Working With Social Anxiety Disorder
SAD can affect your performance at work as well as your relationships with your colleagues and supervisors. This can translate into problems at work, such as:
Decreased performance and reduced productivity: When you have SAD, you’re constantly battling your negative thoughts. Because you can’t focus on your priorities, you may end up procrastinating or missing deadlines. Your social fears may also prevent you from asking for help when you need it.Increased absences: People with SAD often report taking more days off work to avoid anxiety-triggering situations.Missed opportunities: You might feel the need to turn down job offers or promotions that involve traveling to new places or giving presentations.
The Right Kind of Job
Often your choice of job is dictated by how far along you are in terms of diagnosis and treatment. Being able to manage your SAD symptoms can better equip you for jobs that are socially demanding. At the same time, even after you’ve learned how to cope, you may realize you are better suited to particular types of jobs. Some people with SAD are extroverts and still crave the company of others even though they are fearful. If this is you, a job with more social interaction might be more appropriate. Others may be more comfortable in low-stress positions with limited social demands. Your anxiety won’t improve if you isolate yourself. While you don’t have to be the center of attention, occasionally interacting with people will boost your confidence in social environments. Flexible roles that encourage you to interact with others from time to time tend to work best. While each person will have their own interests and skillsets, there are jobs for people with SAD that will better suit their needs. Whether you want to write novels, advice columns, or technical manuals, get your start with a job that allows you to gain experience, such as working as a technical writer or copywriter. Then, as you build confidence, you can take on freelance work and possibly even become a published author. Socially anxious writers may enjoy working alone. However, it would be best to challenge yourself by networking with other writers through professional associations and conferences. This will give you a chance to polish your social skills and expose yourself to those situations that cause you anxiety. If you find you are doing well, you might even volunteer to lead a presentation or help out on an advisory board. If you have a passion for this type of work, think about related jobs that might give you the same creative outlet and ability to work alone some of the time. Graphic design might be an option that gives you the opportunity to support yourself as an artist. As a socially anxious artist, you may enjoy time spent alone on your work. However, you should also consider challenging yourself by attending or presenting at art exhibits. Communicating with clients and networking with other artists is a key part of continuously challenging your anxiety in the field of art.
Kennel operator or caretakerPet groomerAnimal rescue workerVeterinary technicianZookeeper
If you enjoy working with animals, these can be rewarding positions requiring some social interaction and giving you space to work quietly and independently. You may also enjoy the reciprocal affection that animals often provide. Keep challenging your social anxiety in these positions by interacting with clients and other animal care professionals. Whether you work for a company or as a private accountant, there will be some level of interaction required with others. Focus on your abilities and be confident in your work, and your comfort level with this aspect of the job will increase. Becoming an accountant can be a good way to challenge some of your social fears gradually. Meetings with clients can work on your social skills, and attendance at networking events will help you challenge your social fears. If you decide to run your own landscaping company, you will need to become adept at communicating with customers. In this way, landscaping can afford you the opportunity to challenge your fears while having the security of “downtime” on the job. Challenge your social fears in these positions by interacting with customers, other landscape professionals, and possibly even your own employees. You can also attend trade shows to practice your social skills. Although you will interact with customers or deal with suppliers as a business owner, you will not have a supervisor watching over you. You can also hire other people to do jobs that you don’t enjoy. Just be sure that you don’t hire out all of your social obligations. Instead, challenge yourself to face social and performance situations that you find anxiety-provoking by starting small and moving to more difficult tasks. If you like computers and don’t mind sitting for long periods of time, this can be a good job that allows you to work independently. However, be sure to challenge your social anxiety by talking with coworkers and taking on projects that require increasingly more interaction. You understand what your clients are experiencing, you are a good listener, and you likely have a communication style that others with SAD will not find threatening. In the end, only you know what the right job is for you. But, of course, the best job is one that allows you to pursue your dreams without triggering or worsening your anxiety symptoms. If you think you have SAD, the most important question to ask yourself is whether it’s preventing you from achieving your goals. If the answer is yes, then you might consider contacting a mental health professional. Remember that anxiety can be managed and treated, just like any other medical condition.
