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Best Jobs for People with Depression

Reviewed by Rashonda Douthit, LCSW · November 01, 2020 ·

Living with a severe depression problem is certainly not going to be easy. Some people have depression issues that are so bad that they feel as if they can’t even work. If you’re worried that you’re too depressed to work, then you might be concerned about how you’re going to make ends meet at all. While it is true that some people have been placed on disability due to mental health struggles, it’s also true that millions of people cope with depression well enough to work. What you’re going to feel comfortable doing will largely depend on how bad your depression is and what you feel capable of doing.

Some specific jobs might be easier for people who have depression, though. Read on to learn about several career options that may be good for you if you have severe depression problems. This is a varied list that offers quite a few different options for people who need low-stress jobs. After you’ve read through all of the options, you’ll be able to make a decision about whether one of these career paths is right for you. You don’t necessarily have to give up on working because you’ve experienced depression in the workplace before, and some of these jobs might be perfect for your situation.

Freelance Work

Freelance work can be a good fit for many people who struggle with depression. You can try to take on jobs at home that you will be able to do with certain skills. For example, you might be able to become a freelance writer, graphic designer, video editor, or voiceover artist. The types of freelance jobs you will be interested in will depend on your good. If you have some marketable skills that you can utilize, this could be a very lucrative option.

Lots of people are starting to enjoy working from home in modern times. Remote work is becoming pretty ubiquitous in various industries, and you could try to find a remote work career that isn’t freelance. Freelance work is very good, and it frees you up to take on whatever jobs you want. However, it can be a hassle for paying your taxes, and it isn’t always an easy path to take. Go this route if you’re intrigued by the idea of freelance work, and you have the right skills to make it happen.

Librarian

If you’re someone who loves literature, then making a career as a librarian could interest you. Most librarian positions will require a significant amount of education, but if you’re studious enough, it could be worth going back to school. You’ll probably need at least a Master’s degree if you want to pursue this path, but working as a librarian is very low-stress in most places. It can also be nice to surround yourself with books if you consider yourself to be a book-lover.

Dog-Walker

Becoming a dog-walker might not sound like a great career option, but you can actually make a decent living in some cities doing this. One of the reasons why this is listed here is because it can help to boost your mood. Interacting with dogs can make you feel better, which might be very good for your depression. You also won’t have to interact with people too much while you’re walking the dogs. Combine this with the fact that getting outside to walk around will do you some good, and you can see why it’s a recommended job for depressed people.

Streaming

Streaming is a type of career that is pretty new, but lots of people love pursuing it. You could try to stream yourself playing your favorite games if you think it would appeal to you. This could be a good job for depression, or it could be bad depending on your personality. On the one hand, interacting with others on the stream and making human connections could be good for your mental health. On the other hand, streamers sometimes have to deal with trolls who try to poke fun or cause havoc. Either way, this is a fun type of job that you can try to do from home. Just don’t expect to become a top-earner overnight.

Stockbroker

Being a stockbroker isn’t easy, and you’re going to need to be qualified to become one. After all, people need to be able to trust you enough to make choices with their money. However, it can be a very satisfying career since it gives you a lot of freedom in various ways. You can also invest money in the stock market to try to grow your own wealth. If you’ve found yourself saying, “my job is making me depressed” or “my job is making me sick and depressed,” then this could be good for you.

You’ll want to learn about the nuances of the stock market first so that you can make good choices. This isn’t a career with no stress at all, but it can be less stressful than many corporate 9-5 jobs. Being given a bit more freedom could be great, too. This is especially true if you’re going to run your own business instead of joining a firm or something like that.

Landscaping

Landscaping might be one of the best careers for someone who is feeling depressed. You won’t experience any of that hating your job depression when you’re a landscaper. Landscapers get to spend a lot of time outdoors doing work that feels very satisfying. You can enjoy seeing the sun more often, and landscaping can even give you a bit of a workout. This could be a good way to work toward your fitness goals while also making money.

The act of gardening is also very soothing overall. If you want to have a career that will allow you to keep your stress levels low, this one is highly recommended. Landscapers capable of giving people bespoke garden areas will be able to make more than those who just pull weeds and mow lawns. Even so, this can be a good job to look into when you have a job search depression and can’t find anything else. You could turn your life around, and you’ll never have to work depressed again.

Postal Worker

Post office jobs are really nice because they tend to pay well and you may if your job is mail delivery. There are a couple of different things that you could do as a postal worker. You could work at the post office, sorting mail, or helping people with orders. It might be better for you to get one of the jobs where you will get to actually go around delivering the mail. This is great for those with depression because it gets them out in the sun and gives them lots of exercises.

Park Ranger

Another good option to look into is becoming a park ranger. If you would like to spend more time outdoors, then this could be the job for you. You’ll be spending a lot of time just looking after the park and doing fun things. Some park rangers spend a lot of time alone, but others will also get to interact with co-workers. You could make great new friends on this job that you’ll be able to enjoy working with. Job depression won’t be an issue if you decide to go with a fun career path like this.

Tutoring

Perhaps you did really well in school, and you just don’t want to do a corporate job any longer. You could make a living by helping the next generation to get through college easier. Tutoring is something that lots of people do when they need extra cash, but it can also be a full-time career for those who are motivated enough. If you like helping people, then this could even have a positive impact on your depression. Tutoring certainly won’t give you many issues with job depression, and it’ll be rewarding to see students get better over time.

Get Your Depression Treated

Getting your depression treated is going to be imperative, no matter what type of career you have. In fact, you might be able to work any type of career that you could want if you can get your depression under control. If you’re curious about your depression, then you can take this depression test to learn more. Once you’ve done that, it’s going to be best to schedule an appointment with a licensed mental health professional. This will help you to take the right steps to get diagnosed so that you can get help.

Depression treatments are available, making it a lot easier to cope with the various symptoms you’re experiencing. If you need help with your depression, then you shouldn’t hesitate to reach out for it. Antidepressant medications can help you to feel much more at ease. You can also participate in therapy so that you can feel better about your depression over time. No one has to try to deal with depression alone when they have trusted professionals that they can rely on.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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