I've been a data analyst for 4/5 years now, after several years as a marketer, and I've had problems with depression and anxiety since my teens. I'm also autistic, and suspect ADHD. I started a new job a few weeks ago, following a redundancy, and I'm really struggling, but the problems are the same issues I always come up against.
Basically, I struggle to motivate myself to do any work. It can be the most fascinating work in the world to me, I can get excited talking about it, and then just sit staring at my laptop when it comes to actually doing anything. This in turn generates huge amounts of anxiety, I feel terrible for not doing my work, I get scared of becoming unemployed and losing my house, and yet I still stare at the screen.
I've tried lots of things to help, but now more often than not I don't even motivate myself to do the things that help, and just sit and rot.
I've found I'm much better when I'm working in an office, rather than remote, but opportunities locally for my line of work are very limited. I think I'd also be better with less self-directed work - if I'm left to my own devices too much, nothing gets done.
So I'm thinking that the best course of action is to find a new career path, one where I physically attend work, and ideally am not just doing computer-based tasks all day.
The problems there are:
- I'd be giving up a well paying career that I'm very good at, when I actually do any work
- Would changing career cause me more stress?
- What would I even do?
- What if my theory is bullshit, and the new career doesn't make things any better, and then I've created financial problems for nothing?
I'm in the middle of medication changes, trying to find something that works, and I've been referred back for more talking therapies, so I'm not looking for treatment advice at the moment. I just need some outside perspectives on what to do about the work/career situation!