Work From Home Jobs for Someone with Anxiety

You need a paycheck, but due to anxiety, you'd prefer to work at home. You're not alone. And the good news is, you have options.

I am familiar with anxiety and panic attacks. Never in my life had I had issues – but shortly after my second child was born, BOOM — I had my first panic attack in my car, driving home less than a mile from my house. It was literally out of blue. I was not stressed. I was not upset. I was simply coming home from the grocery store. That ONE panic attack started a vicious cycle for me. Because I would start to get anxiety about the first panic attack and wonder when the next one might happen. The LOOP begins.

Ultimately, and luckily – I was eventually able to get out of that loop. For me — it had more to do with my postpartum hormones than anything else. But boy — once you experience panic attacks and anxiety — you have a new found empathy for all things “anxious”.

So I get it. I really do.

Is Working at Home a Realistic Option?

Yes.

There are factors though on how many options you will have. Factors like, at what level is your anxiety? And… how much income are you needing to earn? A full-time income? A part-time income? Do you need benefits? So, because there are variables… lets try to cover them all. I'm not here to judge anyone, offer medical advice or move you one way or another. I simply want to explore all the options out there for working at home with anxiety. That way — it can be explored in an easy to navigate format.

You Need Full-Time with Benefits

Though you've got anxiety — you still need to earn a real income. You need medical insurance, 401k, paid time off and all the perks that come with working full-time. Here are the options I've found so far. And I will always come back and add more as I find them. You can also check out my post that's specifically on work at home jobs with benefits.

1. Customer Support for SYKES
– They offer customer support positions. They have a wide variety of clients, which can change from time to time. Some clients will be easier than others. And most, if not all will require interaction with customers over the phone. They do offer full benefits, including medical insurance, 401K and paid time off.

The hiring process appears to be fairly easy. You will need to take a typing test initially. But most reviews and comments that I've found state that basic computer knowledge is all that is needed. Obviously, there will be a phone interview. Some have stated there is a video interview too.

You will need to have a headset. The minimum you can work is 20-25 hours. But full-time is available.

The pay is anywhere from $9 an hour to $11 an hour. But this can depend on the client and I assume can change or go up in the future with cost of living.

You will have to have a background check done. It appears this is something the applicant pays for. I assume the company simple does not want to foot the $45 fee for hundreds of employees that may or may not stay with the company. The good thing — you do not have to pay for this background check until you are HIRED. This is not a pre-qualification expense.

Sykes has a 3.0 score on Glassdoor and lots of reviews.

Though the idea of being on the phone with customers might not seem perfect for someone with anxiety, I've read a few posts on reddit where the trade-off of getting to work at home is well worth it. Not to mention having financial stability and benefits to boot.

2. Chat Jobs in Customer Support
– If you're thinking the only way to work at home full-time and have full benefits is through customer support type jobs, it's a yes and no. There are literally a gazillion different careers out there. More than I could ever imagine. But I'm trying to list those that I KNOW about and that seem like they'd be low stress.

Chat jobs aren't stress-free, but they are definitely dialed way down from phone support. You'll still need to be answering question after question and in order to do that, have several tabs open with resources for answering these questions. You'll deal with the occasional “grumpy Karen” for sure – but not over the phone.

There are typically team mates at the ready to help and next level tier to take on the escalated issues. And, not to mention – a supervisor or team lead ready to help out as well. This goes the same for phone support, like the Sykes job I mentioned above.

I've got a list here of work at home chat jobs for you to check out. I am always, always trying to add to this list because chat jobs are popular and they can be one of the most competitive jobs to try and get. When I worked for Uber, we dealt with customer ticket support only. So only email. And it was amazing. We were paid well and did everything through Zendesk. Sadly — they sent all their support jobs overseas. Booooo!!

And just as a side note for support jobs… I really never did feel alone. We'd have team meetings, which were fun. There are so many amazing “team” connect platforms out there too, like Slack and Zoom. You won't ever feel like you've been thrown to the wolves. Wait, I should rephrase that… in my experience, I never felt thrown to the wolves. But I am sure there are horror stories out there. You have to find what works for you. And if you land a support job that makes you feel alone, frustrated or unprepared — move on to find one that does. They do exist.

3. Graphics / Illustration
– I somewhat hesitated to put this on here because I know not everyone is an artist or is an expert at Photoshop — but there are a lot of companies out there needing these skills. And better yet – they let you work from home. I did a search on Flexjobs and found several “telecommuting illustrator jobs”. Chart designer, medical illustrator, animator — and a noticed that some offered benefit packages too. Flexjobs does charge a fee to be a member, but it's pretty reasonable. In my opinion it's worth it if you're super serious about working at home. And honestly, you could just buy the one month or three month deal and then cancel after that if you've found a job. Small investment to find the work at home career you want and benefits to boot.

