Fighting Isolation As You Work From Home
One of the drawbacks of working from home that not many people consider is the isolation it causes. When you work from home, you spend the entire day inside your house, and avoid going into an office where you interact with co-workers. While this sounds nice – and often is – it can also breed loneliness. This is especially true if you live alone, or if your roommate/significant other is away all day. In this scenario you’ll spend all day by yourself, along in your home, without anyone to talk to. This can be nice every once in a while, but before long you may find that loneliness is creeping in. To help you avoid this, here are a few tips for fighting isolation as you work from home.
Get Outside
One priority you should make every day is to get outside. While this may sound like an easy task, you may find yourself stuck inside for an entire day occasionally. The weather gets cold, or you become so swamped with work, that you simply never make it outside. Fresh air and sunlight are essential to a good mood, so you want to be sure that you don’t skip a day. Take a walk around your block, or go get a coffee. Do whatever you need to do, just be sure you step outside your house for at least 30 minutes each day.
Join Groups or Clubs
Without the social interaction that comes from mingling with co-workers, you will need to find a way to replace it. Spending time with friends and family is fine, but you should also consider joining some local groups or clubs. This will encourage you to meet new people, and you will have a set time on your schedule each week to get out of the house. Get involved with your community, or find others who enjoy the same activity as you. If you need help finding local activities, here is a quick guide to give you some advice.
Make An Effort To Socialize
It is easy to shut yourself away once you begin working from home. This needs to be avoided, and the best way to do this is to make socializing with others a priority. Call up some friends and see if they want to get a drink or see a movie, or arrange dinner out with your family. Everyone else has the benefit of coworkers to socialize with each day, and they may not put in the effort with you as a result. You need to initiate things, and make seeing other people a goal.
Work In Other Locations
Working from home does not always have to mean sitting at your kitchen table. Taking a day to work from your local library, or a nearby Starbucks, allows you to get out of the house and still work on your own schedule. Sometimes it is helpful to simply be around other people, or to have the brief interaction when you place your coffee order. If you find yourself getting a case of cabin fever because you’ve been spending so much time in your home, look for other locations that you can complete your work from. Just be sure it isn’t a place that will distract you from what you need to do.
Get A Pet
Lastly, a pet is a great cure for loneliness. While there is no substitute for interacting with other human beings, having a pet can be a nice fill-in during those times that you can’t. Dogs and cats both make great companions, and will help to break up your day when you need to take care of them. Studies have shown that owning a pet is especially helpful to those of us who are living alone, so if you’re in this situation, give strong consideration to getting a pet.
Don’t Isolate Yourself When You Work From Home
Solitude is one of the many benefits to working from home, but it can also be a drawback if you have too much of it. If you get into the habit of shutting yourself away each day, and not making an effort to see other people, it will become harder to change as time goes on. Find an excuse to get out of your house each day, even if it is just for a few minutes.