When you look for a job, you should look for something that meshes with your interests, talents, and experience, rather than for something that's close to your home or that, in some other way, will allow you to avoid your feared situation or situations. Your best bet, if you still have strong OCD issues, will be to continue to work with your cognitive behavioral therapist (or whatever other therapy might work for you) and to take medication (if you currently do so) while you work at a job you enjoy (at least to some degree).

The Benefits of the Job

While you shouldn't necessarily look for jobs that do the least amount of damage to your “comfort zone,” it is wise to look at companies that offer employee assistance programs (EAPs) and health insurance, particularly mental health services, as CBT would fall under that heading.

If you're offered a job that looks ideal, except for one thing — say, you're required to travel by plane to an annual conference — perhaps, once the offer has been made, you can ask about accommodation. If it is a situation like flying, it can almost be said that you're in luck: many people have a fear of flying. Your boss might, too. In any case, she might be willing to offer a compromise. Perhaps you can teleconference or travel by train. Creative thinking will probably benefit both of you.

Making Your Own Arrangements

Of course, as you no doubt know, you can probably find your own way around certain difficulties without involving an employer: preparing a thermos of coffee for yourself if you don't want to share the office coffeepot, toting your own snacks for lunch meetings, leaving your home extra early in the mornings so that you can get to work on time, and so on. Most coworkers will probably be engrossed enough in their own lives that they might not take notice of behaviors like these, unless those behaviors really stand out. If you're unlucky enough to have nosy coworkers, you might want to rehearse a breezy half-truth. (“Oh, I've gotten so used to my own coffee over the years that nothing else really tastes right to me.”) You might look a little eccentric, but so what? Anyone who doesn't have some kind of idiosyncrasy probably isn't very interesting.

Thinking Up Ideas

Some problems may at first seem hard to solve. While it's nearly impossible to come up with usable ideas for every potential OC situation, here is some general advice for solving problems: Think about the problem often, and ask yourself, How can I solve this? Assume that there is a solution. If that doesn't work, or takes too long, ask a friend or peer who has a similar problem. You might even put specific questions to an online or in-person support group.