Jobs for people with anxiety
New Job Social Anxiety
Social interaction is part of the human experience. But relationships are not easy. So, many people have social anxiety. This issue exists everywhere, including in the workplace. It does not matter if you have a high school diploma or college degree. Anxiety can restrict jobs people are comfortable performing.
In this article, you will find the following topics:
What is social anxiety?
Anxiety comes in different forms. I explore social anxiety in this article because it is the most common form of anxiety I encounter in my work with professionals. However, other forms of anxiety exist. I discuss this below.
Fear of negative evaluation drives social anxiety. This difficulty affects around 20% of people (1). Work anxiety is common, partly because monitoring and evaluation are realities of our jobs. Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is severe social anxiety. SAD is a 'clinical' or diagnosed condition. About 12% of the population have SAD (2). This problem causes severe problems in daily life. SAD is an important mental health issue that should not be ignored.
All anxiety problems are made up of three elements:
Thinking
Physical
Behaviour
The diagram summarises these components. We discuss them throughout the article.
Social anxiety and avoidance
Graphic design, data entry or computer programmer. Stress and anxiety can occur in any type of work. People with SAD often change their life to cope. We sometimes see this in work choices. Some pick jobs with limited social interaction (e.g., working with animals). Other people select work where they can work independently (e.g., freelance, sole-charge).
Anxiety components
A Google search of 'jobs for people with social anxiety' may appeal. Many websites provide suggested jobs for people with high levels of anxiety. While you can search for online jobs working from home (e.g., Jooble), I believe you should select a job based on what career interests you. Allowing anxiety to dictate major choices ultimately reduces life satisfaction. I have not met anyone who wants their life path to be determined by anxiety.
There is often a strong urge to do whatever gets relief from anxiety in the short term. Avoidance behaviours achieve this fairly reliably. But, avoiding social anxiety triggers (e.g., social situations) often makes anxiety worse. An alternative strategy is to learn proven anxiety management strategies. Read on for more on this.
Job requires evaluation
We are all evaluated at work. Both formal and informal assessment happens all the time. Annual appraisals are standard practice and self-judgement is common. What do my colleagues think of me? Workplace evaluation and judgement can trigger anxiety.
Workplaces are also social environments. Anxiety symptoms can intensify when talking to colleagues. Discomfort increases when unable to escape these interactions. Some people cope through avoidance. But this creates additional problems.
Social and generalized anxiety can increase through other job-related factors (3):
High workload
Role uncertainty
Lack of support
Lack of control
Many factors make the workplace tough. This is true for people with SAD and social anxiety.
Work anxiety
We know the fear of negative evaluation drives social anxiety. This fear comes in many forms:
You suspect colleagues think you perform below the required standards
Anxious to speak in meetings. You assume your contributions will be weak
Using unproductive behaviours. These include procrastination, inefficient delegation, and reduced communication.
Reluctance to undertake job training
Why wouldn't we have workplace anxiety? It is an understandable issue. This problem is likely when job security is low, you feel scrutinised or worry about performance.
We should take social anxiety seriously because of the many negative consequences associated with this problem. These include:
Reduced performance
Increased distress
Reduced enjoyment of your job
Poorer workplace relationships
Impaired skill and career development
Making poor career choices
Doward spirals
Unfortunately, people can get into downward spirals. Unhelpful patterns of thinking and behaviour increase anxiety. For example, fearing negative evaluation might result in avoidance of important meetings. You miss out on useful information, leading to reduced performance. This change further increases the fear of negative evaluation.
Downward spiral example
Keeping quiet
Many assume 'It's just me' when it comes to work anxiety. Few people reveal this challenge. This reluctance makes sense in a competitive work environment. Some regard anxiety as a weakness. Others assume this problem does not fit the image of a successful professional. To admit anxiety symptoms could give colleagues an edge. Some fear talking about this problem will result in being labelled with a ‘mental health problem’.
A healthy workplace would recognise and accept social anxiety. I work with many successful professionals. Some lead large teams of people. Many of these clients report social anxiety. Non-clinical social anxiety is normal. The goal is to keep it to manageable levels.
Other forms of anxiety
While I focus on social anxiety in this article, other forms of anxiety can present at work. The fear of something going wrong and fear of poor performance are two examples. Work anxiety often influences other problems such as imposter syndrome and difficulties with career progression.
One specific example is generalised anxiety. This is essentially a form of excessive worry that feels out of control. This worry spans multiple topics (e.g., health, politics, personal finances, relationships). The workplace can be a stressful environment and fuel generalised anxiety. ‘Worry management’ is a psychological intervention (from CBT) that can help people cope.
Jobs for social anxiety
One response to anxiety is finding a job with minimal social contact (e.g., graphic designer). Working from home is another possibility. But this approach has pros and cons as suggested above.
Avoidance relieves distress in the short term. But this approach holds back anxiety-management skills. You can't build confidence or a better life. We have many good treatments for social anxiety. So, you do not have to be ruled by anxiety. Life can get better.
Here are some suggestions if you know a colleague who struggles with anxiety.
Stepping stone for anxiety symptoms
An alternative strategy is seeing a low-stress job as a stepping stone. The idea is to increase social interaction challenges gradually. Anxiety can decrease as you master more challenging situations.
