It is not uncommon to feel a sense of loneliness when you are working at home, especially if you have moved from parenting to an empty nest. You looked forward to the day when all that chaos and confusion of combining raising children and working at home would end. You longed for the day when you could focus on your work without distraction. That day has come and gone, it was nice for a while, but now there may be a gnawing sense of loneliness that has taken up the place where chaos and confusion used to reside.
This may not be everyone's experience, some may thrive on working alone, but it is my experience. I have been searching for and discovering some helpful solutions to this. Some I am practicing, others need to be added to my life to broaden and expand it. Let me share a few things that I've found helpful in overcoming loneliness while working at home. Some suggestions are not new, but we often need reminders to get back on track.
Following are some suggestions for overcoming loneliness while working from home:
- Find other friends who work from home on Facebook and Twitter - this won't completely fill the void, because we need to hear real voices and see real tangible people to do that, but it helps a lot. There are many groups of people with like business interests that can be found and joined on Facebook. Using the Hashtag (#) feature on Twitter you can search for "tweets" about things that interest you and share as well. I suggest that you turn off the "notifications" feature when you join or are added to a group on Facebook or you will be overwhelmed with emails...but do keep up with the groups, you do that by going to the "Home" link in the upper right and looking at the list in the left margin. Open up a tab on your browser with your Facebook account during working hours, and twitter as well, so you can interact when you wish, and share your accomplishments. I have a separate account for business acquaintances and friends on Facebook, that window is open during working hours, and in the evening I check in on family and personal friends on my personal account.
- Go out for a walk, alone or with your dog if you have one, and exercise. I try to walk or do Yoga each day, and do fail to do so some days, but also do manage to get out there more and more. It helps so much to get outdoors for an hour or more and run into neighbors and take in some sunshine, or walk in the rain with an umbrella when possible. You can do a little in the gardens and feel a sense of accomplishment.
- Get up each hour and do a chore around the house. This helps me so much mentally and physically. It's not good to sit for hours a day if you are physically able to get up and move. If you must sit due to a physical condition, learn about sitting exercises you can do and do some each hour to aid circulation. Youtube has many exercise videos, look up "chair yoga" or other exercises that can be done while sitting.
- Call a friend or family member and talk a bit so that you hear a voice. Though social networking, emailing etc. are nice, there is nothing like an "old fashioned" talk on the phone and visit with a friend over a cup of coffee.
- Get involved in a hobby or activity through your community center or go to a Woman's Bible Study. I do the latter each week which gets me out among women who like to share their joys and trials and support one another in and through them.
- Consider ways that your work might include tangible or visual contact with other people. Some work done from home includes this naturally, like those who go out and show products in homes as part of their business, but for those of us who are writers, more creativity may be needed. Join in on video chats and other visual forms of interaction. You will find that if you "social network" as discussed in #1 above, you'll hear of events taking place like this that you can take part in. Do so when you can.
Do you have other suggestions for avoiding loneliness while working from home? Please do share in a comment.
Updated 11/28/18
Grandmothers, or those of us old enough to be grandmothers, have a unique lifestyle. We don't have to juggle being mothers with working from home, unless we are raising grandchildren.
I remember when my children were young, life was busy, and there was a lot of energy, and a routine during much of the year. I worked from home then, and always thought that when my children were grown, it would be so much easier to get even more done than I was at that time. I'm not sure that's so true. I find I need to be even more disciplined, and make my own routines. They are no longer "pre-made" for me by my children's activities and school schedules.
Following is an article written by a Joel Nickerson about finding a business that suits your lifestyle. It's not necessarily written for grandmothers, but maybe just reading it will spark some thought. I hope that you find something helpful in it!
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There are several different reasons why somebody would want to start a home based business. For some, it is a matter of necessity and they either need to replace work that they have recently lost or need to earn additional money in order to make ends meet. Other individuals look for work at home business opportunities because they like the challenge of working for themselves and enjoy making money on their own instead of making it in a corporate environment.
