May is Mental Health Awareness Month. According to WHO, at least 264 million people worldwide of all ages suffer from depression, and I am one of those people. The unfortunate thing is, despite what many in the so-called wellness industry say, you cannot cure depression. However, you can treat depression and manage it so you can be productive. One thing that helps those living with depression is them having the ability to work.
Firstly, you need to work to make money, and knowing you need to do that to keep up with the cost of living is a no-brainer. What about those who are too disabled or too ill to work? They can always apply for disability payments. However, unless someone has a severe case of depression to the point that they cannot work, those living with the condition want to work. They want to contribute something to society as that is a significant self-esteem booster, which solves many issues surrounding money.
What about those who have depression and are well enough to work but are not well enough to work outside of the home? There is a solution for that. We are fortunate to live in a time when technology keeps evolving. Therefore, working at home is doable, and so many people are doing it. The fact that many people had to work from home during the pandemic is proof of that. Even after the pandemic, there is no sign that it will end either. Therefore, working at home is a great option for those who have depression. Let’s now talk about the best seven work-at-home jobs for those that have depression.
Freelance Writer Or Ghostwriter
I have depression, and I have been a freelance writer for years, and I do plenty of ghostwriting. I enjoy it, and the pay is pretty good. I am in charge of my fees for my clients. However, when I write for publications, they pay me their set fees. If you have depression and enjoy writing (which many people with the condition do), you will want to start a freelance writing business. I highly recommend it. There are plenty of great mentors for freelance writing, such as Carol Tice, that you will want to follow. You can easily be a freelance writer, and you don’t have to deal with any office politics either.
Social Media Manager
Another thing that I have done for years is social media management, though I don’t do very much of it nowadays. That is not my main thing. However, social media management is easy to do. You need to learn how each social media platform, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest, work (and I recommend that you strictly limit your time on your own Facebook feed if you need to work on Facebook because spending too much time on your social media can worsen depression).
However, if you are doing social media management for clients, you will not face those issues as long as you stick to niches that do not worsen your depression. You only want to stick with niches that interest you, which is the best advice for anyone who wants to go into social media management whether they have depression or not.
SEO Specialist
If you like to watch metrics for each website and monitor traffic, bounce rates, website functionality, and speed, you can become an SEO specialist. When you ensure that a clients’ website is healthy, that helps the site rank high on search engines. I used to be an SEO specialist about ten years ago. However, I could no longer keep up with the quickly changing Goole rules and algorithms, and I lost interest in it. However, that is another option for you if this is the kind of thing that you like.
Virtual Assistant
If you want to do a combination of jobs such as writing, social media management, answering emails, working with websites, data entry, and so on, then you can become a virtual assistant. You can go through different training at home for it, and this is a role that is in high demand. You can make a lot of money as well as a virtual assistant. You can also choose to do the tasks that you want to do for clients. For instance, if you are good at data entry and social media management but don’t want to deal with emails, you can offer a service involving that to your clients.
Coding
If you are good with web development and are good with computer programming, you can offer coding services to clients. People with depression can also benefit from this type of job as it involves problem-solving, which helps keep the brain from ruminating. However, if you do not like computer programming or are not good at it and don’t want to learn more about it, this is not the job.
Graphic Design
According to Very Well Mind, people with depression or bipolar disorder are more likely to seek creative types of jobs as they are known to be the creative types. That is why one good job you can do from home is graphic design. You need to learn how to work on platforms such as Photoshop, which is a learning curve. However, if this thing interests you, that is an idea. You can also make a lot of money in this field as it is high in demand.
Pet Sitting
Animals are comforting for people that have depression. That is why pet sitting is a great option for those who have the condition. There are services such as Rover.com that offer pet sitting, doggy daycare, boarding, dog walking, and more. You can apply to work with Rover and provide pet sitting services for owners that need to leave their pets for long periods.
Another thing you can also do from home is to create a business out of your hobby. I did not include it in the main post because it takes a long time to make an income from it. That includes crafting, cake making, tarot reading which is what I do, and anything else you enjoy, which involves a lot of marketing on your end, which is a great thing to do on the side. The above mentioned, you can always offer your services through freelance platforms (though I don’t recommend Fiverr). Therefore, it requires less marketing on your end. That is if you choose to go that way.
What if you fear that working from home may worsen your depression? Some people may be better off working outside of the home. Let’s take a look and see what jobs are ideal for those who have depression that requires you to work outside of the home. I will post that next!