im still struggling with interacting, but being independent is my goal in life, so i've made the promise to myself that i won't leave my job, unless i've gotten fired or found something better... but i want to quit in so many ways.
the best job i had was delivering newspapers because there was so little interaction and it was at night, just had to talk to my boss every one in a while.
the anxiety is still a struggle- in my last job, retail, i would hide from customers, but i got better, and i actually liked ringing people up because i wouldnt have to look at them- i can just stare at the register, and people generally weren't asking me questions i couldn't answer up at the register.
i think environment has a lot to do with it. I worked retail, but it wasn;t at a mall, and to be honest, i don't think icould handle that, but this store rarely had more than 10 customers in it, and rarely more than 1 0r 2 people in line and sometimes it would be dead. and my co-workers were really nice, and that helped.
i've worked fast food, and it was the worst job i had because i was constantly being criticized for my personality, and i would never work there again, and my boss was rude, and so were a lot of the people (with a couple of exceptions) who worked there (they adopted the same attidude of my boss- and so of course the boss liked them much more).
You can tell a lot from the interview- if you dont get along with them then, chances are it won't get better (thats been my experience).
Look for places that aren't as busy. And look at the people who work there already- if all the people there are in your face outgoing "hi how can i help you? let me tell you about our great specials today. that's a great outfit. have you tried this?" they have been trained that way, and chances are that is what the company is looking for. But if you go into a place and they're a little more apathetic, or they let the customer just shop/eat, and they don't bother you as much, or only approach you once, then chances are they will be a little more lowkey.
jobs like stocking, dishwasher, going and getting the carts at the grocery store, or maybe even working nights may be less stressful.
i'm expereinceing panic attacks at work, so right now im trying to get therapystarted with for it, because like you, the idea of applying for jobs is completely stressful for me, so if i lost my job which i've had for 2 months, i wouldn't know what to do (which i had applied for online- they had a jobfair, but i chickened out of going, but i may be getting fired soon so we'll see)
so look for jobs that may have personalities similar to your own, and the people you work with can make a world of difference.
i haven't found a way to make work easy, i just keep going each day, and hope i don't get fired- and the idea of applying for jobs is usually more stressful to me than the actual job itself. breathing exersices help, and for me i take it one day at a time, and getting help as soon as you need it is always good.
and customers are jerks, don't let them get you! i've had people reach over rip the bag out my hand when i was bagging things, or do the impatient finger tap on the desk, really doesn;t help. just keep in mind that if the worst thing that happens to them that day is that they had a slow salesgirl or they didn't get the right order that day, they have a really good life. people act like the worst has happened when really they haven't. good luck!
: Does anyone else have these problems with getting jobs? or if you do have a job, what do you do and how do you handle the pressure or dealing with people??
