From Fast Company, Vivian Giang discusses the challenge of isolation of a freelancer or independent contractor. Vivian writes:
This kind of flexible work life is usually envied by those stuck in the constantly churning, always-on corporate microcosm. Every year, more workers make the switch to the freelance life as they try to take back the reins of their own success. According to a 2014 survey by Edelman Berland, freelancers currently make up 34%—or 53 million people—of the U.S. workforce, and those numbers aren’t slowing down.
While there’s a lot of pros that come from having complete control, what isn’t discussed enough is the lonely business that is a freelance career. When the house is quiet and everyone is gone for the day, it’s just you and the humming of your laptop—day in, day out. You may go through an entire day without speaking, and often go for several days without having any face-to-face interactions with anyone.
This kind of complete solitude doesn’t work for everyone. After a while, you’ll find that life without colleagues can be lonely and uninspiring. Even small things, like the lack of small talk, can leave you lonely. Additionally, we know that isolation is bad for our health. Lonely people are believed to have higher blood pressure, be more vulnerable to infections, have greater issues with their sleep patterns and logical reasoning, and even have negative responses in their immune system, such as irregular unleashing of stress hormones and inflammation.
During periods when you feel your social needs are unmet, it’s important to find a way to be around other people for the sake of your creativity and productivity.
Read the full story at Why Isolation Is A More Serious Problem For Freelancers Than You Think
