If you are diagnosed with a social anxiety disorder (SAD), you might have tried to handle the symptoms by eliminating the cause of the phobia: people. This also means you gave up on important relationships, avoided all kinds of social gatherings, and shied away from friends. But there is one major part of your life that you cannot avoid, Work! The work environment is one of the most challenging parts for people with social anxiety. Therefore, this article will talk about the careers people with social anxiety could pursue and the ways they can effectively deal with work.
What is Social Anxiety Disorder?
Social anxiety causes hindrance in all aspects of day-to-day life. It is completely normal to feel nervous when meeting new people, in some social situations. For instance, you may feel nervous before going on a date and or giving a presentation or a speech. However, if you get anxiety attacks, start sweating, become self-conscious, and feel embarrassed and fear in every normal interaction with people, you may have developed social anxiety.
In people with social anxiety disorder, constant fear and nervousness can disrupt their life, relationships, and cause them severe stress, which can eventually affect their work, school, daily routine, and other activities.
Medications and psychotherapy can help you cope with this mental disorder and improve your social life and career.
Moreover, these early symptoms can give you better chances for faster recovery.
– Fear of judging
– Worrying about being embarrassed and humiliation
– Intense fear when interacting with strangers
– Sweating, trembling, blushing, and shaky hands
– Dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, upset stomach, and trouble catching a breath
– Avoiding doing things that involve people
– Spending hours together after a social interaction to analyze your performance and identifying your flaws
– Expecting worse consequences during a social situation
– Blank mind and muscle tension
Your symptoms will be most noticeable only when you have to interact with people and may not awaken when you are alone or in your comfort zone.
Social Anxiety at Work Place
SAD in the workplace may create bigger problems than in your personal life. It creates problems even in your normal day-to-day operations, such as delivering speeches, asking permission, talking with clients, meeting new co-workers, meeting deadlines, and talking over the phone. It may most likely limit your ability to attend business meetings and social events or increase the fear of promotion and additional responsibilities.
A person with this disorder may even find it difficult to greet someone at work, which may jeopardize his healthy work relationships. However, there are many suitable jobs that are not socially demanding. These jobs involve almost nil social interactions. You can take advantage of these careers. So let’s learn what these jobs are.
Best Jobs for People with Social Anxiety
Animal Care
Any work that involves animals will be a perfect career choice for people with SAD. Animals are blessings in disguise and they also help coping-up with mental disorders. So, you can choose to be a pet walker, dog sitter, dog trainer, zookeeper, veterinary assistant or you can even establish your own animal shelter. However, you may have to deal with minimal human interactions, which is good in a way to build your confidence.
Software Tester
Software testing is an independent career where there is no need for constant social interaction. You can take the job from home as well. You may have to get qualified to become a software trainer and get good pay, such as attend a certification course on software testing and quality assurance. Some employers also provide on-the-job training but the pay may not be that great. Major tasks involve testing codes on highly technical software applications, making notes about software bugs, and preparing reports based on your findings which can be fixed by other teams.
Writer
Freelancer writers are constantly in demand because of the advent and progress of digital marketing. Writing is also deemed as an anxiety-friendly job and the pay is great as well, but if you are able to choose the right niche. Although you may have to deal with a lot of clients, readers, and editors, the actual job doesn’t require excessive social interactions. In fact, you can do the business via emails and over telephone calls too. Moreover, the career doesn’t demand a physical presence. Few similar career lines that you can choose are journalism, blogging, non-fiction writing, author, scriptwriting, technical writing, and copywriting.
Graphic Designer
Graphic designing is another vocation that involves a lot of creativity but minimal social interactions. You just have to understand the project at hand and complete it before its due. As long as you are on the right track and are capable, no questions asked. However, you will have to learn graphic designing and get certified to find a reputable job of this kind. You must also train in different designing software. Graphic designing has scope for freelancers too, which you can do from your home.
Accountant
If math is your strength, then you could consider becoming an accountant. However, like most office jobs, here, you will have to work with other people. But most often than not, you will be left on your own. If you obtain certification in Tally and other accounting programs and bookkeeping software tools, which can lead to better job opportunities and positions.
Artist
The world of an artist is a world quite different from ours. Most brilliant artists in the world have been diagnosed with some kind of mental disorders. If you have a passion for this kind of job, then you really need to try hard to get into the field and get recognized. However, earning a living as an artist could be tough. Therefore, you must consider taking on a supporting job, such as that of a graphic designer.
Landscaper
Landscaping is a beautiful way to explore your artistic and creative side of gardening. As a landscaper, you will mostly work with golfers, landscaping companies, or private companies. You will have all the freedom to work outdoors in your comfort zone. Jobs like these particularly help coping-up with stress, anxiety, and depression. However, you have to eventually go through some kind of social interaction, which could give you an opportunity to challenge your fears.
Blogger
Because of the immense popularity of social media platforms, such as Instagram and Twitter, and of course the reigning digital era, many individual entrepreneurs have taken to niche-blogging and are earning very well. Blogging does not need any kind of investment, it just requires kindling your passion and harnessing its power. All you have to do is to stay constant, provide something new, and update frequently. You can be a health blogger, food blogger, educational blogger, cosmetics reviewer, fashion blogger, or blogger of any topic that is interesting and important and trending. You can also blog about mental health and its awareness.
Translator
If you have learned a foreign language, you can earn fairly well by working as a translator. Translators are very high in demand in Asian countries, especially for languages such as German, French, and Japanese. You can easily find online translation work and earn a decent income. Document translation job is something that you can take up. Most big companies seek good translators for this crucial job. The job requires getting the document, translating it, and sending it back to your employer, just like working as a writer or graphic designer, your communication and interaction with your clients can be accomplished via emails and over the phone, only when required.
Computer Programmer
Most computer programmers are socially anxious. The job requires concentration and acute skills, such as problem-solving. As a computer programmer, you will work independently and will have to stay focused for long continuous hours. It is not an easy job, we agree, but the growth opportunities and the pay scales are great. You must obtain the required qualifications in your chosen field to excel in this career. The good news is that you can train online to acquire what you need and choose from fantastic resources for learning computer programs online. You can be a web stack developer, mobile developer, or a UX designer.
Tips to Manage Social Anxiety at Work
When it comes to dealing with situations at work, instead of avoiding them, try these following strategies to overcome them:
– Talk about your feelings to your peers. The more you do it, the less power you give to your fear. Open up about your social anxiety problems so that they give you time and space to adjust.
– Practice what you fear and make it your armor. For instance, one of the greatest fears of social anxiety is talking over the phone. Therefore, you must constantly practice phone conversation to overcome fear.
– Prepare your conversations beforehand. For instance, you have a meeting ahead that demands your presentation. It can be helpful to write a script to pass the meeting without faltering.
– Try Mindful Exercises to calm your mind from worrying and getting anxious.
Now that you are aware of the best jobs for people with social anxiety, beat this world of loneliness and help spread the knowledge by sharing this article.
