Living with social anxiety constantly exposes you to new challenges every day, and almost every time you face a challenge, you grow in confidence and learn new things about yourself. One of these challenges includes getting a job, which can be extremely difficult for someone with anxiety, especially if the job means you have to deal with the public.

I recently got a job as a waitress, which was extremely challenging for me. I got nervous every time I had to talk to someone, and working as part of the team and meeting so many new people at once was very mentally draining. One of the hardest things I found was asking for help when I needed it, or owning up to my mistakes. I felt like I needed to do everything perfectly from the start.

During my first week, I was nervous every time I walked through the doors. Everything I did was out of my comfort zone, from learning to use the system to working quickly, asking for help, and, most of all, talking to and meeting new people. Now, almost a month in, I’ve served hundreds of customers, learned to use the system and every day I do something new.