Anyone with jobs that are difficult with SAD?

[etb74]

I was wondering if anyone else has a job that might be made much more difficult with SAD. I'm a journalist, which is ridiculous when you can't stand to talk with strangers, make phone calls, or drop yourself in new situations and places constantly.
  I know that it's better to try and "get out there" and that it does actually help sometimes, but some days I can hardly make it. I find myself sitting at my desk, staring at a phone number and unable to dial it.
  I love my job, but it can be like a never ending boot-camp.

[AnxiousGuy86]

well i can relate to the dilemma about being a journalist and having S.A.D.I'm not a journalist yet,but i plan to go to j school as soon as my anxiety is managed and my life isn't so chaotic.

This is something i have though of alot.how will i be able to be a journalist and do everything that a journalist does while dealing with S.A.D. I envy the fact that your a journalist and happy to hear you have a job you love.

That said i can only suggest some things that you may or may have not tried or done yet that may be able to help you out.

I'm seeing a top anxiety doctor here in Toronto and he has told me that CBT therapy is the most effective way of dealing and treating S.A.D.

it's basically therapy that changes the negative thought aptterns that people with S.A.D have by replacing them with more positive and realistic thoughts.When you put into practice these techniques and so on you will be able to deal with things alot better and begin to gain confidence.

In my case my anxiety has been classified as severe and this therapy has helped me,so if it works for me it will work for you,but you have to stick with it.Therapy can be expensive,these are tough econmic times,but there are CBT Workbooks that you can do on your own time and pace.these books are great as well,they are basically the CBT therapy you would receive from a therapist.they are filled with information and exercises that will help you step by step begin to gain confidence.

Medication  can also be expensive,but speaking from experience it has helped me tremendously and even a low dose of something may be just what you need to get you through.its a personal choice,you may already be on one,but if not,i would say to at least consider the idea.people react differently to different medications.so it can take time to find the right one,and most of them take about a month to take full effect

S.A.D is something we develop over time from many aspects in our lives.it takes time to break habits,thoughts and behaviours  that fuel S.A.D. If you haven't already you should speak to your doctor to at least state your concerns and way your options.

Sorry if this is rambaling on,i hope this helps and you are able to continue the job you love.

let me know how things turn out and good luck to you

[AnxiousGuy86]

Sorry i forgot to add a link to a CBT Workbook.this is one that was recommended by the anxiety doctor i see.they are not that exspensive ,and can be found at most major bookstores and online.

here's a link. 

http://www.amazon.com/Shyness-Social-Anxiety-Workbook-Step/dp/1572245530/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

[etb74]

Thanks so much,
  Lots of good information. I've studied a bit on CEBT, and I've adapted some of it to my daily routine. I'm actually a Social Work major so we get a little training in mental health which is, funny enough, how I finally got a diagnosis.
 And it's good to hear from another future journalist with SAD. It can be tough, but honestly, going to class was tougher than the job. There is something to be said for trudging through.
  I do need to check into medication. I've been on Cymbalta which did little for my anxiety, but I would like to go back and get something that might target the problem a little better.
  All that being said, working at a paper with all of this anxiety makes me think of one day writing a book about the insanity of it. I suspect there are lots of writers with anxiety issues, and probably a few at my paper. (I work in an office that houses three papers; two weeklies and a semi-majorish daily). Anyway, it's always good to make something worthwhile when you find yourself in a less-than-great situation.
Thanks for your advice, and don't worry too much about the job. Things do seem to get easier with time.

[tigerpaw]

Definitely seek out Zoloft, Seroquel whatever, your pshyc. Dr may suggest there are meds out there that can really help you.

[bearpaw23]

Okay, so I know that this is going to sound really..minimal..compared to your job as a journalist and the problems it brings about..but right now I'm wtorking as a cashier at a grocery store to get through university.  And until November 09, i also worked in a real estate office.  I used to have really bad anxiety at my job at the grocery store...all these customers that were staring at no one but me during the entire duration of their order..ahh it was horrible.  I have gotten A LOT better at handling it now, and it's not usually a problem..but sometimes it creeps up.  At my job at the real estate office though, i had to quit because of my anxiety...I couldn't handle it.  It's not that I necessarily saw a lot of people while working in that office, but there were a lot of phone calls to make..and for me, phone is really anxiety-inducing. I don't know why, but it is.  And a lot of the time when I would take or make calls, I would end up stuttering a lot and stumbling over words and things wouldn't come out..and the more I did it the more self-conscious I became..and even though I think I may have worked it up a WHOLE LOT MORE in my mind than it actually was in reality, it got to the point that I couldn't handle it anymore, and I quit. So yeah...not the same as you...but  that's my input.

[vatoloco]

Working at a hospital with S.A.D sux sooo much and the drepression of watching so much misery all in one place I couln't handel it. But you can have the best job in the world and S.A.D will make it tough good luck try to stay positive

[Mellie26]

That's actually the problem that i am experiencing right now. I work in an office and find that i feel like an outcast most of the time. Everyone else seems to be so close and friends with each other. Today is a bad day for it. At lunch, i said something and i got weird looks. I chose to keep quiet after that. I've been put on Ciraplex and am finding it is causing me to gain weight and isn't helping with my social anxiety disorder. Uggh! I certainly wish there was a cure for this.

