There are plenty of jobs available online and offline. But if we talk about those people who have anxiety issues we can find only few good jobs for people with anxiety.
Anxiety is one of the most common psychiatric disorders in America. It affects more than 40 million Americans or about 18.1 percent of the population over the age of 18, every year, says the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA).
Furthermore, anxiety disorders affect over 25.1 percent of American children between 13 and 18 years old.
Research by AADA says, children anxiety disorders that don’t receive treatment for their psychiatric conditions, are at a greater risk of performing poorly at school.
Additionally, they could miss important social experiences, and worse, fall victims to substance addictions including drugs and alcohol, an AADA report clearly states.
Unfortunately, some anxiety victims are unable to take various jobs because their symptoms can render them unfit to play certain roles that a specific position requires. Therefore, they need to take jobs for people with anxiety or jobs for people with social anxiety.
There’re several ways by which anxiety afflicts Americans and other persons around the world. Therefore, let’s discuss some of the ways how anxiety could be impacting your life too.
How Anxiety Affects its Victims?
Nearly one-thirds of those afflicted with depression also suffer from anxiety, says AADA. To help you understand anxiety better and how it could affect your capabilities to work efficiently, here’re some of the most common anxiety related disorders.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder or GAD affects six million adults or about 2.7 percent of the US population. Women are twice more prone to falling victims to GAD.
The symptoms of GAD, include persistent or chronic anxiety, intense levels of tension, and persistent or long terms of worry, without any apparent reasons.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD affects 2.2 million Americans or about 1.1 percent of the American population. The victims include 50 percent men and same number of women.
OCD generally sets in at the age of 14 and worsens by the age of 19. Symptoms include unwanted and obsessive thoughts combined with various compulsive behaviors such as ritual and frequent hand washing, showering, checking whether electric bulbs and other connections are on, frequently checking the mobile phone and so on, for relieving the feelings of anxiety.
Panic Disorder
Panic Disorder affects over six million Americans or about 2.7 percent of the population. Women are twice as prone than men. Victims generally experience unexpected and recurring bouts of intense fear.
Symptoms include high heartbeats, profuse sweating, short breaths and dizziness. Sometimes, the victim can also experience intense confusion and lack of though clarity.
Social Anxiety Disorder
Social Anxiety Disorder or SAD affects about 15 million adults or about 6.8 percent of America’s adult population. Incidence of SAD is equal among women and men. Onset of SAD is generally around the age of 13 years.
Victims of SAD experience extreme stress and heightened sense of self-consciousness while in company of others.
This anxiety can be severely intense and the victim can’t interact with people in routine life, without some negative feelings and thus, the jobs for people with social anxiety involves less social interactions.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Another common fallout of extreme anxiety is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. It affects about 7.7 million people or about 3.5 percent of the US population.
Victims of PTSD experience severe mood swings, sense of being lost, nightmares and extreme loneliness with anxiety.
PTSD is common among first responders such as EMS staff, emergency room surgeons and nurses, journalists, firemen, cops and military personnel, especially war veterans.
Other Psychiatric Disorders Related to Anxiety
In addition, there’re several other psychiatric disorders related to anxiety. These can also prevent a victim from taking up normal jobs, because their mental condition severely affects their abilities to work.
These include:
- Major Depressive Disorder
- Persistent Depressive Disorder
- Bipolar Affective Disorder
- Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder
- Extreme Stress
As we can see, living with these psychiatric disorders caused by anxiety or leading to anxiety can make a person’s life miserable, unless they take prolonged medical treatment from a good psychiatrist.
Therefore, they need to take jobs that don’t involve much interaction with others or high levels of stress.
15 Best Jobs for People with Anxiety
If you’re a woman or man afflicted with anxiety and any of the disorders that I mention above, there’s no need to worry.
The first thing to do is consult a good therapist and get medications for these disorders. And secondly, look for jobs that’re best suited for persons with anxiety and related disorders.
Therefore, here’s my curated list of 15 such top jobs that you can take if you’re afflicted by anxiety and related psychiatric problems.
1. Librarian
I rank the job of a librarian as the best one for people with anxiety. That’s because it involves minimal communications with people and is generally relaxed. That means, you won’t suffer high stress levels at this job.
Furthermore, it’s a job where you can read books and newspapers at leisure to get rid of your anxiety. Fixed workhours are one of the best features of this job.
The silence that exists at libraries provides an ideal ambience for persons with anxiety since they’re averse to noisy places.
2. Graphic Designer
Persons suffering from anxiety are known to have very high levels of creativity. That’s because they tend to think a lot about almost everything. You can use your intense thoughts for creating superb designs as a graphic designer.
Another advantage of working as a graphic designer is that you don’t really need to interact with a lot of people for your work. Instead, you’ll go about your graphic designing alone and without external disturbances.
3. Content Writer
A content writer’s job is considered one of the good jobs for people with anxiety. That’s because they don’t have to meet many people for their work.
Instead, they sit with their computers to do research and write on various topics that their employer or client wants. You can even find these content writing jobs online and the pay for them is also good.
As a rule, most content writers are loners- meaning they’re introverts and like to remain secretive. Hence, they prefer working alone instead of working in a team or group. They’re also creative people.
4. Accountant
If you’re good at math and have a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in accounting or mathematics, the job of an accountant would be very beneficial. It’s one of these jobs that keeps you very busy with accounts of companies.
