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Ideal Jobs for Those with Social Anxiety

Reviewed by Melinda (Santa) Gladden, LCSW · October 26, 2020 ·

Struggling with a social anxiety disorder can be very tough, and many people feel like they cannot do certain things in life. Some social anxiety disorders are so difficult that they will make people feel like they cannot go out in public. If you are dealing with a severe type of social anxiety, then you might be worried about how you are going to make ends meet. What can you do to keep putting food on the table when your social anxiety keeps getting the better of you?

There are actually certain jobs that will be better than others will when you have a condition such as social anxiety. Read on to learn all about the best jobs for people with social anxiety. This will give you some ideas that you can consider when looking for a good career that will be suitable for you. If you choose to pursue some of these career options, you just think they will work out perfectly.

Customer Service Agent

Many customer service agents are actually people who are working from home now. If you have social anxiety, you might feel better if you can work out of your house. Many people like the idea of being able to work from home purely because it is more convenient. Remote work options are prevalent in many career paths, but customer service is one of the most popular remote jobs that people can easily get.

There are a number of different customer service companies out there that hire people to take calls from home. You could wind up working on the phones, helping people with various issues. Of course, this might not be good for someone with social anxiety if they still get anxious when talking to others. If your social anxiety is mostly triggered by in-person interactions, then this job might be fine for you.

You should also know that online customer service jobs would involve chatting with people through a messenger client rather than on the phone. If you can get one of those jobs, it might be even better for you since you have social anxiety. Look into online customer service jobs if you think that you would like to do it. These jobs are not always the most lucrative ones, but you can earn a good living without having to leave your home.

Writer

If you feel like you have good writing skills, it might be a good idea to consider becoming a writer. Writers do not have to interact with the public very much, and you might even be able to work entirely from home. In the past decade, many people have started making money by pursuing careers as freelance writers online. Many companies require help in marketing their products, and you could get involved if you have the right skills.

Of course, being a freelance writer is not necessarily going to be an easy job. You will have to possess strong writing skills as well as a very good work ethic. It is also essential to be able to do research, and you are going to want to have some type of academic background in writing for many positions. There are many freelance opportunities available to writers who have the right motivation. Consider trying this out if you love writing, and you would enjoy being able to work from home.

Dog Trainer

Quite a few people who have social anxiety will feel more comfortable around animals than they will people. If you love dogs, then you might be interested in becoming a dog trainer. Dog trainers will take people’s dogs and help train them so that they can obey basic commands. You will also be training them so that they will not urinate in the house and generally teaching them how to behave. This could be one of the best careers for people with social anxiety in some ways.

It can be very satisfying getting to work with animals and helping them to get better at things. You can enjoy spending time with dogs, and the people you help will value your work very much. If you would like to consider this option, then you should look into starting a business. You will likely need to get some training of your own so that you can train dogs properly, but it could be worth the effort.

Running an Online Storefront

Running an online storefront is another avenue that you could consider when you have an anxiety problem. These are good jobs for people with anxiety because they will just be shipping out products. You could get a few ways involved in a job like this, too. Some people start their own stores on popular websites such as eBay or Etsy to sell things that they make. You could also choose to resell items that you are able to find at a higher price.

Another option is to run what is known as a drop-shipping business. When you do this, you will be buying certain types of products from a warehouse that you will be able to market yourself. You come up with the packaging ideas, and you list the products on the popular online marketplaces. When the products start to sell, the warehouse will be responsible for shipping things out. The only thing you have to worry about is marketing your products and trying to get people interested in them.

Building Websites

Building websites for people could be a fantastic work from home career path to take. These are good jobs for social anxiety because you will not have to deal with anyone in person. If you have the right skills to create bespoke websites for people, you can just market your talents online. Some website creators market their skills on freelance sites while others advertise their services to local businesses.

Most of the interactions that you will have with people will be through e-mails. You might wind up talking to a client over the phone about certain website details if they prefer communicating that way, though. Another job could be perfect for someone who has social anxiety issues. You should consider this if you already have the necessary skills or if you would like to take the time to learn.

Accountant

Have you always been very good at math? Do you have a good understanding of the tax code? Well, you could take a few accounting courses so that you could offer accounting services to people online. You might even be able to make a very good living doing this once you have the proper credentials. Accountants can do things for people, such as bookkeeping services and tax preparation services. You might provide advice to your clients about certain things as well.

Most of your time is going to be spent just doing the busywork that accountants have to do. You will be crunching numbers, going over spreadsheets, and ensuring that things are in order. It might be a satisfying job if you like math and feel like you are going to be able to do a good job. This could be one of the best jobs on this list when looking at things purely from a monetary perspective, too.

Landscaper

Landscaping might be satisfying for someone who has issues with social anxiety, too. You will indeed need to leave your house to do this job, but you will not have to work around other people too much. If you have your own landscaping business, then you might even be the only person doing the jobs. People who love gardening and taking care of yards will find this to be a good fit. You can get jobs from people in your area, and you might even be able to do these jobs while the homeowners are at work.

The fact that this type of job has very little social interaction involved with it is great. If you want to find a job that can be both satisfying and lucrative, then this could be nice. Landscapers who can provide custom gardens might be able to command a high price. You could also provide simple services such as mowing lawns and pulling weeds. Landscaping jobs are good jobs for people with social anxiety.

Get Help with Social Anxiety

You do not have to give up on your other career aspirations just because you have social anxiety. Anxiety is something that can be treated, and you can learn to overcome it by seeking help. If you are worried about whether you have anxiety, you should take an anxiety test to get more information. After that, you will be able to talk to your doctor to get an official diagnosis. The doctor can help you to get better over time by prescribing you some anti-anxiety medications.

Many people who deal with social anxiety have a better time getting through life when they have a therapist on their side. You could work with a therapist so that you can learn how to cope with social anxiety. This is great for helping you to develop coping mechanisms so that you can be out in public. Many people get through social anxiety issues with the help of dedicated professionals. The jobs listed above can be very good for social anxiety, but that does not mean you are limited to those jobs.

Impact On Your Mental Health

NOTES: These are great job options. I would also recommend working retail- overnight stock (minimal interaction with costumers/ coworkers, working online gaming, or other work from home positions).

  • Does not go against what is clinically accepted.
  • Does not encourage mindsets or practices that may be harmful to the reader.
  • Is factual and up-to-date.

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