What are stepping-stone jobs? Jobs that help you progress towards a life with less anxiety have the following features:
Reasonable control over how much you interact with people
Social interaction opportunities are available when wanted
An ability to interact with a range of people.
Different social environments are available (e.g., talking to senior colleagues in a meeting and informally in a cafe).
Ideally, you want a job that doesn't overwhelm you initially. You then want to progress through increasingly challenging interactions. We call this a 'graded' approach to anxiety. Jumping in the deep end is not ideal. Success is more likely when you have some control over task difficulty.
Your best chance of reducing anxiety lies in the 'Goldilocks zone'. This is where tasks are challenging but not overwhelming. Anxiety management training should sit alongside these activities. These skills help you tolerate stressful situations.
Anxiety at work
We have several specific anxiety management strategies. This section provides a few examples.
It's the thought that counts
Distorted thoughts are central to social anxiety. Socially anxious people are prone to:
Catastrophising (assuming the worst)
Mind-reading
Fortune-telling (predicting the future).
These 'thinking errors' create a scary world in our heads. This world is often far removed from reality.
We need to challenge anxious thoughts. One way is via questions like these:
What evidence is there for the accuracy of this thought?
Does this thought help me reduce my anxiety?
What advice would I give to a colleague having this thought?
You can practice challenging these thoughts with demonstrations on my Skills Videos page. Many other unhelpful thinking patterns exist:
People with social anxiety tend to have negative self-impression
They also believe their social skills are lacking.
The role of performance standards
Overly-high performance expectations can drive anxiety. Perceived failure is likely when standards are unrealistic.
The Yerks-Dodson law states that pressure improves performance only to a certain point. Beyond this point, increasing pressure leads to decreasing performance (4). This law goes against the assumption that unrelenting high standards are the key to maximise performance.
Try using 'good-enough' performance standards for minor tasks:
Define 'failure', 'good enough' and 'perfect performance' for a task.
Aim for good-enough performance and treat anything more as a bonus
Now reflect on this experience. What did you notice? What did you learn from trying 'good enough'?
Inward-looking
Socially anxious people tend to focus inwards:
Do I look ok?
Am I dressed right?
Is that my heart racing?
Switch attention to outside your body:
Focus on what people are saying
Notice how they talk
Observe how they look when speaking
Immerse yourself in the conversation.
A shift in attention can be a big help with social anxiety.
New job anxiety
Many people experience increased anxiety with a new job. This is normal and not usually cause for concern. Use the tips above. Also, try the following:
Schedule meet and greet sessions before you start the job
Have lots of interactions with staff in the first few weeks
Focus on how you can build trust with colleagues
Keep a diary of anxious thoughts. Look for unhelpful patterns (e.g., mind-reading).
Teamwork makes the dream work
Teamwork is an important element of workplace performance. But individuals in that team need to feel comfortable and supported. Anxiety can block cohesion amongst people. Addressing this problem at the individual level can improve performance at the team level.
How to get a job with severe social anxiety
The above suggestions are great if you already have a job. But how do you get a job in the first place? You can practice most of the techniques outside the workplace. Anxiety is rarely confined to work. You can practice identifying and challenging anxious thoughts in all your interactions with people. You might also have friends who can help you prepare for work. For example, you might set up job interview role-plays.
SAD represents severe social anxiety. I strongly recommend you seek professional help in these circumstances. You will be experiencing anxiety right across your life (not just work). A structured, intensive intervention is required here. Some preparation through anxiety management training will be needed if you are wanting to apply for a job.
Some problems are similar to social anxiety (e.g., generalised anxiety, burnout) and require separate assessment. Social anxiety at work may also lead to other issues (e.g., poor sleep). Seeking help for these problems can boost your chances of getting a job and keeping it.
Summary
Here are the take-home messages:
Social anxiety is common
The workplace can increase this anxiety
Avoiding social interaction maintains anxiety
Thinking patterns are important in anxiety
Look to increase social contact at work gradually
Those with significant social anxiety can find the workplace tough. But I have seen many people make good progress with this issue. The strategies described above are helpful, so do give them a try.
We are Coaching & Clinical Psychologists with extensive experience helping people conquer a range of wellbeing and performance issues at home and in the workplace. We can also help with anxiety. Read more about our work, watch practical skills videos or browse other articles. Get in touch anytime.
References
(1) Crişan, L. G., Vulturar, R., Miclea, M., & Miu, A. C. (2016). Reactivity to Social Stress in Subclinical Social Anxiety: Emotional Experience, Cognitive Appraisals, Behavior, and Physiology. Frontiers in psychiatry, 7, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2016.00005
(2) https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg159/documents/social-anxiety-disorder-final-scope2#:~:text=Estimates%20of%20lifetime%20prevalence%20vary,%25%20for%20obsessive%2Dcompulsive%20disorder.
(3) https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/stress.pdf
(4) Yerkes RM, Dodson JD (1908). "The relation of strength of stimulus to rapidity of habit-formation". Journal of Comparative Neurology and Psychology. 18 (5): 459–482. doi:10.1002/cne.920180503.
