When anxiety stops you from working: 3 new roles to consider

According to the Black Dog Institute, anxiety is the most common mental health condition in Australia. Up to one-third of women and one-fifth of men will experience anxiety at some point in their lives. Severe anxiety can get in the way of your daily life and can include generalised anxiety disorder, social phobia, panic disorder, a specific phobia, separation anxiety disorder or agoraphobia.

Using your anxiety to boost performance

There can be positives to experiencing moderate anxiety. Facing up to your anxiety can help you build your mental muscle. It can mean you’re enthusiastic about doing a good job. It can even make you better at it. A study published in the Journal of Individual Differences found that individuals who viewed events that might have made them anxious as challenges (not threats) can succeed.

You don’t have to tell potential employers about your anxiety diagnosis. If you do tell – and this can be after you’ve been hired – your employer needs to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that you succeed in your role which can really help. If you choose us to help you find work, we can give you advice about what might be helpful to share with an employer but won’t disclose anything without your consent.

We’ve helped hundreds of jobseekers become sales assistants, administrative assistants and labourers in the past year via the CoAct network of service partners.

Top 3 roles for people with anxiety:

1. Sales assistants
2. Administration and office support
3. Labourers

Sales Assistants

Turn your enthusiasm to do a great job into helping customers. Employers looking to hire sales assistants are looking to hire those with the right attitude. Could this be you? Retail sales is a broad sector and you’re sure to find something that suits your interests and personality, including grocery, fast food, pharmacy, homewares, clothing, speciality, office and building supplies, small business and more.

Administration and office support

Being well prepared is an excellent skill for an administration worker. If your anxiety causes you apprehension to perform certain tasks, working through how to use it as your superpower.

Labourers

Prefer getting your hands dirty to sitting behind a desk? Find it helpful to get out of your head and into the fresh air, doing something physical? See labouring work as a challenge and you can get a boost in energy to succeed. According to Job Outlook you can work as a Building or Plumbing Labourer without formal qualifications, however, they may be useful. You may also need to do pre-employment checks including medical assessments with drug and alcohol testing and a driving history check.

If you’re living with anxiety or depression, we can help you look for work

If you’re looking for a job and have been diagnosed with depression or anxiety, our Disability Employment Services program (DES) could be for you. Don’t be fooled by the name, it’s an initiative that helps a wide range of people get back into work, including those with mental illness. CoAct has a range of service partners who are mental health specialists. They work closely with you to understand your needs and connect you to the right support network.

If you or anyone you know needs help:

• Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467
• Lifeline on 13 11 14
• Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander crisis support line 13YARN on 13 92 76
• Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800
• Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636
• Headspace on 1800 650 890
• MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978