Working with Anxiety

Working with an anxiety disorder can be difficult.  It can affect the way you work and even holding a job itself.  I have this disorder and it’s affected me in all my jobs one way or the other.  I’ve had a total of about 11 jobs through the years, many of them in totally different fields.  The longest I’ve worked at a job was seven years and the shortest was six months.  My jobs were varied: two office jobs, factory worker, working in a pet shop, in a Laundromat, a sales clerk, in a bank processing center, managing apartments, a floral designer in two shops and finally a freelance writer, which I am presently.

I didn’t know I had this disorder until about 6 years ago.  My jobs would be fine for a while and then the stress would build. I would hate to get up in the morning and dread going into work.  I would have heart palpitations pulling into the parking lot. I would jump at the slightest noise.   I’d end up going to the emergency room with chest pains and then the doctor would admit me in cardiac care for a few days.  Each time it would be stress from the job or a combination of work and family life.  I would look for another job that would be less stressful.  I would work that job for a while then the same thing would happen and I had no idea what was going on.

Another way this disease has affected my work life is that I cannot take public transportation or drive somewhere I’m not familiar with.  I’m okay with a taxi cab because it will take me from point A to point B.  But if I had to take a bus to work or a subway or drive through heavy traffic, it isn’t going to happen. I have severe panic attacks and feel as if I can’t get enough air and that I’m going to faint. This really limits my work options if I have to go outside my comfort level.

There is hope though.  I was put on an anxiety medication which helps me handle stress better, as well as cognitive therapy.  This therapy allows you to talk about what your fears are and how to handle them.  If I get lost, for example, I know that I can turn around and go back.  Also my husband has bought me a GPS so that helps with that.  I still can’t deal with public transportation though at this point.

I did find a new work field that I enjoy.  I am now a freelance writer.  I can support myself with something I like to do and not even have to leave the house.  The hours are my own.  I have deadlines for the work that I do.  By having a schedule that I stick to, various topics I can write about, the freedom to work when I want and it has eased my anxiety a great deal.  If I get stuck on a topic, I can get up from my desk and go for a walk to clear my head.  The stress level is a lot less and I have only had two panic attacks that I worked through.  So I think the secret to beating this is to be on medication, have a good therapist and find a job that you enjoy that doesn’t cause stress.  Life is good!

If you have an anxiety disorder, how do you cope with the work stress?