The Best Low-Stress Jobs for a Healthier, Happier Life

Let’s face it: living up to your full potential isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. Just because you’re smart and talented doesn’t mean you need to deal with the stress of a power job. In fact, work-related stress is one of the major causes of problems in other areas of your life, such as your health and relationships. If you’d rather work to live and spend your time, energy and talents on things other than your job, maybe it’s time to check out some of these low-maintenance gigs.

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Dog Walker

You get to choose your hours and your clients as a professional dog walker. You also get to be outside and, best of all, you can play with pooches without having the responsibility of taking care of them 24/7. No wonder this is one of the most popular jobs for retirees.

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Project Manager

The secret to successful project managing is to find ways to get things done in the easiest way possible, which is where natural laziness comes in handy; after all, if you don’t like working hard, you’ll find ways to work smart instead. You also get to delegate most of the actual work.

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Event Planner

An event planner, like a project manager, lets other people do the hard work. You’ll meet new and interesting people every day and, well, you plan parties for a living. You do need to be organized, though, or you’ll make your job needlessly stressful.

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Massage Therapist

Massage therapy is all about relaxation, so you’ll work in a stress-free environment complete with soothing music and aromatherapy oils. You can set your own hours too, so if you’re not in the mood for work, you just don’t take on any clients that day.

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Computer Programmer

As any computer geek will tell you, the best software code is also the simplest, so the objective is to code as little as possible. Besides, tech companies often offer all kinds of great perks, from free food or beer to hammocks to swing in while you code.

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Mystery Shopper

Retail stores and restaurants, market research companies and consumer watchdogs all use the mystery shoppers to get information about or rate certain products or services. You need to be discreet and pay attention to detail, so in essence, you get to play spy without the danger.

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Food Taster

Many food producers hire professional food tasters to evaluate new products. As a food taster you may be hired to sample things like ice cream, beer or chocolate and then evaluate them according to taste, smell, consistency, and so on. The bad news is that they key word is “sample”: you don’t get to eat the whole box of chocolates.

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Food Critic

If you want to be paid to eat more than just a bite of food, becoming a food critic might be a better option. You get to make a meal of it. Having a great way with words is essential for writing entertaining food reviews and a culinary background is recommended.

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Court Reporter

As a court reporter, you don’t have to make decisions or even really speak to people. You simply type up everything that’s being said during a trial or a legal meeting. It's a great gig in that it pays well and you don’t need a degree. But you do need special training. The most important job requirement is being able to type really, really fast and accurately.

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Video Game Tester

You know how you sometimes think you’ll just play a quick game and before you know it, the whole day has gone by without you leaving the sofa? This doesn’t have to be a waste of a day. As a video game tester, you play games that are in development, find and report bugs and then play those games again to check that the issues have been ironed out. What’s not to love?

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Blogger

If you’re really passionate about something, blogging about it can become your day job. Good blogs can earn their creators plenty of money through advertisements and sponsorships. If you’re short on inspiration, you can get a guest blogger to create content for you.

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YouTuber

Similar to blogging, creating YouTube videos is a good way to make your passion earn you money and you don’t need sophisticated equipment to do it. The most popular YouTubers have become multimillionaires and the platform can also launch that other career you’ve always dreamed of. Just ask Justin Bieber.

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Test Subject

Pharmaceutical and cosmetics companies need people to be their human guinea pigs and try out their products, while medical researchers need people to take part in clinical trials. You may suffer some side effects of whatever it is you’re testing but you’ll get paid for almost no work.

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Security Guard

What your job as a security guard will be like really depends on the setting. In some places you might have to go and make rounds out in the cold, for instance. If you want a cushy low-key job where you basically monitor security cameras, aim to become a security guard in an apartment block.

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Photographer

Photography is one of those jobs where you can decide on the lifestyle you want. If you want action, become a news photographer; if you want glitz and glamour, a fashion photographer. For something more relaxed, you can either open a studio and take family portraits or you can sell photos of pretty much anything as stock photos and earn royalties.

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Translator

Do you have a talent for language but don’t feel the need to write the next Great Canadian Novel? As a translator you won’t need to create the writing, although a degree of creativity is involved in finding the best way to say something in a different language. You can do the job from anywhere and your earnings will depend on the language pair and how much work you take on.

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Weed Trimmer

Since marijuana has been legalized in Canada, the demand for people who can harvest the buds is growing. It’s a seasonal and monotonous job but you can make very good money. However, even where marijuana is legal, you might want to check the legality of the farm where you want to work.

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ESL or FSL Teacher

Teaching English or French as a second language is a good option if you want a job that allows you to travel to exotic places. You need to be fluent in the language but the only training you need is a short course that you can do online. If you don’t like the idea of standing in front of a classroom, there are plenty of opportunities for one-on-one private classes.

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TV Show or Movie Tagger

Love binge-watching shows or movies? Sites employ people to stream their offerings and tag them according to genre. You don’t even have to get out of bed for this one!

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Professional Skateboarder

Do you love the idea of never really outgrowing your adolescence but spending your days performing Ollies instead? You can make skateboarding a career. Your parents might stop asking you when you’re getting a real job as soon as you too become one of the wealthiest skateboarders in the world.

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Weed Roller

Whether you want to do it full-time or part-time, cannabis companies have created a sweet role for those with the perfect roll. A joint roller is a real job in Canada — and a super chill gig for anyone who can spin a solid joint.