Working as a freelancer has a lot of benefits: you have flexible shifts, you can work from wherever you want, you choose your clients, and in general terms, you have the freedom to manage your job as you prefer.
However, as the world changes and we all find ourselves working from home, this form of work is more and more in demand, so we must ensure that we maintain our mental health, to control both our productivity and our well-being. Here we offer you the recommendations that we follow, to help take care of your mental health!
Maintain Human Interaction
Although it’s nice to be able to work on your own, dedicating yourself to being productive without losing focus on a casual chat in the office, or things like that, working as a freelancer can become lonely since the absence of social interaction affects the vast majority of humans. Studies show that most workers consider that the more impersonal the job is, the less engaged they are.
This is why at Freelance Latin America we care so much that our freelancers feel like the team they are, that they know, and interact with each other. We develop dynamics with our People & Culture Department, and we share quality time every once in a while. We know the importance of remembering that we are a team, and we feel like one.
Even working from home, our team is always in touch, so our freelancers can help each other both to solve work-related problems, and find ways to offer a better service, but also, to support each other so they don’t feel bored and lonely in hours of individual work.
Harvard Business Review’s research proves that combining a good work culture in which colleagues support and help each other, with a healthy workspace, ensures that workers feel more engaged and more productive and therefore increase the quality of their work, always taking care of their mental health.
Set a Work Routine
When we don’t organize ourselves, working from home, chances are that time will get out of hand between distractions and hobbies, so in the end, we’ll have less time to perform our duties, and this will result in significant stress and anxiety when trying to comply with deadlines having less time to carry them out due to poor time distribution.
Although it is tempting to leave things to chance knowing that nobody will be there to ask you to stick to a schedule, it’s essential to organize your day’s structure and try as much as possible to fulfill each task at the proposed time. As we always say, organization is key to success. Doing this will bring you security and stability, helping you stay focused at all times to deliver your results in the most efficient and responsible way.
This is why, beyond being a freelancer, most of our job positions have schedules or shifts among which the freelancer can choose, but once the job is started, sticking to comply with their respective working hours, guaranteeing good organization and effectiveness, and at the same time, the comfort and autonomy of our team members.
If you want to learn more about how to work smarter, not harder, we posted a short overview of The Pomodoro Technique on our Instagram. Go check it out!
Get Enough Sleep!
When we don’t get enough sleep, our brains just don’t work at their best peek. Bad sleep habits cause increases in stress and anxiety levels, which results in emotional problems that will affect both your mental health and your work performance. So it’s necessary to establish healthy boundaries between you and your client.
Don’t over-demand yourself and always take care of your health, taking ten-minute breaks between long working hours, knowing how to say no when necessary, and accepting that although we always want to improve and deliver the best result, we are human and we all have limitations that we work to solve day after day. Rest properly and be gentle to yourself so you can prevent burnout!
Self-care
Studies show that 64% of freelancers have a greater tendency to depression, high levels of anxiety, and stress, while in office workers the percentage is only 29%, due to various factors such as loneliness, working extra hours, and excessive self-demand that characterize this form of work.
However, this shouldn’t happen in all cases. That’s why we are concerned about giving mental health and self-care the importance they deserve.
When you’re working, take small breaks between task and task, stay hydrated, and do not neglect your eating habits or your hours of sleep. On the contrary, organize your day in a way that allows you to fulfill all your responsibilities while taking care of yourself.
Don’t bite more than you can chew. It’s usual to want to fill our to-do lists with work when we know that we are good at what we do and we’re interested in generating income, however, we don’t recommend filling your schedule with responsibilities if then you will neglect your priorities and then be unable to fulfill them appropriately.
Take days for yourself, allow yourself to read a book, watch a movie, or have a spa day, whichever you prefer, that can help you prevent burn-out, and clear you up. Clearing yourself, letting go of responsibilities for a moment, and refreshing up will always help boost productivity once you get back to work.
Don’t be Afraid to Ask for Help
Mental health is as important as physical health, so, just as you would worry about an intense stomach ache, you should worry about that intense feeling of anxiety or stress that doesn’t allow you to be calm in yourself. We must work to remove the stigma that exists in attending therapy, and see it for what it is: something completely normal and necessary from time to time to guarantee our well-being.
One of the biggest risks that working as a freelancer during quarantine has presented is burn-out, and this, beyond being simple exhaustion that you can recover from with a nap, is a serious problem that affects our generation, characterized by overexerting oneself and multitasking.
You can learn a little more about burnout and how to prevent it by clicking here! If you’ve noticed that something is not quite right and it begins to affect your work performance and your emotional health, don’t be afraid to seek professional help to orient yourself and guide you on the way to regain control of your mind and be the best version of yourself, which, at the end of the day, is the most important thing to do.
We just wanted you to remember that your health, both physical and mental, always comes first and that it’s important to know both the many advantages and benefits of being a freelancer, as well as its risks.
But there is no reason to be alarmed, since everything has a solution, and as long as you’re aware and careful with yourself, you can perform in this area as efficiently as possible. If you want to be part of a careful and mental health-aware team of freelancers don’t hesitate to join us!
