Good careers for people with anxiety?

[Typeofperson]

The job I'm in currently is a lot of relationship management: running meetings, getting people to work together, dealing with complaints, that kind of thing. Although it's intellectually stimulating I find it very draining and stress-inducing.

Sorry, pressed post too early. I'm looking to change careers to something that's less people-based and stressful. Anyone found a career they feel works well for them?

My job is also very stressful, dealing with clients all the time, a lot of professional responsibility on my shoulders etc, so I can’t help you with specific suggestions of low-stress no-people jobs (although I’d imagine things like individual creative-type roles, self employed or freelance, or office-based non public-facing things).

HOWEVER for all the stress my job causes, because I love it and am absolutely genuinely passionate about what I do, it is immensely rewarding and a huge part of my ‘identity’, when I am most unwell generally I can only function reasonably whilst at work, everything outside of work falls apart first. So for me the key has not been finding a low stress/no people job, but to find the right job that innately rewards me because I love it and care so much about what I do and the difference I can make.

The plus sides outweigh the minuses. I think a job with no minuses is unrealistic, long term, so I think we need to do something with enough pluses to make it worthwhile.

It sounds like the intellectual stimulation your current job brings you is very valuable to you. So what makes you tick, what interests you, what do you care about?

I think it depends what you actually enjoy tbh.

Relationship management does sound like hard work tbh, as it is so reliant on other people not being knobs.

However, in non-people facing roles you will often have some very nasty office politics going on, which don't seem to be quite as frequently experienced by people in public-facing roles. Do be wary of grass is greener thinking, you don't want to be out of the frying pan and into the fire.

It really sounds like you've found something you're passionate about @AnxiousMunchkin, that's great. I can't say I'm passionate about my job although I do believe it brings about benefits for the community. How do you cope with the stressful elements of your job? Do you feel really drained at the end of the week? I had to run a big meeting yesterday which was quite stressful and I'm just feeling so exhausted and over it today . I suppose I've never really found my 'thing' and that doesn't help either.

@Fuckedoffat48b, that's a good point about office politics - in a sense I wouldn't mind a career which works almost solely with the public eg psychology, occupational therapy to avoid a lot of that. My DP works in a STEM field and although it's a lot less people-based there are a lot of office politics. The problem is that it's difficult to predict how stressful a job will be before you actually start working in it. My previous job was quite relaxed but I didn't feel it was really doing anything for my career and found myself getting bored, so in a way I'm almost kicking myself for taking this role. I wanted to challenge myself and I certainly got that, but now I find myself struggling and feeling drained

Honestly - I probably don’t cope all that well seeing as I am in therapy and on medication [disclaimer - diagnosed MH conditions so it’s not all just the job] but the main thing I think is not seeing the job as the problem, because for all it’s horrible and difficult bits the good bits do make it worthwhile in the long run, so I guess more of a mindset thing? I’d still be dealing with anxiety, mood issues, obsessive thoughts etc if I switched jobs, I think, the job isn’t the issue, my mental health is.

After a really shit day, honestly it’s all I can do to eat a proper meal, shower, get clothes ready for next day and sleep properly. I won’t be able to manage all that sometimes, it’ll be junk food on the way home, fall asleep in clothes on sofa, frantic scramble in the morning to be presentable. But if I do manage the sensible meal/shower/sleep thing, it’s that basic self-care, being kind to myself mentality that makes all the difference in how I feel the next day. Not blaming myself for finding it difficult, I guess. Some things just are difficult.