I've been doing some thinking tonight about times my anxiety has really hurt my "work life".  Most of the jobs I can get require interaction with customers, the general public or talking on the phone.  I just can't deal with that.  It sends my anxiety through the roof.

All of the mental illness stuff I deal with sort of forced me into entrepreneurship at one point.  That wasn't a bad thing and it was great for my confidence.  I kind of fell into depression and let the business slip.  Was definitely getting bored with it toward the end.

I've tried to hold down a slew of jobs but the only one I've ever been able to hold down involves caring for dogs full time.  I only have to talk to my co-workers and spend some of my day just hanging out with dogs.  There's a certain comfort in spending so much time with animals.  The job allows me to show my gentler side, I think.

I'm 28, I have some pretty in demand skills and a degree.  My anxiety has definitely steered me away from any sort of tradition career.  I was on track to land a 50k+ job with a pension but couldn't deal with how the position totally ruined my mental health.  Not being able to hack it definitely can make you feel like a behavior.

I've just grown to accept that I will almost always be in some degree of poverty.  A mentally ill dude (very possibly on the autistic spectrum) kind of just living on the fringe.  There's just such a feeling of being on the outside looking in.  Had I not had to deal with such fragile mental health, I believe my life would have turned out very differently.