If you’re looking for a less stressful job for those with anxiety, keep reading. There are 16 low stress options available from home.
If you are suffering from anxiety disorders, traditional 9-5 jobs can be challenging. From a chaotic, fast-paced environment to a large number of daily social interactions, there are many triggers that can send anxiety through the roof.
And sometimes drugs are not sufficient to manage the physical symptoms caused by these types of working conditions.
The good news is that there are many anxiety-friendly and stressful jobs you can do from home. And in many cases you can even set your own time!
Therefore, if you are looking for a career that will help you manage your GAD, SAD, OCD, PTSD, panic disorder, or other mental health issues, it is the best low-stress job for those considering anxiety.
Stress is subjective
Before I jump into the list of less stressful jobs, I want to explain how this list came about.
First, stress is subjective. One person may find something that is bothering you or stressful, while another may not. For example, one loves snakes and enjoys working in the zoo. However, others may have snake phobia and working at a zoo may be a nightmare for them.
Our list includes jobs that tend to have a lower burnout rate than higher stress. Occupations such as Doctors, nurses, surgeons, police officers, air traffic controllers, pilots, paramedics, firefighters, teachers, social workers. These jobs also tend to minimize social interactions, but depending on the company you work in, you may need to withstand occasional Zoom meetings and phone calls.
But let’s face it. All jobs are subject to constant stress at different times due to a variety of factors. Whether you are working with challenging colleagues, bosses, or customers, or facing technical issues, overwhelming workloads, tight deadlines, or toxic work environments, stressful situations can occur.
This list contains career and business ideas that do not require many social interactions. They can be done remotely or on a flexible schedule outside the home, with the probability of a catastrophic event being very low.
1. Freelance writer
Freelance writers usually work remotely with clients and editors, and often have a unique opportunity to work from home and avoid many trigger situations, as there is no face-to-face interaction. In fact, many freelancers communicate completely with their clients via email.
This allows anxiety people to control the amount of social interactions they have every day. Better yet, freelance writing gives people the flexibility to set time and take breaks when needed. This is extremely important for those who experience panic attacks frequently.
According to Ziprecruiter, freelance work can also be paid well, with the average freelance writer making $23.00 per hour.
The best way to start as a freelance writer is to choose your niche and create a portfolio to create samples. You can then pitch to write gigs posted on the job board, or send cold pitch emails to niche prospects. If you’re looking for a place to find a freelance writing job, take a look at this post.
2. Blog
If you like writing and have a passion for a particular topic, starting a blog can make good money. Like freelance writing, blogs offer the opportunity to work from home and do as much work as you need.
However, unlike freelance writing, if it can be a lonely activity, your blog also allows for some degree of social interaction with your audience through comments, email lists and social media.
For those with anxiety, this could be a good way to get the social interactions they long for without leaving their home or experiencing symptoms of social anxiety disorder. Additionally, this opportunity to connect with others who share their interests is also therapeutic.
The only drawback of blogging is that it requires a diverse set of skills. Writing is just one aspect of blogging. It also requires many other skills, such as WordPress, SEO, email marketing, social media, and more.
It often takes months to earn a significant amount of money for website traffic and audiences. However, if you are willing to get a job, your blog may offer you a full-time income.
3. Proofreader
Proofreading is another low-stress job that is perfect for those with anxiety! The proofreading can be done remotely and is ideal if you have a trick to find errors and mistakes while reading.
To avoid confusing it with editing, proofreading involves catching errors without modifying or reconstructing the content. Most proofreading jobs require strong dealing with grammar and punctuation and a sharp eye for details.
There are many online courses that can teach you the skills you need to become a professional proofreader, even if you have never done any proofreading work before.
Once you have these skills, proofreading is a great way to make money on the side, or as a full-time entrepreneur. The average salary for a full-time proofreader is approximately $56,917 per year. Calibration jobs are usually contract jobs, so they also provide flexible schedules.
There are many online marketplaces where proofreaders can find their works, such as Express Writers, Study.com, Scribendi, WordVice, and more.
4. Medium lighter
Another great alternative to blogging and freelance is to write on Medium. This publishing platform is similar to a blog, but it’s perfect for new authors as it doesn’t require upfront costs or SEO skills.
This is because the medium brings an audience to you. Their internal readers are made up of over 100 million readers. Anyone can become a media writer and you can publish your story for free.
Once you publish a few articles and gain 100 followers, you can apply to become part of the Medium Partner program.
Media is an attractive solution for writers with common anxiety or social anxiety disorders, as they have no clients, deadlines or startup costs. You can write about what you want – and you can earn a fair amount of money from publishing regularly, provided it is engaging content that follows Medium guidelines.
Some of the platform’s top writers make up five or more numbers per month!
