How do I get a job and maintain it with social anxiety?

I don't necessarily have advice for you, but I'm in the same boat. I'm 25, freak out way too much over the interviews (even the phone call to schedule an interview). I know I need help, but with social anxiety, it's hard to get help since you need to talk with people to do that! What helps me a bit is going over everything that could possibly happen (for an interview, I study the company & look online to see if anyone posted questions or anything about the interview experience & come up with answers to questions they'll probably ask) & try to prepare myself for that. I'm trying to apply to grad school, which is scary. I don't know who to ask to write recommendations, I communicate to all the schools via email instead of phone calls, which makes the process much longer and difficult than it needs to be. I know I'll be good at whatever job I have now or after I graduate with a masters (assuming I will, fingers crossed!) but this step right here, trying to prove myself freaks me out

Hello, I have social anxiety too so I understand how hard this may be for you. You may want to consider speaking to a professional about it, and/or you may want to let your employer know? I hope it goes okay! :)

@SoggyNoodle As someone with social anxiety, I totally understand your concerns. When I was in college, I was very hesitant about applying for jobs/ internships. However, working actually helped me in the long run. The thing with anxiety and mental issues related to it is that exposure is the key to getting over your anxiety. It's hard, trust me, but taking small steps can help. Start out with volunteer work; do something you are passionate about! Not only will it help you with social anxiety, but it can build your resume.

Also, keep in mind with jobs you are applying for. Some will require more interaction with people than others. In the long run though, you will have to interact with people regardless of your job. Remember that social anxiety does not have to define you as a person unless you want it to. You have so much to offer in terms of experience, skills, qualities, etc. You are certainly not alone when it comes to this matter. As suggested earlier, you can always talk to your boss/ supervisor about your concerns.

Please feel free to contact me if you ever want to talk about this! I wish you the very best. :)

Maybe start small and volunteer at an animal shelter. ( if you like animals) Dogs always seem to lessen my anxiety.

@SoggyNoodle I feel ya. I'm sort of in the same boat too. I had an anxiety provoking experience a couple jobs ago which led me to freak out horribly before another job & have insomnia for weeks. I'm seeing a lotta great suggestions in this thread: volunteering, choosing jobs that focus on areas where you excel ect. It helps to break down your anxiety. What exactly stresses you out about finding a job & working? I doubt it's literally everything. I have lingering anxiety too which makes it really hard to focus. I try to isolate what actually stresses me out & limit that to that moment w/o letting it ruin my whole day. Easier said than done ik. Distraction can be super helpful. While it's great to learn and grow from your experiences, emotions like anxiety can cloud our perception of a situation at the moment & right after. It helps to focus on what you have to do right now & save the analyzing for whenever you're ready. Sitting there replaying a situation over & over just wastes time & adds stress. I've found that often click for me way after the fact & that's ok. You can't force yourself to run before you can walk. There's no book for life lessons. They only make sense to you when you're ready. Exposure is important and it's also important to try to do it in ways that there are some enjoyable aspects to the situation & it's not all around miserable. Baby steps usually go better than giant leaps. I'm guessing you're applying for jobs you're passionate about. If not, it'll make your like a lot happier & easier if you do. Passion can drown out anxiety. It makes it easier to come up with new perspectives that make it feel less daunting. Focus on aspects that make you feel good: accomplishing something, doing something constructive for the world. Jobs have such a negative rep especially with how the economy is now. I joke that I wanna retire at 32 & work for fun. What I really want is to be able to focus on making an impact & not $, impressing ppl ect. Well guess what. You can do that anyway. All the things you're stressing about are pretty minor in the big picture. All that really matters is doing your job & doing it as well as you can. It can help to start with something that isn't way over your head. "Fake it till you make it" is that much harder for people with SA & not something I'd recommend anyway. I say focus on learning, improving & doing not faking. Something that really helped me is realizing a lot of the people who act super overconfident are actually the most insecure. They're not any smarter or better than you, just less honest. No matter how much you're struggling now, remember there are a lot of people struggling more, even if they look more "successful" on the surface. People with SA tend to be more genuine & accountable. We care about actually doing a good job, not just looking like it. That's a GOOD thing. I've gotten a lot of advice that my anxiety is because idk what I'm doing. That's not true. I'm a good student who enjoys helping my classmates. I have anxiety because I'm always striving to be better. I care about helping the people around me & not stepping on them. I empathize a lot. Those are good things that I'm working on finding healthier ways to channel. I try to put myself in situations that give me an opportunity to harness my positive qualities. I've been doing a lot of short-term charity projects & freelance work which help me boost my confidence with lower stakes. It's also a good way to meet people with actual common interests and motives in a genuine way as opposed to stereotypical networking. Chances are there are even aspects of human interaction you enjoy and succeed at. For me it's helping people. I'm not a smooth talker but I genuinely want to help ppl and they can sense that. I'm also good as seeing different perspectives & listening rather than just talking, another trait a lotta ppl with SA have. I'm no expert but I hope my experiences can help someone. PM me if you'd like to talk more :) Good luck with everything. It really does get better.