Depression and Anxiety Disorder (and more?) affecting how I should go about career prospects.

[Hannah221b]

I'm 21 and have suffered from depression for around 5/6 years, and anxiety for 2-3 years, and am currently at university in the final year of my degree. I've reached a point where I have no idea what prospects will be available to me once I graduate, as my anxiety disorder (probably the most debilitating side of my poor mental health) has made me realise that I can't work to the same extent/ability as a 'normal human being'. There are careers that I'm interested in, but because of how physically ill, panicky, dissociative I can get at times, and the side effects of my meds, I feel like I already have a thousand barriers ahead of me.

I know I'm not actually a hopeless human being, and that I can excel in a bunch of things, but it's difficult to know to what extent in the real world I would be able to cope with a full-time high-stress career. It feels like other people have far fewer hurdles to get over in terms of even APPLYING for jobs/careers/schemes/programmes/etc, or at least have fewer things to doubt themselves over.

Is there a way to go about exploring/planning career prospects while also being realistic about my limitations (but not selling myself short either?)

[Hidden]

ok, so now you are at university - where do you plan to work, in the university town or in your home town or somewhere else, re you planning to go home after uni? People lacking in confidence I would think might prefer to stay near home where their friends and family are.

Please just take one step at a time, put your resources in to your degree and worry about work after that.

[Hannah221b in reply to Hidden]

I've been in touch with a Career Advisor at my uni, and we've talked it through. I think my panic earlier was largely due to my 'worst-case-scenario-thinking', and I agree - my priority should be my degree for now. I know living at home would probably isolate and worsen my mental health issues - my family are wonderful, but I would hate to still but caught up in the same little bubble I grew up in, and that I associate with the start of most of my mental health issues.

I'm feeling more positive and relaxed about it now. I think it's just that this next month or so is going to be very stressful, and I've found myself comparing myself to others, even though I should really just be working at my own pace.

These are all things I can think about when I have a better head on my shoulders.