Full-time or a Part-time Job (independent contractor/employee)

1. Transcription or Captioning
– Don't laugh, but I tried the test for captioning and I failed hard. I had no idea what it was even like. But I read through the study guide and attempted it. I would have been t thrilled if I'd passed the test. Captioning is basically just listening to and watching a video and typing the words you here in sync with the screen. Most companies have programs that you log into to do the work and once you get their program down, it will be easier for you.

If you'd like to try captioning like me and you're a complete beginner — look into REV. You just gotta pass the test. This work can be done as much or as little as you like. As you get better, faster and more accurate – you'll have access to more primo projects (better paying!). I have heard recent rumblings that they've lowered their pay rate and that deadlines can be increasingly tight — but on the flip side of that, I've also read comments from folks that are happy clams working there and get paid every Monday like clockwork.

Babbletype is another one that lets you test — no need to be a professional “transcriptionist”. You need to be able to pass their initial testing and criteria. Then you work as an independent contractor.

Transcription — I'm not gonna lie, I think you probably either need to be a super fast, super accurate typist to pass the tests, or you need to have transcription experience. Either way – there are many companies out there that will let you work at home as a transcriptionist.

And don't forget to do a search on the job board here at MoneyMakingMommy for transcription and captioning jobs too.

2. Finding a Job at Upwork or Freelancer
– If you've not ever checked out Upwork before, you need to. There are all kinds of different jobs posted. Everything from someone to manager Pinterest accounts to customer support to virtual assistant. And much, much more. You can search by keyword too — so whatever floats your boat or you feel like you can handle — search for it and see what comes up. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Freelancer is more of a global freelancer market. Even though other countries land a lot of the work simply because they typically offer it at a lower rate — that doesn't mean you shouldn't check it out. Create a profile and peruse the jobs. Bid on one or two and see if this is something that fits what you're looking for and doesn't add additional stress. The more jobs you complete (with good feedback) — the better chances you have at scoring more and more jobs.

3.  Test Scorer
– I won't lie — not only are the not hiring all the time, the positions can be hard to get. BUT, if you land one of these jobs… you're basically going to be grading essays from students around the United States. They have their busy seasons and they have onsite positions for some companies. But if you don't mind “grading” papers and tests – this could certainly be an option to look into. I love the idea of grading essays at home. I suppose it can get boring — but boring and mundane can sometimes be comforting. I've gathered up a list of the companies I have found so far that let you work at home scoring tests.

You Want a Flexible Schedule with Decent Earnings

1. Search Engine Evaluation / Social Media Evaluator
– There are several companies that fall into this category. There's Appen, Lionbridge and I've even seen some of the bigger employers like Sykes offering these types of jobs. I'm assuming they are outsourcing and letting them deal with the testing and hiring process. (I remember a company called iSoftStone too — but I don't know if they outsource their hiring now or not.)

I have personally done this type of work and loved it. But my contract was only for six months and it was not renewed. Though I did talk to a few other “raters” that had had their contracts renewed twice over. That being said, you are an independent contractor, not an employee.

You do need to test for these positions. Some have no issues with these tests. It was a struggle for me — but they do give you a study guide. DO NOT take the test until your have read this study guide. I feel like, if I could pass it – anyone could. But I did have to study pretty hard.

They prefer that you work at least 20 hours in most cases — but you can work those 20 hours whenever you like. When I had to cut my hours back — that's when my contract didn't get renewed. I'm not saying that's why — it might have been coincidence. But it was nice money, with a flex schedule. I was paid $15 an hour when I did it a few years ago.

You're basically the “human” behind making search results better. You'll be comparing, judging, categorizing and notating everything from geo locations, business listings, social media posts, images and more. It just depends on what project you're put on.

Warning though – some content can be disturbing or of adult nature. I never once came across anything in my work that would even mildly fall into this category — but they do warn you up front.

2. Ghostwriter / Content Writing
– I write all the time. To me, it's relaxing and feels natural. I like to put on soft instrumental musics, make some tea and fall into a writing trance. I take breaks to get up and move around, pet the kitty cats and grab a bite to eat. I like this style of work. It suits me.

Now – to clarify this… I write for MYSELF. For my own blog. I have been a content writer for other companies though. I didn't like it as much. Deadlines make me nervous and feel frustrated. But it wasn't the worst thing in the world either. I can still work just like a stated above, but prioritizing assignments, research and deadlines is an absolute must in order to keep up.

