If you live with social anxiety, you likely spend a lot of time worrying about others passing negative judgment on the things you do and say. Thanks to these fears, you might regularly go out of your way to avoid situations where you think you’ll embarrass yourself or face rejection.
Yet this avoidance can leave you with a dilemma when you need to fund a new hobby, your first car, a wardrobe update, or anything else. Getting yourself to school each day can be challenging enough. Applying for jobs might seem like nothing more than a way to invite rejection. And what if you land one that involves a lot of social interaction?
It’s worth considering, though, that treatment for social anxiety often involves some type of exposure therapy. Exposure helps you work to gradually feel more comfortable with the source of your anxiety, so a part-time job can be a helpful step in this process.
A job provides the chance to confront self-consciousness and fears of criticism, humiliation, and rejection. But it also offers other benefits:
The limited pool of jobs available to teenagers might complicate matters, but we’ve got you covered. Below, you’ll find 10 options for part-time employment that might be a good fit for people with social anxiety.
You can work at a restaurant without seating customers or waiting tables. Most restaurants also hire dedicated kitchen workers or back-of-house staff to clear and wash dishes and help prepare food. With these jobs, you’ll mostly just stay in the kitchen, though you’ll probably also help with cleanup after closing time.
Food prep, dish washing, and table busing jobs do involve some interaction with your co-workers, of course, but you typically won’t need to handle customer requests (or complaints). Just be sure to check the job description before applying to find out exactly what the position involves. Keep in mind that you’ll also need a food handler’s card to work in a restaurant.
When you think of retail jobs, cashier or sales associate positions probably come to mind first. Since these forward-facing jobs involve plenty of customer service interaction, you might decide to steer clear of retail positions entirely. But grocery and department stores need plenty of workers to keep things moving smoothly behind the scenes, too.
As a stocker (or receiving associate, depending on the company you work for), you’ll tag and arrange products, get merchandise ready for sale, and help display new items on the sales floor. Other duties might include doing an inventory of products and helping keep the store clean. You’ll work with co-workers on some tasks, but others you’ll handle independently.
Some stocking positions may prefer a high school diploma or require you to be at least 18 years old. You’ll also typically need to be able …….
Source: https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety/jobs-for-teens-with-social-anxiety