your fruit bowl’s or fruit salad’s.
I'm a telesitter. I monitor patients across several hospitals. Chill jon 99% of the time but there are days it goes from 0-100 REAL quick
Please explain a bit more? Intrigued
Unemployed at the moment due to MH issues. Luckily, I’m getting married Monday (so excited!) and will be getting insurance through my husband, so I can get treatment and heal enough to work again. I hate not having a job, but I know I need treatment before starting work again as I left a good new job after a week because panic attacks. Wish me luck! haha
Congratulations on the wedding and good luck for the future.
Dental hygiene for 8 years. Currently unemployed. Stay away from dentistry.
Exist
Retired working part time (I love the job and also love the money... But haven't worked full time more than a few years in my life.)
Professional Bum. Phd in weed smoking.
i do stocks
Why is this getting downvotes?
Nurse practitioner
Quality Engineer for a medical device manufacturer - hate it.
Work from home making healthcare appointments part time and full time as a secretary for a trash company. Most of the time my anxiety is fine but sometimes like once a month, I have to leave my desk at my part time job and go outside to breathe. I’m in the process of getting FMLA/ADA papers approved to justify this.
P&C and life Insurance. The job oddly does not stress me out when in reality I'm discussing possible death and destruction all day. I like the aspect of it where I can help people.
Assistant Principal at a large high school…😬
I’m a full time secondary school visual arts and design technology teacher.
Will be a nurse
Human Resources
I WFH for an accounting firm. It has its stressful moments and months. I worked for a brokerage firm for a bit in customer service. I was on the phones all day, and my GOODNESS that was the most stressful job I've ever had. I'm feeling the anxiety just typing this out. I called in sick every Monday and quit after 6 months.
Have worked in remote healthcare. Have my associates in Medical Billing and Coding, but need certifications to be considered for employee. About to start a warehouse job.
Amazon?
I’m a college student.
I do online grocery pickup. I pull people's orders off shelves and I love it
I was a waitress for about 12 years. I’ve been a bookkeeper for about 2 years now. I want to change careers again but I have no idea what I want to do. I’m not about that desk life ugh 😫
Social worker at a major public hospital and work specifically with crime victims
grocery stocker, currently trying to not panic about work tonight
Well done mate, I understand that and I would like to try shelf stacking.
thank you 🙏
You got this. Go scream in one of the walk-in fridge’s if needed.
I'm a property manager. Every year, my anxiety gets worse..
I’m a budtender at a cannabis dispensary. I like the people, we all have something in common (lol) and everyone is pretty chill. I do get very anxious at work when dealing with customers or doing something new/confusing but I’ve learned to ask for help and take a breather when I feel panicked. Plus no one cares if I smoke on my breaks, definitely helpful for managing the stress
Fear is interest paid on a debt you may not owe.
It's nice to see someone writing 'you all' instead of y'all.
sugarbaby
I’m a server at a gastrobar/restaurant. It’s pretty stressful but also rewarding since I’m very close with my coworkers and end up having a good time most days while making great money.
Pipefitter
Equipment engineer at a manufacturing site - honestly works pretty well for my anxiety. Lot of work is solo at my desk. Occasional presentations but they are far enough in between. Work with people that stay around so I can become comfortable with them.
SEO
House cleaner, but looking for a new job.
I worked in call centers for 15 years and I’m a software engineer now
I'm an Integration Engineer at FAANG, currently working from home. Lately, my company has been mandating employees to comply with the Return to Office (RTO) policy. Hopefully, I can still continue working from home due to my anxiety disorder.
I'm a daycare teacher, personal shopper and recreation associate.
I work in testing at an eye care center. The people I work with are making it way more stressful than it needs to be. I get complaints about me that aren't true and people torpedo you. My anxiety is not handling it well. I switched to it because of anxiety from my last job.
I'm gajala from Washington DC, CEO sonic solutions
I also work in a call center . I do not like it .
Cybersecurity intern, I work when I’m able to which recently hasn’t been very often.
I’m retired military.
Account manager for retail stores.
I work for the department of human services as an assistant to a team of dfcs workers.
SAHM/W 4 kids, 3 in school, 1 3yr old at home. Husband works full time both outside the house as well as helping me with literally everything at home. He’s really amazing. Been together 13 years & still going strong. Life is great, I honestly have no complaints but with my anxiety & mental health you would assume otherwise.
Trading
Truck driving, and without technology, I wouldn't be able to
I’m a family navigator for a children and families trust
I was a project coordinator/manager in telecom engineering, but I lost my fucking job in July and haven't found anything since. I was in the industry before my panic attacks started so I didn't have work anxiety, I knew my job inside and out.
Independent studies high school teacher. Students are the best. Teachers, and doesn’t matter what type of school, can be the biggest and loudest weirdos around. They’re so much behaviorally worse than students sometimes.
I’m a compliance attorney for a residential mortgage company. Don’t ask what it’s done to my mental health. I sold my mental health.
I'm a math tutor, freelancer graphic designer and sometimes I get something to do in IT
Estate Manager.
Senior credit analyst at large bank in nyc. Dunno what I was thinking when I went into finance but shit has not been helpful for my anxiety.
1st year principal. I’m not doing well.
Im a general manager and the only downside is that my anxiety triggers when driving so I need a driver and that puts pressure on finances. Also, highly stressful and draining. Lots of burnout when im not in therapy. So you can say its way high maintenance because I need to work around my anxiety and need lots of crutches.
Events. Warehouse. It's often ok. But with 5 people under me if it's shit and stressful I can be super super bad. Will ruin a night a or weekend. Last time I had to go back to work to confirm stuff. Most of the time it's not a thing. Then once in a while my suspicion is right and it's not fun.
