Over the past year, the number of people who worked from home increased substantially. During that time, people lacked their normal connection with co-workers, and they were also distancing from family and friends. Loneliness levels surged. Therefore, people had to become creative on how to battle loneliness while working from home.
Lately, it seems that many companies are bringing their employees back into the office. However, many others are now permanently working from home. For many, working from home non-stop can be a lonely task.
This is especially true for people who may live alone. Most of the interaction those people had would have been from the workplace. Working from home non-stop can be hard on mental health.
It can wear you down and make you feel alone. You need to learn how to combat this lonely feeling in order to help keep your sanity. Here are some quick and easy tips on how to battle loneliness while working from home.
Schedule Breaks for Yourself
While working from home, it can be tricky to remember to take breaks during your day. If you were in the office, you’d just periodically be interrupted by someone stopping by with a question or run into someone in the hallway.
Working at home alone, you don’t have those interruptions. Make sure that you schedule some breaks for yourself.
During these breaks take some time to do something active, such as going for a walk around the block, ten jumping jacks, or just walking to the other end of your house and back.
Something as simple as switching rooms and getting a different change of scenery can help you get out of your head and back into your surroundings.
You could also use your break time to call or video chat with a friend or family member.
Any of these actions can help break up the monotony of your day and help bring you back into the present moment.
Virtual Co-Working Sessions
Virtual co-working sessions are when a group of people get together over video chat and do work.
During these sessions, you can simply work on your stuff, or you can talk about issues you are experiencing in your work and get suggestions on it. It can be a great space to work through any difficult tasks you might be stuck on or brainstorm ideas.
Similar to working in a cube, you can work quietly and periodically chat and share issues at the same time you are working. It can help bring back a sense of community into your workplace.
If you’d rather not talk about issues, you can use the workgroup as an accountability group to make sure you are getting tasks done. If you are the competitive type, you could try and make a competition to see who gets the most done during your working session.
You can find groups online to join if you’re interested in meeting new people. Otherwise, you could also set this up with your actual co-workers using your company’s video technology.
If you’re interested in creating your own group with some friends you can use Zoom, Slack, Crowdcast, or Google Hangouts as the platform.
Make a Point of Calling
These days it seems nearly everything is done using email or instant messages. It can make working relationships seem impersonal and very superficial.
Instead, make a point of calling. That way you can chit-chat with whomever you are calling and build that relationship.
If you wanted to do, even more, you could use video chat instead. That way you can see people’s faces, similar to being in the office. I personally find that sometimes chatting with someone over video feels more like a normal connection than calling or emailing.
Make a Point of Reaching Out
If you’re like me, making a point of reaching out is hard. Sometimes you don’t want to be a burden on someone if you happen to interrupt them. Other times, you just tend to forget or think about reaching out to someone at an inconvenient time.
As a reference to help prevent loneliness, make a point of reaching out to at least one person a day. It could be a simple as calling your mom in the morning before you log on to work and chatting for a few minutes before you start your workday.
You could also just pick a co-worker you enjoy talking to, and give them a call just to chat for a few minutes. Chances are if they are working from home also, they will enjoy catching up just as much as you.
This will keep you feeling connected with others while helping you keep your relationships going.
Try to Work Outside of the Home Periodically
There are so many great options you can use to work outside of your house. If you work from home permanently, try and work outside your home every now and then.
For me, we have a building nearby with a few hoteling cubes where employees can work periodically if they need to be in the office. To make this even more interactive, arrange a time with several other co-workers who will be in the office on the same day so you can chat a little bit.
For others who don’t have a physical building, there are many options. You could work in a public space, such as a coffee shop, library, or park. Try to make it somewhere that you can be around humans. Just having other people present, even if you don’t necessarily interact with them can help you feel less alone.
Another option would be co-working spaces. These are places where you can pay a certain amount of money to rent a desk for a day. A lot of times they have membership options, similar to a gym based on how frequently you’d like to rent a desk.
You might be thinking that co-working spaces are just for big cities. I was pleasantly surprised to find out they are not. There are actually several options in a small city nearby where I live, which is nowhere near the size of Chicago, or even Milwaukee.
