Guys, I have been working a remote job for about 3 years with very limited human interaction, sometimes we would have video calls here and there.

Recently, something happened to me and this is sort of a wake up call and finally decided that I am sick of it.

Growing up, I had a small group of close friends that I always hang with, but at one point I started isolating myself from people for years, and we stopped talking entirely.

I have been seeing a counselor for two weeks now about my issues, it made me feel better to know I was being heard.

And I met someone recently that suggested I should try marketing for event planning and branding and stuff as a change of pace.

For someone who has mild social anxiety/introversion, should I take the leap of faith and start applying for jobs in that area?

it literally makes me want to kill myself daily

Sorry if you don't mind me asking, do you also have social anxiety?

Do you work too? If so, how do you cope?

Most have this problem

Yes, those doing IT and R&D workers are likely to have such feeling. It's matter of little or very much hard feeling.

I am sick of working in front of a laptop all day, I really just wanted a change of pace like right away

Then my friend suggested marketing, event planning etc, still better than sales imo but im not sure if im qualified due to my social anxiety.

If you can sell yourself in the interview, then you'll be fine.

You must do it gradually and adapt it, interacting with people. Practice a good effective communication with people before head in marketing, event planner, investment company. Never get culture shock in new company. If you do, act steady, firm, stay focus.

Join an event such as charity, running program, party etc. make yourself comfortable when in the crowd.

My office colleague are closer than my friend ...
We go trip , go out makan2, movies ...

I'll be sure to check that out, do you have an app that you use to check for events around you, preferably in kl?

not sure which one are you but here are the common signs of social anxiety

Common signs and symptoms of social anxiety include:
-Excessive worry about upcoming social events, sometimes weeks or months in advance.
-Intense fear of being judged, criticized, or humiliated in front of others.
-Physical symptoms like sweating, trembling, blushing, dry mouth, or a racing heart when in social situations.
-Avoidance of social interactions or places where interactions might happen.
-Low self-esteem or negative self-talk about social performance.

perhaps you can elaborate more and see which describes you the best and identify it before solving this

one suggestion is that you might attending events and networking sessions which allow you to interact with your same industry

after that, you can share more and let's see your progress from there

-Mild worry about upcoming social events I would say, I don't know if this is something, but if there's an important exam coming up tomorrow, I wouldn't be able to sleep the day before, even if I'm prepared, I deal with it by not sleeping. But worrying about something week's or months in advance, I can't say at this stage, because I rarely join social events.

-Fear of people judging me, yes, I wouldn't say intense, just mild.

-I would sweat sometimes in social situations, not all the time haha

-Before yes, but I have been putting myself in social situations more often now, and it's not that scary as I think it is, I tried making conversations but it always end up being awkward because I suck at coming up with stuff to talk about.

-Low self esteem and negative self talk, completely yes, almost all the time, always question my ability to perform.

Do you have any suggestions where I could look for social events? Like an app or something

This post has been edited by cocomaru: Feb 26 2025, 08:44 AM

debilitating yes,

working too

not coping, just faking it.

come home zero energy to do anything

cycle repeat for 50 years

die

What do you work as if you don't mind me asking?

I am sorry you're going to through this, sucks I won't be able to be of much help because I am the same way too

There are plenty of group in FB. Search the key word and click on group/ page. Choose which is nearest to your house.

Alright, thank you so much!

TS, if you want to change of pace, why not start with some society activities first? Let yourself slowly adapt to the changes, be more pro-active, meeting new people, busy events, and step out from your comfort zone.

Yes I'll do that too.

I think I'm just really tired of being alone and working alone, even though I work in a team but it does not feel like one because it's a remote job.

I also work alone, just that my job requires alot of communication, understanding of needs. Sometimes I feel like i working in a dessert island with nobody. It's good you want to make the change, when you have the will, you'll have the way.

haha software engineer

did it for wfh

but malaysia no wfh

Yes, I think for the most part I just feel very lonely

I have always been like this, but when I was younger I was happier..until around 27 or 28, I start feeling uneasy because of my work

Then recently something happened, and I decide that I'm done...like I really needed a change.