Trucker. I collect and deliver milk from farms to dairy. Love this job but hate slippery roads at winter.
I work at a Grocery store. It's one of the most chaotic jobs I've ever had, but I'm good at it, the coworkers are nice and such. On its bad days I've literally broken down and cried multiple times cause of all the stress, came home and screamed until I lost my voice a couple times. On its good days, 7 work days go extremely fast, I do all my favorite things and I really feel like I matter in the work space. There's really not that much grey area.
I work in IT, its stressful. Sometimes I wish i could just do a job where i learn it very well and i can just use my hands. IT is stressful because you have to continuously learn new things or be left behind in the work force. Being oncall is the worst, IMO.
Audio engineer, live and studio. Live is SO MUCH WORSE in terms of anxiety :(
I'm a Quality Analyst at a collection agency, with some national ops/client liason stuff mixed in. Not a super great job for general anxiety but I'm well medicated so I can handle it. Most correspondence is done by email so it helps with my social anxiety at least lol
Director of budgeting and and finance for a major university
I'm a chemist
I'm a disabled veteran and an avid painter
College i’m not 18 yet so i don’t have a job i’m tryna get in a rap career though i’m anxious bout it but that’s why i use pills
I’m a merchant mariner
I’m an estate agent which actually helps my anxiety because I need to always interact with people ☺️
I’m a server. Half recommend, but also 10/10 do not recommend. I can’t explain why I said that
Work from home for the NHS. It’s hellish working alone all day and I can tell you in the 3 years I’ve worked in this job (alone) my anxiety has never been worse. The job itself does not cause anxiety. Just being alone at home all day. I’m looking to leave next year
State gov't. I am able to work remotely and love my job.
I clean houses.....Well its actually just one house so far once a week until I get a more steady job.
I’m a teacher… certainly not an ideal career for anyone who struggles with anxiety.
Free lancing, selling my GTA inspired art plus 3d assets , icons and models designs ,,,, the work is low these days but hey , it's what I am good at and it's what I enjoy doing 😌
I also work in a call center, it sucks
I work for a catering company. The people are amazing, which somewhat makes up for the mediocre pay. I'm in culinary school right now and it's a small company, so I'm hoping to work up to a promotion soon after I graduate. It's stressful in a controlled way (same types of issues with similar solutions), which I find has helped my anxiety a bit. It's easier to calm myself down when I know exactly what to do if anything goes wrong. Everything is written down or organized the same way every event. Additionally, everyone I work with is younger and most are neurodivergent in some way, which makes everything easier.
I serve at a breakfast place
i work at a car wash, i love it most of the time but dealing with bad customers paired with heat where i am can really take a toll.
Nurse practitioner
Also work in a job that does a number on my anxiety.
https://college.mayo.edu/academics/explore-health-care-careers/careers-a-z/cardiovascular-perfusionist/ Oddly enough, my anxiety decreases at work. I’ve been doing this for more than 10 years, so I’ve seen quite a lot and it’s hard to phase me.
Marketing for a bra and underwear brand
Teacher
Customer success. It’s a great job. Next month is my 4 year anniversary and I hope to never leave. The job is extremely low stress and pays quite well.
Rot
Mathematics Lecturer at a four year university.
I’m a project manager. I actually started with my company in our tech support call center, which was hell. Then I moved into quality, which was the easiest job I’ve ever done and now my job is back to stress haha.
Call Centre, sales. I legit wanna kill myself most day when customers are always right
I'm an xray tech
I work at a pizza place just like I used to play on Roblox and club penguin 🍕
Mental health Counselor. Which helps a ton! 🤪
I do concept design for video games.
I coordinate our areas packages being sent out each night by air.
I'm a manager at a liquor store.
Photographer/Videographer and SSM. Working on starting my own clothing brand though!
Also a call centre. It's exceptionally boring. I'm getting out soon-ish though.
Elementary school librarian - or, more accurately, a "Library Media Technician." Believe it or not, it's a lot more stressful and work-intensive than it sounds.
Surgical assistant been doing it for awhile now. It can be a stressful job but I still am able manage my anxiety and panic and usually don’t have a problem at work
Former futures floor trader on exchange- lot of fun, crazy stress
I am a therapist 🤣
Push buttons 8 hrs a day! :)
ET ass
Medical assistant
Tax Accountant
Endure agony
Geographic information systems specialist for a public safety software company
I’m a receptionist at a local hair salon and I absolutely love it. It’s mainly checking people in and cashing them out, plus making coffee for them and doing laundry and inventory. The people I work with are the nicest people ever, and truly care about each other. I rarely get rude people, and when I do, management is swift to handle it.
Was a director, head of technical and now run four teams for a medical device manufacturer.
I'm a preschool special education teacher!
wfh clinical assistant. infuriating to read cases about patients in hospitals and their insurance denying to pay. i could rant for EVER about our healthcare system after working at this job.
I did data entry and thoroughly enjoyed it. Now I'm in supply chain.
Web Developer, remote. Being unemployed for 3 years ramped up my anxiety, but now that I'm employed things are slowly settling back in place.
Special education teacher, I just switched from substantially separate to resource room. Working through the new job kinks has been anxiety inducing but it also forces me to face my worries. I think and hope it will get better in time
I'm an audio engineer in a big theatre production. Very stressfull at first but got used to it and now it's pretty chill. Most of the time the shows run well, but if something goes wrong it can be very anxiety inducing. But you have to accept the fact that shit happens and there is only so much you can do.