5. Data Entry Clerk
If you are looking for an entry-level job, data entry is a less stressful job that can be done from home and can be a great job for those with anxious who have no experience in many jobs.
This type of task involves transcribing data from one location to another by word processing or entering information into a spreadsheet.
Although the pay of data entry jobs is often at the bottom edge, they usually require little interaction with others, making it a good way to make extra money from home while avoiding the triggers that come with more social work.
You can find data entry jobs on platforms such as Conduent, Robert Half, Kelly Services, FlexJobs, Upwork, and Bold Business.
6. Transcription agent
The transcript listens to the audio recording and enters what it hears. They are often hired to transcribe podcasts, interviews, lectures, or court proceedings.
There is a growing demand for transcription services, and it could be a good chance to make a career as a transcriptionist.
However, the amount you can earn depends on your speed and accuracy. Practice will help you complete your projects more quickly and earn more money. You can also create more by specializing in a specific transcription field.
As a remote area with little social interaction, transcription is an ideal job for people with anxiety. However, we recommend that you avoid becoming a legal transcriptor who transcripts the test, as it can cause upsetting and anxiety in some cases.
Many online transcription companies offer jobs from home attendants such as CrowdSurf, Rev, and Transcribeme. If you want to feel the transcription work better, check out Lisa Mills e-books and get started with the general transcription carrier for work from home: a quick and easy way. For a few dollars, this is the perfect way to measure whether or not the right career path for you.
7. Graphic Designer
If you have artistic eyes, graphic design is perfect for creative and low-stress work you can do from home.
Graphic designers create all sorts of images for your business, including logos, infographics and visuals within other content. As a freelance graphic designer, you can set up a schedule and work with just how much and little.
Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to earn a bachelor’s degree in graphic design to enter this field. In fact, you can make decent money designing simple graphics for your clients, such as social media images, prints, and product mockups.
All you need to do is to become familiar with Canva, a free web-based graphic design program. You have everything you need to start your own business.
If you want to design for your clients, you can also make money by selling graphics on websites like Redbubble. This print-on-demand store allows you to upload your designs and sell them in a variety of products, including T-shirts and coffee mugs. You can set your own price and earn a commission on every sale.
8. Computer Programs
If you’re good at computers with powerful analytical skills, a career in computer programming might be perfect for you.
Computer programmers write code that helps the software run properly. It also finds ways to troubleshoot errors and improve existing programs. While most programmers traditionally work in office environments, more and more programming jobs are now available for workers to communicate.
To become a programmer, you usually need an associate or bachelor’s degree in computer science or related fields. However, some employers will hire candidates with experience and skills in place of their degree. Also, if you’re good at self-teachers, there are plenty of online courses and books that will help you learn to program yourself, such as Codecademy, FreeCodecamp, Treehouse, Coursera.
9. Massage therapist
Massage therapy is a great career choice for those suffering from anxiety. After all, massage is about creating a relaxing environment for the client. You can control the settings with soft music and soothing lighting.
To become a massage therapist, you need more training than any other career on this list. You must obtain a certificate from a state-approved school and pass the licensing exam. However, once you meet your requirements, you can run your massage therapy business from home and have your clients come.
This approach has many benefits as it allows you to set your own time and save money related to commuting to a massage spa or other people’s home.
10. Freelance Makeup Artist/Beauty Sister
The artistry of self-employed makeup can be a very low-stressing job for those with anxiety. Like massage therapists, they can usually work in a quiet, quiet environment from a salon, spa, or from home.
Being a successful makeup artist requires a lot of practice. Technically, formal training is not required, but we recommend taking classes to improve your prospects and reliability. Find makeup classes online or take courses at your local community college.
To find a job, put together a professional portfolio along with your work photos and contact businesses that need makeup artists, such as trade shows, networking, photography studios and wedding planning businesses.
11. Deliver food and groceries
If you are suffering from anxiety, becoming an Uber or Lyft driver can be a stress-inducing idea. But there are other ways to make money with your car.
For example, you can deliver restaurant food with Doordash or groceries with Instacart. With these options, setting your own schedule will help you minimize interactions with others. Plus, you can take a break whenever you need it. And there’s no pressure to do anything more than comfort. You can also listen to podcasts, audiobooks, or relaxing music while driving and streaming.
If you have a driver’s license and car, you can become an independent contractor of Doordash or Instacart by going to the website and filling out the form. The amount you earn depends on the time of the time, the size of your order, which city and condition you are in, and the size of the tip you receive.
12. Home fitness instructor
Fitness training may seem like a surprising suggestion for those with anxiety, as there is a lot of interaction with people in this role. However, training at the client’s home can trigger this aspect much more, as it provides a quieter environment than the gym.