Thank you so much for the advice, ning.

Why not try to work part time first?

I will agree with this. I will consider myself as socially awkward too

This.

TS, you need to have a gradually changes in your environment, you cannot straight away start applying such jobs that needed a lot of human interactions. After awhile, you will feel drained.

So you slowly join social activities, slowly adapt and gauge your enegy level. If you feel like you are at the stage where you can social fine then go ahead

Many people feel lonely too. It's a pandemic.

Some told me they join religion activities for this. And one guy told me, we needed to have contact and interact with people to curb the loneliness in our mind. So, he went and join jujutsu classes. Every week, he will have sufficient interaction and contact with other humans, and he feel good after that. You can consider this

This post has been edited by MasBoleh!: Feb 26 2025, 10:53 AM

as someone working remotely myself, this is what i do to keep my sanity. i must go out of my house once a day at least. just take a 15-30 minutes walk will do. If it's raining, just go to a nearby mall and walk there. And try to meet with someone once a week to hangout. could be your friend, your parents, your relative etc.

Definitely keep your remote job, dont jump into job that require intense interaction. Anyway your remote job is just a job, what you do outside your working hours is what matters. You can get a hobby, go to a gym, go hiking, so many other options. If you do more activities outside your working hours, you will feel better

It depends on level of anxiety you've, if you stuttle way too much when asked to speak in front of audience then it could be a huge problem. Ask for psychotherapist or trauma healer if you want to heal your issue but its gonna take awhile

Yes, I am going to do this, just signed up to volunteer at a dog shelter.

How long do you think it will take for me to be okay and get a job where I would be facing people?

Go and join some group activity 1st.

Choose the wan that you interested or your hobby. Cause you have something to talk and discuss which is familiar.

Learn from here and always try to offer help. People will come to you..

You can start from here --> https://www.meetup.com/

This post has been edited by ozak: Feb 26 2025, 02:02 PM

No one can answer that. You have to discover the answer yourself

Have you tried ssri?

do some part time work, fast food restaurant, shop assistant. that will help you with your social anxiety while making money

Did u hit yr head or some thing ? Yr logic got big hole who told u remote job cannot go mix with ppl ? I got a friend who work as not sure what she sells network hardware thing ( mostly corporate deal thing ) double dips ( working for 2 different company same role ) but still can find time to social with stranger .

If you’re a non Muslim, get a dog.

Seriously.

A dog gets you out of the house. You would bump into neighbours with hounds and get into friendly conversation.

Dogs will help you to eat with social anxiety.

I think what you need to join is what we call Toastmaster or JCI

What is toastmaster?
Toastmasters International (TI) is a US-headquartered nonprofit educational organization that operates clubs worldwide for the purpose of helping people develop communication, public speaking, and leadership skills.

JCI
Ages 18 to 40 who are dedicated to creating positive change in our communities around the world. In more than 5000 communities across nearly 120 countries, our members are recognized for embracing new ideas, collaboration and diversity. We demonstrate passion and courage to address the most critical challenges of our time. We empower young people by developing their skills, knowledge and understanding enabling them to stand up, make informed decisions and lead their community to take concrete action for sustainable impact.

This places people don't judge you. They allow you to make mistake and mess up so you don't have to do it in real. It's more like a practice ground, makes friends, develop roles and new skills. Google and find which is near by your location.

This post has been edited by aspire2oo6: Feb 26 2025, 03:16 PM

seem u have no self confidence at all.. try join hiking group, go gym, u can gain confidence there. i saw a lot of ppl very shy2 at gym, after 1,2 month all become bro already. i swear lol

Just do it as per Nike.

Don't jump straight into a job that suddenly you need to socialize or full contact with ppl.

It will be too shock & stressful to your mind & body.

Find something sociable & slowly integrate yourself.

Slowly, step by step.

Yeah it was even worse with them. I was on lexapro.

Absolutely zero emotion, nightmares daily, and I was just a shell in human form.

I remember being so excited before lexapro to see endgame, watched it when I was on it, has zero emotion during the whole movie hahaha

Do you still have these side effects?