A friend of mine suggested i gradually make more of an effort to engage in conversations with people but it doesn't seem to be working. If anyone has suggestions on how they overcame this or deal with it, i would greatly appreciate it.

[andy_rk]

I'm a retail manager, so most of the time I can't leave my store. Most days I feel trapped because if the symptoms are getting the best of me I can't just leave. I need to call someone in (if anyone is available) to cover the store. Its really hard sometimes.

[helplesswonder]

 I so understand the feeling of being a prisoner at work. Sometimes you just want run out the door and feel that relief. But that doesn't pay the bills so your stuck. I work for a school where there are tons of kids and people. Somedays it is just so overwhelming. That i hide in the bathroom to settle myself down. I try to think the most postive thoughts but somedays they just don't work.
Hang in there
 your not alone

[concrete_angel]

I hope that I can key in and not for people to think that it is off the topic...

I have the opposite for the most part. I can hide and not have to be very social at work. I think that I have allowed my self in some ways to let my S.A.D control my life. I'm a nanny and most family don't have me to take the children out of the home other then the park.

But my last family that I was just with for over 18 months had me taking the child every where each day. From gym class to library time. The bad part was that I have to text them when I left the house and text them when I returned each time. Talk about high anxiety and panic attacks. I spend most of my work day in a panic attack and not really about to take care of the child or my self at times. I find my self lying to the parents many times about where we would go, (Library, zoo, museum and other outtings) so that I could hide from having to be in a social setting. The child and my self would spend hours setting at the park in the car in the shade with tears running down my face. I know that it was not a healthy environment for the child, but I was never able to tell the family that I suffered with anxiety and panic attacks. Since the husband was very judgemental toward any one with any type of mental disorder I hid it very well from my bosses. On top with dealing with in S.A.D on a daily basics, I also had to deal with verbal abuse and threats to my life for my male boss almost on a daily basics. I was a total wreak when then finally fired me in Oct 2009.

I have spend months now trying to deal with what I have went through. But I can say one thing from all of this. I know that I'm one strong chica

[rosepetal77]

You can add me to the journalist group. I've been working for a newspaper for the past four years. It definitely has its challenges and every day I have to push myself to talk to strangers and walk into some of the crazy situations we have to deal with. I had a difficult time in college because I knew I loved to write but I didn't know if I would be able to handle the social aspects of journalism. Then I just got frustrated and decided that my social anxiety was NOT going to stop me from doing something I loved. Over the years I think I've learned to put on a good act and appear confident and in control when I'm talking to strangers. However, on the inside I'm terrified. It's like I've learned the social skills and I can fake being comfortable but those feelings of social anxiety never go away. I wish I could get up one day and not be scared to make that phone call or meet that politician.

[wreckdiver23]

I know exactly how you feel. One of my jobs i feel anxiety even on my way to work or thinking about the days i have to go to work. I'm in the process of applying to new jobs now. But being in school, owning a house, and having car payments I can't just up and go otherwise i would have been gone. I have one of the highest college degree's out of any of my co-workers and feel confident in what i do. However get anxiety making calls, dealing with we will say "customers" (prisoners), and investigating things.

However put me on my other job (a rescue) which doesn't pay bills or anything and i love the place and people. Find a nice relaxing atmosphere, i can feel the relief. I love dealing with the stress and unknown of what type of call outs I may get. I an confident, order co-workers, calling in med orders, dealing with Dr's in the hospitals, and talking with families. Its like i turn on a switch and don't care. I just haven't figured out how to control that when I'm not there. Its weird.

But i totally know where you are coming from.

 

[jay1212]

It seems like any job I pick (with the exception of cleaning alone) sparks my anxiety. I get these thoughts like, "Oh geez, I got to ask so and so something". I have to give myself a pep talk. The crappy thing is when my anxiety spikes then my communication skills go down the toilet. Sometimes, I have to script what I am going to say before I attempt to contact someone. If I try to speak naturally with high anxiety then my verbal requests turn into verbal diarrhea.

[HeavyD]

I understand these emotions all too well.  I work as a school bus driver which means I'm always around people, young people with a million questions.  I have monitor on my bus as well so I'm never really alone.  Not to mention the fact that when I get back to base it's pretty much social hour and I feel very out of place there, and it's not just quit conversation.  People yell and scream stuff and it drives me nuts.  I sometimes try to hard to socialize which also leads me to feeling anxious and spouting out as Jay1212 puts it "verbal diarrhea". It's hard, especially when you look at people that seem so close and connect so well and you know that, that is something you struggle with. 

[tieks]

This seems to be the thread for me, although my issue is the opposite. I got let go from my last job nearly two years ago. It was a really bad experience. Ever since then I have been having an incredibly hard time finding another one and it's not because of the economy. I'm 20 years old and like I said it's been almost two years since my last job. I seem to be very afraid of social interaction in general, like I'm EXTREMELY terrified of being humiliated or judged, or even worse humiliated. It sucks and I don't know what to do or how to handle it. Sometimes I feel like I don't know what to say to people at all, let alone going to a job interview and saying something stupid. Sometimes I can get over it, like when I park in the school parking lot and get out of my car I just muster up and inhale and exhale slowly and try to tough it out. It's very difficult when there are lots of people though.

