How to Work At Home And Not Feel Isolated.
Working from home sounds perfect but when you really get to it, you may discover feeling isolated.
The ideal of setting your own work schedule allows for being home with your children all day which sometimes contributes to feeling isolated. When your only conversations are with a five your old you may miss or even crave adult conversations. Being home all day may feel like it’s sapping your energy, creativity and focus.
Learn how to overcome separation from the rest of the world.
You are not stuck at home 24/7 but you are away from the outside world. As a work from home mom, your days may only include the only other breathing people to be your children and/or your spouse.
Most people crave more human contact than that. Coming from an outside working environment where there were birthday celebrations, friendly lunches and regular chats with your co-workers, sitting in front of a computer everyday can become a rude awakening. The silence can be deafening.
Missing simple, adult conversations with friends or co-workers can be on your mind daily. A drawback to isolation is mental changes. At home, not a single word may be uttered all day. After a few months, the isolation may become too much. Concentration decreases, anxiety builds and being at home even a bit of depression may creep in. That is not the way that working from home was meant to be.
Links on this page may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my earnings disclosure for more info
Five Ways How To Combat Isolation Issues when Working from Home
Head the problem straight on. Use these five ideas to implement a way to stay connected from the beginning of your work at home business life.
-
- Leave the house – Get outside and breathe the fresh air in the middle of the day. Soak up some good old fashioned vitamin D every day. Plan your day and take the kids out to play in the park for 30 minutes. Run your errands in the middle of the day for an easy break.
- Separate your work life and home life – This can be as simple an act as closing the door to your home office. Or even consider going through the routine as if you’re going to an office. After you shower, eat breakfast, leave the house out of the front door and enter again through the back door to start your day. You may also want to hang a sign on the door like a brick and mortar business that shows the hours of operation. When you close the door, there is freedom.
- Chat with family and friends – With technology like Skype and Zoom you can schedule meetings to see the people who are important in your life. Take time to reconnect with family and friends even if a physical visit is out of the question right now.
- Plan a few outings – Plan lunch dates with family, friends or your spouse. This is an excuse to get out of the house and also to catch up with them over a good meal.
- Network – Networking is an opportunity to hobnob with other business professionals at local Meetup or Chamber of Commerce events. Check to see when there will be professional conferences in your area and register to attend.
Stay sane while you work at home by staying connected with others.
If you got value feel free to share this article with your friends. Also check out our other articles on Medium or on our blog at www.StartLivingBig.com
Debi
Create A Business To Love
Questions? Comments? Connect with me on Facebook or Linkedin