6 ways to deal with loneliness when working alone
If you're working on your own and are feeling isolated, check out these 6 simple, cost-effective strategies to deal in a lonely work environment.
The act of working on your own has plenty of advantages.
You get more done, generally. There's no need to engage in office politics. You're able to take your breaks as you like when you like, and you're the sole controller of your every day life.
There's a major downside that I wish had been warned of by someone:
If you're not the most robust introvert, working on your own and completely by yourself- is lonely.
As in, draw a picture of the volleyball, and then name that "Wilson" degrees of loneliness. It's true that loneliness, no matter if it creeps into your life or strikes the whole time it can be a major disruption to the flow of your life when you're trying to run an enterprise.
We've all been there, and we've been there. This time, we'll share what we do to overcome it with our six favorite strategies for coping with solitude when traveling on your own.
Let's dive right in.
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Six ways to combat isolation while working at a distance
#1. Make time for exercise
Though it could sound insignificant the best way to combat loneliness while working alone is to incorporate exercise into your daily routine.
Why? There's nothing that is more effective to improve your mental well-being than exercising.
A study published in journal Front Psychiatry scientific journal revealed that exercising reduces anxiety. It also releases endorphins, the consequence of which can help you produce positive feelings and reduce the perception of pain.
In addition to productivity, loneliness can lead directly to declines in your mental well-being. Its adverse effects increase anxiety, depression and mood disorders. It can also lead to the decline in your cognitive capacity.
It is beneficial to exercise to be proactive and engage in self-care, and lessen the negative effects of isolation in your health.
Unfortunately, however, only 23 percent of Americans get enough exercise.
Based on the Department of Health and Human Services, adults should take at the very the very least 2.5 to five hours of moderate intensity aerobic exercises in addition to 1.25 to 2.5 hours of vigorous-intensity per week.
The fact that many people aren't getting enough exercise doesn't come as a shock. When you consider the length of time that is spent on a computer screen the number is staggering. 12 hours a day for adults and 60 hours and 40 minutes each day for teens.
You could be whittling away the majority of your time at the screen, perhaps even more than that, when you're still not getting up to take the time to exercise.
Look, will exercising cure loneliness? No, probably not. However, it could assist you in combating certain of the negative consequences, and as in terms of preventatives the cost is low.
So, get up and go. If dancing is your thing and do some yoga that is high-intensity if it's not.
Whatever you do, don't be a victim of draining half your day by squinting in front of screens. It isn't healthy, and only increases the effects of loneliness that are compounded.
As does skipping breaks in general.
#2. Make sure you take regular breaks (free from all gadgets and screens)
Whether you take a break to hit the gym or take a stroll around the block or get up and take a stretch break, having regular breaks between your tasks is a must, especially in the case of working alone.
In the event that you're working by yourself, remote, or from home, you can be captivated by the computer screen without the traditional drinking-in-the-water office colleagues interrupting your desk colleagues.
Also, as you've probably guessed screentime is a hazard trap to fall within.
According to the findings of a University of Illinois study, having a short break each one hour helps you perform better by giving your brain an opportunity to take a break for the amount of time needed to renew energy and focus.
Unfortunately, like fitness, it's becoming a popular habit to not take breaks, like your lunch break.
According to research by Tork, 62 percentage of millennials would go for a longer lunch break if they could, which is compared with only 46 percent of Boomers.
Furthermore, 16% of young people say they'd go as far as accepting a 10% salary cut to take an hour-long lunch break.
This figure of almost twice the number of Gen-Xers and more than triple the percentage of boomers reveals that, the way we're going is a chronic habit of ditching lunch breaks.
This is to say that don't fall victim to the cultural pressure of working through your breaks. Although it might seem that you're being productive but the truth is that it causes further health problems and adds effects of being confined to your workstation.
Take a interval every hour. It increases your focus, energy, and overall efficiency.
Better yet, take it more seriously and make proper breaks -- the kind with friends -- after the workday.
#3. Make plans for social events after work
Though it's not directly related to combating the loneliness that can arise during work hours The third recommendation to fight loneliness is brief and simple -- create time for yourself to socialize in the off-hours.
Socializing on social media doesn't count. Face-to-face calls are required in any way, be it the Zoom phone or in any other way.
One UCSD study discovered that face-to-face interactions enhance your well-being, while engaging on Facebook could have a negative impact on the health of your mental and physical bodies.
If you're not looking to arrange a time for socializing at work, you can combine two of our suggestions and schedule a lunch with a person you love or make a lunch break for a walk with a friend.
If you're in no situation to go out on the town, you can have a virtual time, happy hour hour, or cat .GIF hour is just as well.
Whatever you decide to do, put a face-to-face social activity on your calendar and plan to do it regularly.
A significant 20 percent of those working remotely are lonely which makes it among the biggest challenges for those who work in solitude (tied to collaboration and communication).
And with an overwhelming 98 percent of those who work remotely plan to maintain their life style for the rest of their careers, this isolation issue will be here to stay, and is only getting more important to tackle.