Regardless of why you want to start up your own home based business, however, finding the one that will work is the most important first step that you will need to take. Although there are many different choices as far as a home business opportunity is concerned, the Internet has really added some interesting aspects into the mix. In fact, there are many individuals who are starting up their work at home Internet business and fitting it directly in with their various lifestyles. How is this true?
First of all, an Internet home based business can be run at any time of the day or night. Next, you get out of a home based Internet business exactly what you put into it. Even if you don t have much time at all when you re first starting out, it is still possible to see results from small efforts.
Picking a home based business is something that should not be done on the spur of the moment. There are literally thousands of home based internet business opportunities out there. Some are legitimate, some are questionable. Once you find the right one, however, you will recognize it. When that time comes, do your research, talk to some people who are already involved in the program, and take the opportunity and make something of it. If others are happy with the program chances are you will be too.
Perhaps you have tried to work on the Internet before and have not really seen much in return for your efforts. It can be very discouraging if you are working in the wrong corner and trying to do something that is not going to produce any results, no matter who does it. The best thing that you can do in these circumstances is to find someone to follow in order to know which way you should go. As a matter of fact, having a mentor in front of you is one of the best ways for you to become successful with your own Internet business in a short period of time.
Although it may seem simplistic, having a mentor to follow is not something that should be overlooked. If you choose the right one, they have already forged a path to success themselves and can take you by the hand and lead you there as well. Sure, it is going to take some work on your part but it will be well worth the effort whenever you see it pay off and your home based business succeeds.
Author Resource: I have checked Joel Nickerson's links that were provided in the original article, and they are no longer active...but the advise is good.
Updated 11/28/18
Working girls, whether single, moms or grandmothers, can benefit from a few tips on how to mix work with housework. This can be especially challenging if you work from home.
I happen to work from home, but this can help even if you work outside the home. Personally, I came off the long winter months feeling down in the dumps. I wasn't able to balance my work with my housework, and always felt pulled to be doing money-making things when cleaning, and cleaning when working. At home, all of your responsibilities surround you.
I did something that many can do. I set alarms in my phone to remind me to run and do various things around the house. Not only did it benefit me in getting work done, but also got me up from sitting regularly throughout the day.
Many have heard of FlyLady.net - this is a site that will set you on the right course...but you are responsible for setting up a schedule that fits your lifestyle. She has daily routines all set up for you and ways to organize your time. You can receive reminders by email and also encouraging stories, if you have time to read them. At this update there is a very helpful app that you can add to your smartphone to keep track of what you've done and what you still need to do.
For example, she has what she calls a "Home Blessing" where you go through your home in an hour in 10 minute segments get a number of things done. Some do each 10 minute task spread throughout the week, I like to do it in an hour, it's good exercise and starts off the week nicely. I do this each Monday, and have set alarms in my phone with each task - they go off every 10 minutes and I move on to the next thing. Having a small home, and being young..or I should say physically fit...helps too. If our home were larger, I may set each task for an additional 5 minutes and spread the tasks over the week a bit more, but for now, Monday's work for me. The wonderful thing I've learned is a lot more time is spent thinking about getting a thing done than actually getting the things done.
Another thing that I do from FlyLady is the weekly zones. You focus on a main room, and maybe an additional small room, each week. I've set an alarm in my phone at a time that is suitable to me for "flylady zone" and when it goes off, I look in the emails that come in for the "Flight Plan" of the day, and do what is suggested for that zone...it inspires me, and I may do a little more than suggested, or on weeks when I'm ill or days when my husband has days off, I don't mind as much when I don't get to a mission, because things in general are so much better than they were before I started.
I feel so much better about my home...it's not perfect...but it's also not my master any longer...I'm mastering it. I feel better when I'm sitting down to do my work because I know an alarm will go off to remind me to do a task around the house...I don't have to take up "brain power" that's needed to focus on work to remember, and it feels so good to get up and move around when the time comes to do that task, and so good to see the results!
You can do this too...even if you are depressed by your surroundings and situation now...push through it, the results will go a long way to helping your state of mind.
Updated 11/28/18
