Low Stress Jobs for People with Anxiety

Many companies have a need for guards to keep an eye on their facilities overnight when not many people are around. If you have social anxiety or want a position that is relatively low stress, being an overnight guard may be a good fit.

However, there are some potential drawbacks to consider with this type of position, namely, your sleep. Studies have shown that about 1 in 5 shift workers develop shift work sleep disorder.

Like other sleep disorders, it can lead to not getting enough sleep and reduced quality of life. It can also affect your ability to perform your job, behavior, and mood.

If you want to test your knowledge about sleep, you can try out this quiz.

One of many effects of the COVID-19 pandemic was the rise in remote work throughout the United States. According to the United States Census Bureau, the number of people working from home tripled between 2019 and 2021. About 27.6 million Americans now work primarily from home.

While not everyone enjoys the shift to working from home, if you have anxiety, it may be the perfect fit. You often only need to interact with others through email, virtual meetings, and phone calls or texts. You may never need to set foot in an actual office.

This can be great for anyone with social anxiety due to the limited interactions you will need to have with others.

A possible downside is the perceived lack of separation between work and home. This can lead to additional anxiety about feeling “always on” or a need to be constantly available to “prove” you’re working.

Setting a clear work schedule and establishing firm expectations with coworkers and your company may help with separating home and work life.

Video editing, photography, or photo editing are all relatively low stress positions and may not require much social interaction. Like other professions on this list, you will often work independently, which makes them good for people with social anxiety.

But a person should avoid wedding photography if they have anxiety. Wedding photography is stressful and often involves dealing with a lot of people directly.

There are many skilled professions that can be low stress and require only limited interactions with others. These include positions such as:

• plumber
• electrician
• heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) repair technician
• appliance repair

People who work these professions often work independently. They may be their own boss or work for a larger company.

Freelance writing is often done at home. A writer rarely, if ever, needs to step foot in an actual office, which makes it another great option if you have social anxiety.

Though writing jobs can vary and have different expectations, often a writer gets assigned or chooses from different assignments from the company they work for. They’re then given due dates to get the work done by and often only interact with others via email.

Of course, expectations can vary between positions. Some writing jobs require you to interview experts or speak with people on the phone. This may trigger anxiety for some. You may want to double check with the company you plan to write for to see if you’ll be required to do interviews.

It may help to know that if you are working with an anxiety disorder, you are not alone. An estimated 18% of workers disclosed they have an anxiety disorder, including:

• generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
• panic disorder
• obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

Here are some tips to get you started with the conversation about accommodations:

Ask yourself some reflective questions first

Consider asking yourself the following questions:

• Can I perform the essential duties of the job?
• Am I able to keep up with treatments?
• Can I perform the job to the best of my abilities as a person with a psychiatric disability?

If the answer to these types of questions is “yes” you may not need to speak to your employer about accommodations. If you have any doubts though, it may be time for the conversation.

Go prepared for the discussion

It can help you during your conversation to figure out exactly what you are asking for first, such as:

• What tasks do you need help with?
• What reasonable support can your employer provide?

The more clearly you understand and can discuss what you need, the better the conversation can go. It may also help alleviate some of your anxiety about the meeting.

When you ask

Keep in mind that your employer can use the discussion about accommodations as a time to ask you some questions about your anxiety. They can also ask you for medical documentation about your disability.

During the discussion, focus on clearly defining your needs and try to gear the conversation to what you are asking for. Again, figuring out what you need and are asking for ahead of time may help.

Anxiety can make work more challenging. Some jobs may be better suited for people with anxiety than others, depending on the type of anxiety they have and their needs.

You may not need to disclose your anxiety to your employer if you don’t believe it will ever affect your ability to do your job. But if you feel like your job performance may suffer, requesting reasonable accommodations from your employer may help.

If you’re having difficulties starting the conversation, keep in mind that your employer can’t fire you for having anxiety or discriminate against you in any way, like not giving you a promotion or raise.

You may find talking to a psychiatrist or counselor may help. They may be able to give you some ideas on how to get the conversation started and how to proceed.

With the right preparation and support, you may find that conversation about accommodations for anxiety will go much smoother.