That said, we know the importance of allowing time for social activities can be a challenge. There are family members to attend to, pets to be awed by and many other barriers that can make it difficult to stay on top of your schedule.
There's a second possibility -- online communities.
#4. Be part of an online mastermind group
Our fourth way to fight isolation while working on your own is to connect with coworkers and colleagues through a group or online mastermind.
Affiliating to a relevant group on the internet is a powerful method to connect and create bonds with people who share the same interests.
Plus, it gives you the opportunity to interact with others, which is a bonus of boosting your motivation. In fact, you're likely to stay focused on your work for 64% more time when you collaborate with others compared when you work on the task alone.
Brit Kolo, co-founder of Marketing Personalities, told me that joining a mastermind is the best investment she's made in her company so far -- not just because of increase in business but also for friendships that last a lifetime and the supportive community that it creates.
"I've become a better human being, as a leader, and a CEO. The other business owners in my mastermind group have become lifelong friends, and I do not say it lightly."
There are signs that point to our society in need of more thought-leadership like what you encounter in a mastermind group. A HRPA study revealed that a whopping 63% of millennials believe their leadership abilities aren't being built.
The important part is to find your tribe and build a relationship with them. Relationships that you can and must nurture using the live chat feature.
It's also our next tip for staving away loneliness in a distant setting.
#5. Leverage video conferencing
Another effective way to fight from loneliness working remotely is to use live video apps to connect with colleagues and your friends.
Why video conferencing? It works, according to a landslide majority of users.
98% of the people think that video conferences help them build relationships in as well as outside of their workplaces.
In addition, 96% of respondents agree or strongly agree that video conference is a reliable method to increase the connection among remote team members.
If you're traveling on your own, you can still lean on video conference to communicate with other people in a more intimate way, regardless of whether they are group members or non-team members.
Video chat can be more enjoyable as opposed to, for instance, a phone call or email, because it gives you an extra dimension of nonverbal communication normally absent in other forms of non-face-to face communications.
70 70% of communication is nonverbal, which implies that when you're dependent on audio or text, you're only getting 30% of the connection at the very best.
It's not likely to improve on anyone's solitude -- certainly not as much as it could be improved on in any case.
Video can also aid in collaboration and innovation. This is why, in a study conducted by LifeSize, 50% of the companies who use videoconferencing are more creative, and 55% of them have a greater degree of collaboration.
If you're looking for free videoconferencing solutions, think about Skype , Webex , or Zoom .
It is important to benefit from the latest technology by using live video conferences to interact face-to-face with people throughout your working day.
Our last tip is a step up and involves interacting with people in real-time with coworking spaces.
#6. Get creative with a coworking space or place in the backyard of your house
Assuming it's safe to travel an alternative way to deal with loneliness while working is to physically leave your home office and use either a coworking space or shared office space or even a coffee shop.
It is important to periodically alter your surroundings to be more welcoming to other humans and work from a place other than your home. Doing so increases your chance of getting out of your lonely spot by engaging with people engaging in conversation, even if it's an unintentional one with a barista.
Finding a local coworking space close to you should not be an issue these days since they seem to be popping up everywhere.
Coworking space availability has exploded to more than 26,300 in the world . In the US alone, the number will increase to over 6,200 before 2022.
For the population according to there are 5.1 million people in the world. Global Coworking Unconference Conference (GCUC) predicted that there would at least 5.1 million members of coworking worldwide by 2022, that's a staggering 24.2% annual growth rate. All indications suggest that this is an accurate forecast.
So that's plenty of potential acquaintances to connect with regardless of the fact that, under the current situation, you'll need to meet them at some distance. Make yourself visible (as you can) and add a few additional colleagues to your address file. This will allow you to beat the loneliness blues, and you never know, it could even turn into a future career option.
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Combat loneliness and find the groove you've always had
If you're working on your own, it doesn't mean it's necessary to feel lonely.
It's essential to take the initiative and prevent solitude from affecting your life when you work on your business and career from a distance.
To summarize:
Take care of your mental well-being by engaging in regular exercise. The numerous benefits of exercise will improve your well-being and business overall.
Take regular breaks, too. Contrary to what you may believe, they can actually help you more productive and focused.
Make plans for social events and meetups outside your workday. The face-to-face time is much wanted and should not fall by the wayside, even if you have to do via a conference software.
Join relevant online forums such as masterminds and Facebook groups to meet other like-minded people and build lasting relationships. Reddit and Slack communities also work for this goal.
Improve your communications to other people utilising live video conferencing applications as much as you can. Much of our communication is nonverbal to rely on sound and text for all communication.
If it's safe to work from a coworking space, consider work from coworking areas as well as other places away from your office into your weekly schedule. Even the smallest environmental change could have a huge impact in your mental health.
We're a group, we've all been remote workers for years The reality of the matter is that you'll always be in a state of loneliness when you work on your own.
But you will adjust, and by incorporating the strategies listed above, you'll soon find that working on your own doesn't have to be a cause for becoming isolated. It's still possible to have your tribe, even if you have to go to the far reaches of the internet, conference call platforms, or coworking space to find it.