Personally, I've made as much as $35 for each 500 word post I've written. Some months, I've written over a dozen. These have been on various topics. Some topics, I loved. Like, how to create your own cat toys. Others were so dry and boring. For instance, the major components of a car engine and how they work together. Ugh – gross… hated it. But I did it. And making that extra $350-$450 for the month was a nice way to add to my emergency fund/savings.

I've got a list of companies that hire writers and can work at home, but also check out this list of freelance sites.

3. Forum Moderator /Social Media Moderator
– I know a lot of folks wanting to work at home, hate the idea of “phones”.  Customer support can be terrifying, especially if you have anxiety too. And though I have done both phone support and ticket support from home — I can tell you… it's REALLY NOT THAT BAD. The mean, irate, screaming customers — they are few and far between. But if it's still not at all something you're remotely interested in — you might look into working as a forum moderator or a social media moderator.

You're basically following a company's / client's guidelines as to what they will tolerate or allow on their forums and making sure anything that breaks those guidelines is dealt with in the manner they have set forth. This can go for watching a brand's social media too. The first company that offers work at home moderator jobs that comes to my mind is Modsquad.  I believe the company, Crisp Thinking offers this type of work as well. But I have a list of other companies too that offer work at home forum moderating jobs.

These jobs can be hard to get. It's very competitive. If it interests you, I suggest really taking a look at your resume and seeing where you can make improvements or changes that might highlight why you'd be a good fit. Doing what you can to stand out from other applicants is definitely recommended. I have personally tried to get on a Modsquad twice. To no avail :/

Extra Cash Ideas That You Can Do Online (and offline) in Your Spare Time

Gig Jobs
– This is going to cover so much! You could deliver food, shop for groceries, walk dogs — there are just so many options. And the best part, you work when YOU want to and feel like it. AND — hopefully, you can find a gig job that is something you enjoy doing. One that adds little to no extra stress. I've got a list of 75+ Gig Economy Jobs. There will be so much to check out — but that's good — it make it more likely you'll find something that appeals to you :-)

2. Online Tutor
– I'm gonna list this — even though being on a webcam teaching kids from another country might not be your cup of tea. Or you may feel that it could make you feel anxious… at least hear me out. If it is something you feel you could handle  — the good news is that you get to work at home. You get to create your own schedule too. And most of the companies offering these positions give you the training materials and lesson plans. You will need a headset to communicate with your students. So, there is a lot of stress taken OUT of the equation for you. This is my list of online tutor jobs and I also have a QKids vs VIPKids post here if you wanna compare those two well-known online tutoring companies.

3. Fiverr 
– I was hard up for cash a few years ago because of a medical bill. I wasn't sure what to do. I had insurance, but they were refusing to pay any of it. The bill was going to go to collections. I refused to just sit by and let that happen. So… I created a storefront on Fiverr for FREE and offered to make Pinterest images for people. I wasn't sure how it was gonna turn out. But holy moly… it worked! And I was grateful I gave it a shot. I sometimes think about “opening” up my Fiverr store again and seeing what happens. But I just don't think I could carve out the time for it these days. Again – Fiverr is free. You just need to figure out what you're going to offer and charge.

Classes and Courses for Work at Home Careers

And just for good measure, I'm going to mention classes that your can take to up your odds of landing the work at home job you want or perhaps pursuing a work at home career you didn't even know you'd be interested in or existed. Several of the classes and courses I have listed here offer free mini-courses or tutorials. I like that, because it gives you a little inside peek to even know if you'd like invest more time/money.

For instance, I had no idea there was a high demand for Pinterest Virtual Assistants – but there is. As well — Podcast Assistants. These are both work at home jobs that could truly end up as your career that you love.

There are at Home Work Possibilities, Even with Anxiety

As you can see, there are a lot of different work possibilities for many different situations. Having financial stress is certainly not something you want to add on top of the anxiety you're already dealing with. Heck, financial stress can cause anxiety!! It's one of the reasons I started this blog, oh so long ago.

Along with everything I've written about here, remember – I'm always posting work at home jobs over on the job board. You can sign up to have these work at home job leads delivered right to your inbox when I find them too. That way you get a jump on the competition.

Anxiety sucks. There is no way around it. I remember my panic attacks like it was yesterday. Occasionally, I get a little flutter feeling and it immediately puts me on edge. Getting to work at home is such a blessing when I get those little feelings. But, I will say — getting out of the house does me a world of good too.

I hope you found this post helpful on your journey. I really do wish you the very best and a healthy, happy future.