If you happen to live near several of your co-workers, schedule a day where you all work from one person’s house. This can be handy if you don’t have an actual office to go into. To spice this one up, even more, you could do a little pot luck just to give it a little extra something.
Make Plans After Work
Reach out and make plans after work. You could ask a friend or family member to go out to dinner or go for a walk. Just something to get yourself out of the house and spending time with someone else. It will help you feel less isolated.
Make Good Use of Your Commute Time
If you no longer have a commute, make good use of the time you used to be commuting. Use that time to connect with others. Make a point of calling someone to chat or spend extra time with your family.
You could also meet up with someone to grab a coffee or breakfast to get some much-needed people time. If you live in a neighborhood where people are out during that time, chat to your neighbors.
I run into a gentleman almost every morning on my walk as he is heading out for work and we typically chat for a few seconds. That small interaction definitely helps me on days when I’m feeling isolated as I work from home.
Schedule Group Chats
When you worked in an office, chatting with co-workers would happen naturally. You’d run into them in the break room or hallway and just naturally talk about something work-related or personal.
When you work from home, those small interactions now have to be more planned. Schedule time to meet with your co-workers to meet up. You can use this time to talk about work stuff if you need it, but also make sure you take time to talk about other stuff.
Those small interactions really help build relationships around the office and help decrease that lonely feeling so many people get when being at home all the time. Overall, it will help you feel connected with others.
If you like the idea of scheduling group chats, check out this post on How to Create a Virtual Water Cooler, which has even more tips on how to connect with co-workers.
Take Lunch Break Away from Your Screen
Make a point of taking your lunch break away from your computer screen. It can be so tempting to just eat at your desk and keep working. However, the change of scenery can help a lot.
Each your lunch in another room and do something different to switch up your view. While you are eating, consider reading a book or watching a part of a tv show. On nicer days, you could even eat outside to get some fresh air and sunshine.
The change of scenery and environment can help you feel more present at the moment and less alone.
Join a Group Class
Joining a group class can be a great way to get out and meet other people. Doing something you enjoy with other people can help give you the sense of community you are missing as you work from home.
If you enjoy working out, it is typically easy to find classes for Zumba, yoga, cycling, and many others. The city I live in offers programs year-round that people can participate in, so check out your local town or city to see what they may have to offer. You could join something such as a cooking class or archery.
Still Feeling Down?
Sometimes, if you are stuck in that lonely mindset, your brain can have you feeling down. The above items might seem a bit too overwhelming to you to take a step forward.
If that is the case, there is still something more you can do.
Here are some tips on how to get your brain into a more positive mindset.
Savor Memories
Savoring is the act of remembering your memories in a positive light and feeling good as a result. Think back to the fun times you did have while you were working in the office and focus on those.
Just thinking about those memories can help give you a positive feeling. You could also talk about them with someone you worked with who would also enjoy reminiscing about the days in the office.
Focus on Gratitude
It can be so easy to focus on all the negatives. Instead, focus on something positive each day. It can be something small, such as it being a sunny day, or listening to the leaves rustle outside.
Another way to shift your mindset to a positive one is to share your gratitude with your co-workers. Make sure you say thank you to your co-workers often. I find that when working from home, you don’t feel the appreciation nearly as much as you did while you were in the office.
Sharing with a co-worker that you are grateful they were able to help you will make them feel appreciated and it can help you feel extra good about the help you received.
Help Others
Similar to volunteering, helping others in the workplace is a good way to improve your spirits. While you are helping them, think about how much they will appreciate the work you are doing. It can give you a good feeling, just knowing that you’ve been able to help someone else.
If you want more ideas on how to improve your mindset, check out my article How to Be Happy for some good tips.
Reach Out to Create Your Community
I know working from home can be lonely. I’ve experienced it from time to time as I’ve been working from home for over a year and will continue to do so going forward.
It is something I struggle with still, trying to create that sense of community while working at home by myself. I’ve found though, that the community won’t create itself. You need to work towards it.
All it takes is one simple step. A short IM with a co-worker you used to sit next to. Then a small phone call. Invite them out for a morning coffee before work. All these small actions can eventually add up to create your sense of community for yourself.
