[Pavlov's Cat]

This is really bothering and frustrating me at the moment, so I'll just put it down in point form, and I'll try to be frank.

I'm a 40 year old male.

I think these are the top reasons I have not worked much. They sort of tie into each other a bit. If someone could give it a collective name, that would be good.

1. Anxiety. Severe social anxiety, health anxiety for the last 10 years which can be disruptive. General anxiety, (I tend to look for distractions in the form of sleep, TV, daydreaming etc, rather than focus on adult life)
2. Perfectionism. Feeling like the job has to be good or at least lead to a good job, leads to me avoiding some jobs.
3. Procrastination. I avoid doing lots of stuff, looking for work is just one more thing that I put off.
4. Pessimism. Sometimes I feel getting a job is pointless since I have no social life, or I'm too old for a certain job or too old to re-enter the workforce, or other reasons that people work don't apply to me. Don't have a family to feed, etc.
5. Poor job prospects. This becomes more and more true as time goes on. I have a high school diploma and that's about it.
6. Less interest in sex. Antidepressants have somewhat killed my libido, which means I am not as interested in women. In the past the prospect of a relationship has motivated me to find a job.

At this point I think I would have to go into business for myself, over the internet or something.

Anyway, sometimes I think I'm just a man struggling with mental health, and doing the best I can. Other times I look back and wonder why I have avoided work so much.

[BoBoPeeps]

Originally Posted by Pavlov's Cat

This is really bothering and frustrating me at the moment, so I'll just put it down in point form, and I'll try to be frank.

I'm a 40 year old male.

I think these are the top reasons I have not worked much. They sort of tie into each other a bit. If someone could give it a collective name, that would be good.

1. Anxiety. Severe social anxiety, health anxiety for the last 10 years which can be disruptive. General anxiety, (I tend to look for distractions in the form of sleep, TV, daydreaming etc, rather than focus on adult life)
2. Perfectionism. Feeling like the job has to be good or at least lead to a good job, leads to me avoiding some jobs.
3. Procrastination. I avoid doing lots of stuff, looking for work is just one more thing that I put off.
4. Pessimism. Sometimes I feel getting a job is pointless since I have no social life, or I'm too old for a certain job or too old to re-enter the workforce, or other reasons that people work don't apply to me. Don't have a family to feed, etc.
5. Poor job prospects. This becomes more and more true as time goes on. I have a high school diploma and that's about it.
6. Less interest in sex. Antidepressants have somewhat killed my libido, which means I am not as interested in women. In the past the prospect of a relationship has motivated me to find a job.

At this point I think I would have to go into business for myself, over the internet or something.

Anyway, sometimes I think I'm just a man struggling with mental health, and doing the best I can. Other times I look back and wonder why I have avoided work so much.

I think looking for work when you have depression and anxiety is very overwhelming! And that can lead to depression.

A lot of this stuff could be that your medication needs to be adjusted.

Do you have the ability to sustain gainful employment? If not, you could consider talk to a disability lawyer to see if you can qualify for benefits from social security.

If you want to work but are being picky about the job you want, and you have an official mental illness diagnosis that could be considered a disability, use the disability to your advantage when looking for a job. There are websites dedicated to helping people with disabilities find jobs. Some companies seek out people with disabilities because they get some kind of benefit (I think tax-wise). They also recognize that disabled people often have more invested in their jobs because they have to work through their disability. This can often lead to a strong work ethic, greater adaptability, and creative problem-solving skills. If you have a disability, you can ask the employer for an accommodation to help you adapt to the work environment or tasks while managing your mental illness. There is a website called JAN that gives a lot of useful info about presenting yourself in the best possible way if you have a disability and how to ask for accommodation in positive, professional way.

Another thing you can try is go to a temp agency. I have found that it is easier for me to be upfront about my disability to a temp agency. They are not allowed to turn you away due to a disability as long as you can do a job. When I have worked with a temp agency, when I interviewed with the company I am working for now, they did not even ask me about the gap in my resume. Also, you can test out a company to see if you like their culture. If there is a problem or you don't like the company, your recruiter can place you with another company.

A lot of people with disabilities have had success with creating their own work. That could definitely be something to explore.

[BoBoPeeps]

Originally Posted by BoBoPeeps

I think looking for work when you have depression and anxiety is very overwhelming! And that can lead to depression.

.

Oops! I meant to say that depression and anxiety can lead to procrastination, not depression!

[LCSWPTSD]

I know how you feel. I have been fired from most of the jobs I've held, despite having advance degrees. It's so hard. Right now I've been unemployed for 8 months. Turned down 5 offers for positions that didn't feel safe. Got a ton of rejections. I keep going but it's exhausting and demoralizing.

[mwaxy]

Originally Posted by BoBoPeeps

Oops! I meant to say that depression and anxiety can lead to procrastination, not depression!

It can indeed lead to an escalation of depressive symptoms and that of stress/anxiety...

[Lilly26]

Can you maybe start a part-time job with tiny little tasks or do a contract project assistant to feel the water? (ie. a job that ends after the project is done) so you're not too much committed and not for long time. Also try flexible work from home like Freelancer.com or similar websites (you can join for free). Most of these guys they assign you with Writing tasks (if you're a native English speaker this will pay you very well). You get to chose the topic and how much work you want to do within each task, so you're more in control.

There's no perfect job that fits everyone. But to me you seem like a person who'd enjoy a lot of freedom or flexibility.