The Worst Jobs for People with Anxiety
High levels of stress, a chaotic work environment, and frequent criticism are common attributes of the worst jobs for people with anxiety.
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Understanding Anxiety
In casual conversations, it’s common to hear the word anxiety used as a synonym of nervousness. Someone may say they have anxiety about taking a test, giving a presentation, or interviewing for a job.
These are perfectly legitimate uses of this word in this context. But when mental health professionals talk about anxiety, they’re often describing something that’s much more serious, and potentially debilitating.
In a clinical context, anxiety refers to overwhelming fear or worry, to the point that it disrupts a person’s ability to function in one or more important areas of life. In some cases, these emotions are triggered by identifiable events or circumstances, while in other instances people experience them for no apparent reason.
Types of Anxiety Disorders
The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) contains entries for several anxiety disorders, including:
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
- Panic disorder
- Social anxiety disorder (social phobia)
- Agoraphobia
- Specific phobia
- Separation anxiety disorder
- Selective mutism
Symptoms of Anxiety Disorders
Excessive worry and disproportionate fear are common symptoms of all anxiety disorders. One of the main differences among these conditions is the type of event or experience that can cause these symptoms to occur. For example:
- The symptoms of social anxiety disorder can be prompted by making a presentation, meeting someone for the first time, eating in public, or being in other environments where the person fears they may be judged negatively by others.
- People who have separation anxiety disorder experience extreme emotional pain when they are away from a certain loved one (often, but by no means always, a parent or child).
- For those with specific phobia, symptoms can be triggered by being in an airplane; seeing a dog, spider, or other animal; having blood drawn; or several other distinct circumstances.
- Agoraphobia symptoms can occur when a person is in a constrained or wide-open space, in a large crowd of people, or even simply outside their house by themselves.
- For someone with generalized anxiety disorder, symptoms may be virtually omnipresent, potentially intensifying in a variety of settings or at random.
The psychological symptoms of anxiety disorders can sometimes be accompanied by distressing reactions such as dizziness, excessive perspiration, racing heart rate, chest pain, nausea, difficulty breathing, tingling or numbness in extremities, and fear of imminent death.
Worst Jobs for People With Anxiety
Before we dive into our list of the worst jobs for people with anxiety, we need to address a few facts about this list.
First, it is completely subjective. Given that there are multiple types of anxiety disorders, each of which affect people in different ways, it would be impossible to objectively and conclusively determine which jobs are “best” or “worst” for all people who have these conditions.
Second, people are so much more than the sum of their symptoms. Two people with identical diagnoses can respond in vastly different ways to identical scenarios due to their unique histories, inherent talents, and innate strengths.
We should never assume that someone can or cannot achieve success in a job or career field based solely on the fact that they have a certain type of mental health disorder.
Having established these caveats, here are seven examples of stressful positions that could be among the worst jobs for people with anxiety:
- Teacher: Teachers give multiple interactive presentations every day that must appeal to and connect with audiences whose skills and interest vary widely. They are also responsible for keeping their students safe and engaged, maintaining classroom discipline, following the guidance of their principals and school boards, and communicating with parents.
- Healthcare professional: Healthcare professionals rarely have predictable days. Among the many challenges they may face are making literal life-or-death decisions, taking on tasks that are both physically and emotionally difficult, and delivering personally devastating news, all while maintaining a compassionate yet professional demeanor.
- Customer service representative: Customer service representatives often spend their days dealing with people who are upset with them for problems that they played no role in creating. Whether in person or on the phone, they are often the only person in a company toward whom customers can vent their anger and frustration.
- Wedding planner: Weddings can be highly stressful events, both for the participants and the behind-the-scenes personnel. Wedding planners have to be detail-oriented and highly organized, yet able to make snap decisions to avoid or resolve crises as they occur, all while managing staff, overseeing vendors, and ensuring their clients are happy.
- Journalist: Journalism can require long hours, meticulous research, a willingness to ask difficult questions, and the ability to endure considerable criticism. Also, due to dramatic shifts in the media landscape in recent decades, career stability is virtually unheard of, jobs can be difficult to come by, and pay is often low.
- First responder: Paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) frequently work in chaotic environments, often in the immediate aftermath of traumatic events. They must often act quickly and decisively, with the knowledge that any mistakes could have life-altering repercussions.
- Commercial pilots and flight attendants: Pilots operate complex machinery, often in challenging circumstances, while responsible for the lives of hundreds of people. Flight attendants must enforce safety rules, manage passenger behaviors, resolve conflicts, and serve food and beverages, all while in a cramped midair environment.
Tips for Coping With Anxiety
The APA does not restrict who can purchase any versions of the DSM. Most libraries also contain copies that a
Anxiety disorders can make you feel as though you’ve lost control. Here are five ways you can take action to avoid, minimize, and cope with symptoms.
Practice Self-Care
Strengthening your body and mind, and treating yourself with compassion, can prepare you to better manage anxiety-related symptoms. Examples of effective self-care practices include following a healthy diet, getting appropriate amounts of exercise and sleep, practicing mindfulness and meditation, and spending time with loved ones.
Understand Your Triggers
When you know what types of experiences or circumstances are likely to trigger symptoms, you can develop strategies for avoiding them, as well as skills for responding in the healthiest manner when they are unavoidable.
Learn Self-Soothing Techniques
When symptoms occur, there are several steps you can take to minimize their intensity and duration. Examples include visualization exercises, breathing exercises, and certain physical and sensory activities.
Talk to a Professional
Symptoms of anxiety disorders can be isolating. You may feel like no one could understand what you’re going through or possibly help. Please know that this is not true. Professional treatment can help you regain control of your thoughts and feelings, so that you can live a more hopeful and satisfying life.
nyone can read, free of charge.
However, only a properly trained mental health professional is qualified to use the information in the DSM-5 to diagnose someone with a mental or behavioral health disorder.
Even if you have reviewed the DSM-5 and believe that you or a loved one meet the diagnostic criteria for a certain condition, the only way to be accurately diagnosed is to be evaluated by a qualified expert.
Find Anxiety Treatment in the Philadelphia Area
New Mind Wellness offers customized outpatient care for adults who have been living with anxiety and other mental health concerns.
Our outpatient mental health treatment center in Philadelphia is a safe and highly supportive environment where you can work in active collaboration with a team of skilled and compassionate professionals. We’ll take the time to get to know you as a unique and valuable individual, so that we can be sure we’re providing the focused services that best align with your needs and goals.
To learn more or to schedule a free consultation, please visit our Contact page or call us today.
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