I have these symptoms, plus numb ejaculation

Heard the ssri worsen them and kill your sex drive, potentially permanently, so never take

bruh i couldnt cum but didnt want to say hahaha

took like 45 minutes of edging also not confirmed

sometimes so bored just gave up

yes it did make me a sexual

i stopped 3 months before moving to the uk, had the issues and side effects right up until i left the country

once landed there all fixed like magic

now that i'm back here i feel like im slowly inching towards needing the meds again

its just too much

i work basically 12 hours a day and only paid for 8 because of no wfh and no overtime

nobody else to do

and i cant complain to boss because everyone here inc bosses doing the same lmao

I want to try hiking for a long time, beginner here, what hiking gear do I need? Haha


And also thank you so much for everyone else's advice, I have read them all but I can't respond to all of them. I really do appreciate it. :')

This post has been edited by cocomaru: Feb 27 2025, 09:00 AM

Betul2. Keluar jalan2. Sikit2 cuba benda baru. Kamu akan jumpa sesuatu yang manarik minat/fokus. Ramai orang juga masalah sama, sebab hari2 hadapi benda sama, rutin bosan. Jangan risau sangat pasal interaksi dengan orang lain. Pada pengalaman saya, interaksi yang paling "rewarding" adalah dengan orang yang ada "link" kaitan dengan diri anda sendri. @ keluarga @ tujuan/minat/hobi sama @ kerja/business. Lain2 interaksi cuma secara luaran "superficial".

If you are not planning a family, marketing event jobs are best suited for singles or married people who don;t want kids.

Thats because bosses want commitment to come during the weekends and at times work late nights to ensure the event is success.

if you have anxiety this role is not suitable for you. You need to be a good communicator and coordinator, to talk to your agencies and contractors to get the work done.

This job is for extroverts.

You also must be very forthcoming, good organizer and gain the trust of your boss. If you are a kura-kura everything keep to yourself, your boss ask you how is the event planning? can you do presentation or allay his worries or not?

If you want to do this role, better start from ground up to get use to it. Make sure you work in a team, some companies rely on 1 or 2 event people, then you will be struggling. Work in bigger companies, bigger teams, so someone can cover for your novice as you are just beginning.

You also must make sure you don't do mistakes, if forgot to invite VIP, or disorganize/sequence of the event out make confusion, or mishandling of press or forgot some props, timing of events off plan....you kena kaw kaw....

This post has been edited by hoonanoo: Feb 27 2025, 07:04 PM

Where do you suggest an introvert like me start? Because I don't want to start off where I need to handle everything right away, I don't mind starting off as a junior, but I also don't think it's a smart idea to mention I have mild social anxiety during my interviews

That's why suggested you start from small group society works / weekend event promoter etc etc. Leap is not for everyone.. you will be overwhelmed.

find a job that keeps you busy physically, so you will be exhausted at the end of the day and have no time to think about anything. Then when you have days off, you can really enjoy the relax.

No harm to try marketing. But try from scratch. Don't join those one or two man teams, else you be expected to do everything, then your social anxiety would be overwhelmed. Join bigger teams.

You sure you want marketing event?

I really don't know what else job you can try. Most jobs require communication even IT.

I would like to get out of my shell, I have been too comfortable all my life and something happened recently that changed the course of my life. I was scared and anxious these past few weeks that I can't sleep.

I don't want my future 10 years from now to be the same, me working in front of a laptop or playing video games.

I am 30 years old this year, I am overwhelmed and I'm clueless, I don't know what I should really do career wise, seeing a lot of my friends getting married and have kids, and i just lost a relationship recently and someone i know of in school whos the same age as me just passed away and it devastated me, made me realize how fragile life and relationships are...how everything can change this instant then ill be left with nothing and alone.

Then it made me realize the consequences of my shut in lifestyle since I was 17 has come up to bite my ass.

my friend just brought up this idea of event marketing and told me I should try, hence the reason why I'm here asking for advice from everyone here

This post has been edited by cocomaru: Mar 1 2025, 03:03 AM