[Ferrari]

I have been bouncing from job to job for the past at least 10 years. Pretty much all the jobs I have done have been around people and I just cant seem to function properly. In the begging I thought It was just me, maybe I have some type of mental problem. But eventually I found out about my social anxiety and it all made sense. Im curently a hair stylist, which is kind of crazy of me to persue becuase im constantly around people, but I told myself im not going to run from this. Besides I like cutting hair. Let me say that being a hair stylist is the most difficult job I have ever done. Im currently not working, I just cant handle the intensity of the anxiety. I had to leave work many times and just came to the conclusion that I need to get better in order to continue with this carreer. So im currently not working because of my anxiety, but will return one day. Life has to get better Im a good person I deserve it.

[Lanie]

I used to be a nursing major and among many of the reasons I choose to leave the major was because of SAD. I was absolutely terrified of doing or saying the wrong thing and having fellow nurses or doctors or patients judge or hate me in some way. I also had difficulty dealing with patients - I was too shy to bathe them or give them shots and it took a lot of effort on my part to do it. I was just too afraid they would hate me for having to do those things. And I was always scared that my fellow nursing students would reject me in some way. I was very unhappy as a nursing major and SO glad I left it. I picked up a new major, and immediately I fit in with my classmates, coursework, and professors. I found it much easier to socialize when the pressure was off.

However, I still have a lot of issues with SAD. I constantly read faces and emotions to see how people are reacting to me. I am very sensitive to social cues, whether real or percieved. I am incredibly shy and awkward and it takes a lot of time for me to relax and become friends with people. At my old job, it took me 1 1/2 years to feel truly comfortable and casual with my boss and co-workers. I'm starting my new job on Monday and I'm afraid how all my new co-workers will feel about me. I'm afraid they will think I'm a total nutjob and I won't fit in with anybody

[serene]

I have a job w/ the federal govt.  We have meetings, presentations, and trainings that I dread.  I often see less qualified coworkers get promotions because I never applied for them.  I'd make excuses and say that I simply didn't want the stress, but when I really thought about it, I realized that I just didn't want to have to go to close door meetings.  I didn't want to have to introduce myself to the group or God forbid..make presentations.  I didn't want the attention, any attention.  But, as of the last few weeks, I have been making it a point to apply, speak up in trainings and meetings.  I realized that the more I avoid these situations, the more I am nurturing my anxiety.  The only way is to speak up, who cares if you're red or stuttering and sweating profusely.  We have earned the right to be where we are.  We have the knowledge and the experience to back it up.  I am tired of the loud ones always getting everything.  Being loud does not equate knowledge.  Every time, you force yourself to raise your hand to contribute to a meeting or training, you are giving your self an opportunity to grow.  Go easy on your self...it's not perfect...the first few times may not be easy...but it feels good after. It's a step forward. The only way to overcome SAD, is to do it, feel the anxiety and panic, live through it, and realize that we are bigger and better than anxiety.

[Wishingforcalm]

I'm a teacher!  HORRIBLE idea!   Who know's what I was thinking.  The last thing I want to have happen is all eyes on me, and that's what being a teacher is all about.  This year, with anxiety so bad, I've thought of quitting.  But I know for sure I'd never leave the house.  So, i think in some ways, having to leave every day for work (even thought it's a challenge every time) is saving me. 

[angelluv]

I had a job working at a call center with about 300 other people  and I had to walk past those people. It felt creepy. I did fine with the phone calls on the job but at home I had problems making certain phone calls, I would write myself a script.

[socialparasite]

Just want to give a hats off to you guys with difficult jobs! I've worked as a cashier in a grocery store and in a call centre, only lasting a couple weeks at each. Now I work as a line cook in a restaurant where I don't have to deal with customers. I don't know how I could handle interacting with strangers every day. Stay strong! :)

[DeeCarp]

I'm also a teacher. I teach high school and can deal with teenagers. but not my colleagues. I know most of them are nice people, but I still start sweating when I think of staff meetings and parties. Parent nights are even worse. I get panic attacks just thinking of them. I have to act my way through most of it, and I get tired!

[alien earthling]

Wow, I'm so glad I found this site 

I finally had to quit my office job. I just couldn't do it anymore. I've been out of work almost a year now. I'm lucky enough to have a partner who understands that I need to sort myself out, even if he doesn't really understand what it's all about.

I can relate to pretty much all the stuff already posted here. I tried to talk to people more and all that, but it just made me worse, because it was all just faking, faking, faking. I felt like I didn't really exist anymore. All the advice people gave me made me worse, because it was coming from people who didn't suffer from anxiety. They had not a clue what I was going through. So faking it and pretending to be confident ultimately wrecked me. Now I'll pretty much refuse to go anywhere unless I feel entirely comfortable with it (which isn't often) or I really can't get out of it. If my partner didn't support me, I'd probably be homeless.