Working From Home: How To Prevent Social Isolation

One of the hardest things to do when you have the opportunity to move somewhere new is to make new friends. As adults, we’re somewhat stuck in our ways, and so when we have to encounter new things, we don’t take very well to settling into those! It’s even harder when you are working for yourself, and you’ve moved to an entirely new area. Being self-employed is a privilege. The chance to work for yourself from the comfort of your own home? That’s something that most people dream about because it means that they get to cut their commute and do something that they enjoy doing. The only real issue when it comes to working from home is the social isolation that creeps up when you’re not paying any attention. Working on your business and working on scaling up can be a lonely thing to do, but that doesn’t mean that you have to be alone in it.

Self-employment is exciting. It’s an adventure that doesn’t always have much stability, but it does mean that you aren’t answering to someone else. The significant loss of the office camaraderie takes getting used to, but there is a lot that you can do to ensure that you are not entirely lonely all the time. Many residential developers work to provide office spaces in apartment buildings these days, with coffee shops and communal areas for people to gather together. It’s an amenity and a huge benefit for residents who work from home, as it gives them somewhere else to work than the four walls of their apartment. It works as an incentive for a lot of young professional buyers, especially those who are looking to work remotely, if not become self-employed.

Some people like the idea of working from home until they realise that there is no one else around them to talk to. It’s these people who think about researching the best coworking spaces instead of hiring an office to work from. Many solo entrepreneurs like to work in the same area as other people, even if they can’t rub shoulders and collaborate on the work they are doing. Being around other people who have the same goal: working harmoniously together rather than alone – is an excellent way to avoid social isolation. The problem is that most people don’t have the budget or access to a shared working space, and then others love working from home even if they don’t like the isolation of it.

If you are trying to work from home but are struggling with loneliness, never fear! Below, we’ve put together some hints and tips for those who want to work from home and feel fulfilled at the same time.

Choose To Work In Public Places

Starbucks and cafes like it are those that are perfect for public working as they usually come with a Wi-Fi connection. Being around other people can really help you to feel less isolated, even if there isn’t a conversation to be had. You don’t have to interact directly with other people to feel less isolated from them; it can just help to be in the same vicinity as other people. You get out of the house, into the hustle and bustle of the public spaces and usually, this can be a great way to feel like you’re a part of something. Coworking spaces to do this, but public spaces are far more interesting!

Bookstores and bars, restaurants and even the parks around you can be the perfect space to set up a laptop!

Call In Your Troops

Your friends don’t have to be working from home like you are, but it’s good to know that they are available for a chat during the day. You can email through the day, but it’s not the same as striking up a conversation on the phone. You need to take a moment to have a chat sometimes and remind yourself that there are other humans around for you! Working from home can also offer you a better chance to shift your social calendar around and be more flexible for your friends and their finishing times.

Get On Social Media

Skype is one of the best ways that can communicate with others, and if you need to communicate with suppliers and vendors, a telephone call sometimes isn’t enough. Nothing is stopping you from “going for coffee” with people who are nowhere near you. You can still go for a coffee, though, when you use Skype. Switch on video chat after you have a coffee each and you’re recreating the same setting as if you were out for a coffee with a friend. Social media can connect you to other people, and you can still work from home while feeling like you belong somewhere.

Get Outside

You need to make sure that you take regular breaks when you work anywhere, but when you work from home, it can become depressing to look at the four walls of the house all day. The best thing to do is get outside into nature and go for a walk. You need to be able to breathe some different air. The problem with being indoors all day is that you get very used to it, and you can develop a slight anxiety when it comes to going outside. If you don’t want to go for a long walk every day, just head out to the garden with that morning cup of tea and get away from your screen. It can be very easy to get cooped up, but fresh air can be everything that you need to feel motivated to continue your day.

Go For A Workout

The difficulty with home working is not getting together with new people. So, you have to put yourself out there and get to know new people. One of the best ways to do that is with a workout class. A group exercise class is filled with people who are all there for the same purpose: to work out and meet others. Group exercise classes like yoga and meditation are perfect for those who want to socialise, and you can choose to join rock climbing groups and martial arts, too. You can have that banter and camaraderie that you miss out on with working from home. If you attend the same classes every week, you can make your schedule work around your classes and meet the same faces every time. The more you go, the more people you will meet and the more chances you have for new people to go out for coffee with each week. It’s a great way to make friends and feel all the happy hormones that you could possibly feel from the exercise, too.

Don’t Lose Contact With Friends

Your office friends are not your only friends, so make sure that you don’t lose contact with your old friends, too. You can use social media to keep the connection strong, and it doesn’t matter how far away you are, you can talk at any time to anyone you like all because of your links on social media. The problem with social media is that it’s easy to get sucked into it when you should be working! You need to give yourself ten minutes at a time on social media so that you can keep working and achieving and not fall too far down the rabbit hole.

Run Errands

As part of your workday, you are likely to need to run errands. Things like heading to the post office and getting out to get groceries should be allocated time in your day. Being around other people who are doing the same chores that you are can make a big difference in the way that you work. We need human contact, and doing errands can help you to clear your head. You don’t have to do much; any extracurriculars away from work can keep you feeling like work is a great idea!

Treat Yourself

Working from home doesn’t mean being isolated, especially if you can take your work with you with your laptop. Book yourself a vacation and take yourself away! Bring your computer and work abroad. You have the freedom to work wherever you want to, and when you want to get out of the four walls of your apartment, you could change it to the beaches of Bali if you wanted to. You do not have to stick to working in the home just because you’re self-employed and working for yourself. Treat yourself to a holiday or a new coworking space to work from.

It’s up to you how much work you do in your own house, but you don’t have to be socially isolated just because you are going to be spending time away from the main office. You can be in charge of your own expectations of home working, and you can make it so that your experience is one of camaraderie that you create.

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