Anxiety can be a difficult condition to manage, especially when trying to establish a professional career. Pressure to “perform” and interact with others may start to feel daunting for people who have high social anxiety. Don’t let that prevent you from finding a satisfying career. There are plenty of jobs out there that do not require regular social interaction, and these are just a few to get you started.
Working remotely is the perfect choice if you have social anxiety. You can write articles from the comfort of your own home. The hours can also be more flexible so you’re not tied to a desk all day. You can take a break if you start getting overwhelmed, and have all of the comforts of home surrounding you to help you get your focus back. Freelance writing can also serve as a great way to let your creative talents find professional outlet as you can choose what type of writing you pick up. Whether it’s writing copy for blogs, product descriptions, emails, or social media platforms, you can customize your level of social interaction to fit your comfort level and write what you have a passion for.
People with social anxiety know that being alone doesn’t always mean being lonely. It can even be freeing. Sitting by yourself in a truck cab provides you peace and quiet with the gentle mental stimulation of the road and a good podcast. As long as you are a safe and effective driver, you can easily make a solid living off of a trucking career. See if there are semi-trucks for sale in your area and look for shipping and delivery services that may be hiring. You’ll need to get a Commercial Driver’s License before you can get behind the wheel, but after that, applying is easy. Truckers are in high demand right now, making your odds of getting a high-paying position as a trucker incredibly likely.
Many with social anxiety find it easier and even comforting to interact with animals instead of people, and who wouldn’t want to play with animals for a living? Similarly to freelance writing, pet-sitting is a fun job in a safe home environment. This offsets the cost of owning your own pet while allowing you to earn a regular income at home. While you will need to interact with the pet owners to a certain extent, the majority of your time will be spent alone with the animals in question. Specializing in a certain type of pet, such as dogs or cats, will make you more desirable as a pet sitter, as many pet owners prefer their animal to be kept with others of their own species.
Mail delivery has a soothing routine. You know the stops you have to make so you can get in the zone easily without getting flustered about new and unexpected demands. While it does involve driving to every house in the area on a day-to-day basis, mail deliveries typically take place while people are away at work and has very little contact with people. Just like with trucking, you can listen to your favorite music, podcasts, or audiobooks while you drive, the major difference being that you can stay within your city instead of driving across the country.
There are some techniques to use if you still experience anxiety at work. Generalized anxiety can happen without triggers, and often requires professional help to overcome. While finding a low-stress job with minimal anxiety triggers is an important and helpful step, nothing can replace the help of a medical professional when anxiety perpetuates.
Meghan Belnap is a freelance writer who enjoys spending time with her family. She loves being in the outdoors and exploring new opportunities whenever they arise. Meghan finds happiness in researching new topics that help to expand her horizons. You can often find her buried in a good book or out looking for an adventure.