You’ve to monitor from where cash comes in and where the money is going. And keep an account of every Cent and Dollar.
This is also a job where you would work solo and hence, ideal if you’re a victim of anxiety or its related disorders. As an accountant too, your interaction with other colleagues would be minimal.
5. Computer Programmer
Also, a superb job for persons with anxiety is working as a computer programmer. This job requires rather high qualifications and skills. To work as a computer programmer, you’ll require a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in IT, computer programing, coding and other similar degrees.
At the same time, this job suits anxiety victims because it affords the facility of working solo and with little or no interaction with others. You can also work anytime since computer programing doesn’t depend on time or place.
6. Groundskeeper
A groundskeeper is a woman or man that maintains lawns and golf courses or other grounds. It involves an extensive level of gardening and is generally a solo job that sometimes also includes supervision of other staff.
However, this is one of the best paying jobs for persons with anxiety since salaries or wages are very lucrative.
This job also involves less interaction with persons and more time for self, which makes it ideal if you’re a victim of anxiety or other related disorders. You would be working alone doing tasks such as gardening or mowing lawns.
7. Data Entry Specialist
Yet another stress free and solo job is that of a data entry specialist.
You’ll always be busy with a computer and hence have zero time for interactions with people, including own family if you’re working from home.
Data entry specialists key in data on special templates that their employer provides.
They get the raw data from paper forms or other sources and key it into the proper format that an employer specifies. This is a work from home job too, if you wish to do so as an anxiety victim.
7. Plumber
Also, for anxiety victims is this relatively stress free and solo job as a plumber. In fact, plumbers are in great demand across America. Therefore, you needn’t worry about income too: you’ll always have enough tasks at hand to complete and earn money.
Most plumbers work solo as freelancers and handypersons or with a maintenance company. In any case, this job involves very little meeting with people and almost no distressful situations that could trigger off your anxiety or other related illnesses.
8. Video Editor
A video editor’s job affords several salient features for an anxiety victim. Firstly, you’ll be watching superb videos alone and much before they’re launched for the public.
This means you’ll have enough entertainment. And video editing is almost stress free. Since it involves long times in front of a computer, you’ll not be expected to meet many people or socialize around for your work.
You can make extra money if you’re able to provide subtitles to these videos you edit, in a different language.
9. Online Tutor
No. I’m not talking about live online tutoring here. Instead, what I mean by online tutor is for you to create superb online tutorials and courses and sell them through various e-learning platforms such as Udemy.
You can become an online tutor in any subject- either something to do with your academic qualifications or profession or even your hobbies and passions. During the new normal, there’s a very high demand for such online courses.
And you can make a lot of money selling superb online courses. Again, this is a stress-free and enjoyable job that any anxiety victim can easily take and perform.
10. Social Media Executive
You could be a victim of anxiety. But does social media interest you? I mean do you love spending time on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest among other social media platforms? If yes, then the job of a social media executive is perfect for you.
That’s because tasks are very simple and stress free. All you need to do is upload posts given by the employer on their social media accounts and respond diplomatically to all comments that you receive.
Social media management is also a high demand skill and hence, you can expect a superb salary too.
11. Software Developer
As the term suggests, software developers create software and apps for various companies and the public. This work is almost stress free. However, you’ll require superb knowledge of coding to work as a software developer.
This is a solo job that doesn’t involve working in teams. And it’s a job with zero or little interaction with people. That’s why I rate it as an easy job for anyone suffering with anxiety.
Once you develop the software or app, it goes for testing by professionals and the public. All you need to do is read their reviews and modify the app or software to make it more user friendly, based on these reviews.
12. Remote IT Specialist
A remote IT specialist doesn’t even have to meet their clients in person. Instead, all their work is online and from a computer. Generally, senior citizens that’re experiencing problems with their computers seek remote assistance.
They will provide you access to their computers using software such as AnyDesk. And you’ve to troubleshoot their computer remotely. You can work as a remote IT specialist either solo as freelancer or with a remote assistance company.
In both cases, the job is almost stress free and doesn’t involve much dealings with people. All the assistance you’ll provide is through a computer connected to the Internet.
13. Online Proofreader
Online proofreading is a very lucrative profession and suitable for people with anxiety and its related problems. There’re dozens of companies that enlist the services of online proofreaders.
You can become an online proofreader as a fresher, if you don’t have any experience or expertise in this skill. As an online proofreader, you’ll be checking and correcting manuscripts of books, draft documents and other literature to detect typos, grammatical errors and punctuation faults and correcting them.
This job is not only stress free but also doesn’t require mingling with others.
14. Online Translator
Another superb job for anxiety victims that pays very high salaries or income is online translator. To work as an online translator, you’ll require native level fluency in English and a regional or foreign language.
There’re several companies online that hire online translators. They pay well too. Here again, you’ll be working alone from home and not interacting with people.
This is also a relatively stress-free job and you can work flexible hours too, unless there’re deadlines to meet.
In Conclusion
The very fact that you’re a victim of anxiety or its related disorders isn’t a disqualification to work.
The above 15 jobs for persons suffering from anxiety clearly show that you too could earn a decent livelihood despite anxiety related problems and earn a decent livelihood for family and self.
In fact, millions of persons suffering from anxiety are already working at such jobs and you could also find one that matches your skills.