Plus, getting fit is a scientifically proven way to help manage anxiety. Fitness training can be a full-time career where the average personal trainer can earn around $29 per hour.
Becoming a personal trainer includes the appropriate credentials. There are many excellent certification programs online, such as Issa and Ace. Once certified, you can find your clients through social media and networking.
13. Bookkeeping officer
If you’re looking for a full-time or part-time job that allows you to work remotely without many social interactions, bookkeeping is a great option. Some companies require an accounting, finance, or business degree, while others require only previous experience and knowledge of QuickBooks.
With bookkeeping, you can work from home as an employee, a 1099 contractor or start your own business. According to Payscale.com, a bookkeeper who works as a W2 employee can earn an average hourly wage of $20.27 per hour. However, according to bookkeeper Ben Robinson, starting your own virtual bookkeeping business can earn up to $60 per hour.
If you want to explore remote bookkeeping jobs, check out Intuit, Robert Half, and Belay. Or, if you’re interested in starting your own bookkeeping business, sign up for this free training series.
14. Social Media Manager
Another low-stress job for those with anxiety is social media management. Social Media Management allows you to set up your account, write updates, curate and medium content, run execution, design graphics and more! And there is a lot of growth in this marketing sector as new social networks are constantly appearing.
Like bookkeeping, social media allows you to work freelance, part-time, or full-time, or start your own business. You can also become a generalist or focus on one specific platform. Social media tends to be flexible gigs with little interaction with customers. The interactions that take place are in written form and therefore do not need to speak directly to the consumer.
According to GlassDoor.com, the median annual salary for social media marketers is $71,000. If you’re interested in working from home as a social media manager, consider exploring options such as Belay, Brafton, Vava Virtual Assistants, and Coalition Technologies. Or, if you want to run Pinterest Virtual Assistant Business from home, check out this free workout from Kristin Larsen on Pinterest at VA.
15. Pet Provider
The pet industry generates $261 billion a year worldwide, so there are plenty of opportunities to gain love for animals. From dog trainers and pet groomers to dog pedestrians, pet sitters and homemade dog treatment manufacturers. Furthermore, according to the National Institutes of Health, “interactions with animals have been shown to reduce levels of cortisol (a stress-related hormone) and hypotension.” This is perfect for people who suffer from anxiety.
With this money-making idea, you can connect with your customers using mobile apps like Rover and WAG, or start your own pet-sitting business from scratch. You can also add a house sitting to earn more income.
16. Food Cameraman
Photography is a wide field and you don’t have to work directly with people all the time. One of the niches in particular is food photography. Individuals such as food bloggers, cookbook authors, influencers, and online publishers need people who are well trained to take step-by-step photographs of delicious works. The home mom who has achieved success in this niche is Melodylin. She always enjoyed taking photos as a lover. When a blog friend needed help with food pics, Melody fell in love with food pics. Now she’s teaching others without experiencing how to start her own freelance food photography business from home! According to Ziprecruiter, the average annual salary for food photographers is $58,078. If this sounds like the perfect stress-free career for you, sign up for Melodee’s free training courses and learn more.
17. Create faceless content
If you enjoy being creative but prefer to remain anonymous, being a faceless content creator is a rewarding option for remote work. With platforms like Substack, Instagram, Tiktok, YouTube, Amazon, and more, there are many ways to make money from home just by creating content. Whether you want to create faceless content, focusing on crafts, cooking, baking, pets, books, beauty, ASMR videos, outdoors, travel, and more, there are many ways to do this and develop an introverted personality.
By creating content, you can earn money by selling products and services, applying for creator funds, working in affiliate marketing, protecting brand sponsorships, providing advertising, and providing reviews. Select the niche you are passionate about and the main channel you want to create content, then reuse the content from other channels. As your audience grows, you can add a variety of monetization methods to support your content.
Millennial Nextdoor’s Jenn Leach creates faceless content on Tiktok, YouTube, Substack, and Medium. At Tiktok, she has over 94,000 followers and monetizes her content through UGC content, affiliate marketing, sales courses, e-books and freelance services. Often she makes between $300 and over $1,400 to promote affiliate offers on one Tiktok video.
Conclusion: Low-stress jobs for those with anxiety
Your anxiety doesn’t need to prevent you from having a fulfilling career. Finding a low-stress job that fosters your well-being while providing the flexibility to manage anxiety symptoms is completely achievable.
From publishing content online, designing creative graphics for businesses, to being a dog walker or food ordering ferry, there are all kinds of opportunities for people with generalized anxiety. Some positions may require a degree or additional education, but most require a high school diploma and can be done remotely.
Do some research to find the right one that suits you, and don’t be afraid to put yourself out there – the perfect career awaits you!
It was originally released on June 6, 2022. The content was updated in June 2025.