Finding work with anxiety???

[PavoCristatus]

I'm just looking for a little advice or other people's experiences here, please!

Bit of background: I have GAD and OCD (emetophobic and completely convinced I am about to be sick at any given moment, to the point that even a normal day is mentally exhausting) and have had 8 months of CBT which helped a lot but there is a long, long way to go yet.

I am at a loss, the last of my money is about to run out and I don't really think that a retail job is very sensible - I can barely walk into town without shaking and it takes days to recover from being in a crowd - but I don't really know what to do other than that!

How do you find a job when you can't guarantee that you can actually attend every day?? I have been trying to work for myself for a while but have run out of money to throw at that project so I think it's gonna have to go on hold.

My boyfriend is supporting me at the moment but I can't stand the feeling of helplessness and need to gain at least a little independence again, just don't know how to do that. He's said to take all the time I need but I feel terrible sponging off him like this.

Thanks for reading, anyway!

[Speranza]

I don't have an answer but I wanted to say "hi" and I am sure you will find the right answers for you. I have been feeling the same at times. I guess when it's the right job, getting there will be less of a problem. x

[Jenwales]

I don't have an answer either, I'm sorry. I work in retail and I have GAD. I get anxious but maybe it's not as bad as yours. I've been worse and I'm usually excessively anxious at busy periods.
I know that it's a habit I've got into and I need to change my thoughts. I know that my GAD has been worse.

I do have one suggesstion though. What about voluntary work? You could do a day a week or something in a charity shop or somewhere. The trick to getting over anxiety is not to avoid and to just face the fear. That is very hard I know. In CBT it's called exposure work.

[PavoCristatus]

Thanks for your replies!

The places I could do voluntary work where I'm living are charity shops and the library, both of which are handling things that consider contaminated, and I'd spend all day washing my hands, and that's only assuming I could stand the smell of "old things" long enough to stay in the building. Eating and leaving the house once a day is my exposure at the moment, and the resulting panic from that is just about my limit unless I want to write off the following day!

This situation is a pain in the backside, I know it's not exactly a good idea to try to work right now but I can't really afford to not work, I'm desperate to find something I can actually do without pushing further than I can handle..

[Fishmanpa]

Well I don't know how it is in the UK but there are people here in the US that make a pretty good living milking the system for everything they can get. It's full time work and it pays pretty well if you can do it

[PavoCristatus]

Ha! The adrenaline would drive me mad! :P

I've never really put anything into this country so don't feel comfortable taking anything out at all unless it's a last resort...