Since it's summer break for me now, I'm looking for a job so I can spend my time doing something productive & earn some money. Trouble is, I have social anxiety. I've never been employed, & I'm already a nervous wreck when it comes to new things, let alone a new thing that involves dealing with the public. I'm not on any medication & I'm not really looking to be medicated, given that my discomfort rarely results in panic attacks or any kind of extreme reaction. What kind of jobs would you recommend for someone with social anxiety?
I'm in a similar boat and it's scary looking for a job without much experience to speak of. Are there a lot of available jobs in your area or is it more of a remote location? What do you enjoy? Do you have any volunteer experience? Perhaps restocking shelves somewhere or working in a pet store.
I have anxiety too and my first job was at a crowded mall and my second day of work was Black Friday lol of all days. Once you get there and start working, you're so busy that you don't even have time to think of anything else. I would say either find somewhere that doesn't get too busy so that you're not overwhelmed, or a place that is fairly busy so that you will be working hard and not focusing on your anxiety. Those are complete opposites but that has worked for me so maybe it will work for you too.
Aspen - There's plenty of jobs around here, & I've even got 2 I'm interested in because I know a lot of people that work at those places, but both require me to talk to customers all day long. I'm not sure what I enjoy really, but working in a pet store sounds fun. I have 0 volunteer experience, but I've considered helping out at an animal shelter. ilovesg - That actually might work! When I'm really busy I don't focus so much on the things that would normally make me overthink & feel anxious. I think that would work better for me, to be really busy, because I hate to be bored.
Is that the gorgeous Scully on your avatar?! ... Ok, back to the topic... Social anxiety is a problem to be taken care of asap. Due to social anxiety you might lose chances to better jobs, relationships and so on... Besides living in fear is not a good life. I'd try to talk about it to someone first, someone you trust. Also you could try to write a diary, and read other people's diaries, for instance Anais Nin's. There is also books about social skills that are worth a try. Don't put much pressure on yourself, take all you do as just an experiment and don't get dissapointed if you fail... Keep on it and I tell you, you'll get there. Practice, practice and have someone to listen to your stuff... Try to interact to people on a daily basis. Social skills are like muscles, you do need to exercise them. Also record your own voice and ask yourself 'Would I listen carefully to what this person has to say'. Keep recording until your answer is 'yes'. When the anxiety strikes you badly, try to picture them naked... Be careful not to laugh... Another thing for your first aid kit... Take the social anxiety and put it on a cage, LITERALLY : Picture yourself taking it (by the way it's a green gremlin) and put it on an imaginary cage. Don't laugh, I'm not kidding you, just try it... And then watch the damned thing complain about not being able to ruin your day. ... And it doesn't matter who you are or how silly you are : There will be always somebody worse than you, keep that in mind, and if you don't believe me just google/search youtube for it...
Of course it is! I talk to my friends frequently & keep a diary. They're both really beneficial to me & help manage my anxiety more than I realize. I've noticed it's much worse when I don't have someone to talk to about these things. I've tried visualizations before, & they actually really help me. I'll have to try that gremlin thing!
