Hi guys! How do you cope with social isolation as a work-at-home freelancer? It's fun and relaxing to stay at home and have full control over your schedule but then the loneliness hits you after a few months. Living alone, I've noticed I can spend days not talking to anyone and it can get pretty depressing. Pets help even though they're usually one-sided conversations. Friends live far and have different schedules (graveyard shifts) so it's hard to catch up with them. Life has literally become a routine of eat, work and sleep.
It's a pretty hard slump to overcome once you get used to doing everything at home. Even basic tasks that require you to go outside already seem so exhausting. Thinking of finding a new hobby or enrolling in a class to stimulate and force myself out of the house.
I also thought about finding a co-working space (Congressional/Trinoma QC area) to work and connect with new people, even though that kinda negates my reason of working at home (avoiding the hassle of bustling through Manila traffic).
Do you guys have regular meetups here?
46 Replies
I have friends online and have a group where I regularly talk to them. 😊
I never feel alone when Im at home. 🤷🏻♂️ It's because my room is my nature😂 habitat kumbaga. Hahaha
this is very true, I'm glad to have madaldal colleagues pero iba parin pag personal tayo nakisocialize.
go to the gym, play basketball or any games every RD, there are a lot of things that can make urself busy👌
I find ways to work in cafés and have a mobile unit for lighter assignments. it's important to have a bit of movement or else quality of work suffers.
G-A-M-E-S
Occasionally work from cafes even if you don't talk to anyone, join a non profit group, and go to the gym.
I train jiu-jitsu 2-3x a week. An active lifestyle and social time in one
Sabi nga nila working from home makes you flexible and gives you more time. Engage in extra-curricular activities like sports or socio-civic groups. If nagcchurch ka, join church groups. Or enroll ka sa free tesda courses (baking, cooking, welding) to gain more skills. .
Watching my online shows keeps me pre-occupied (japanese anime mostly) when im not working, lols. im a hermit by nature and a freelancer by trade!! Hahahah..my bi-weekly visits to the salon satiates my need to be around other ppl..lols...im currently busy rewatching all 3 seasons ok haikyuu..lols
Spacol, you get a massage and someone to talk to and probably more. 😂🤣
netflix and hanap ka pa din activities mo afterwork :)
If you have other friends who also work from home, work in each other's home once a week with inuman sesh pero mild lang lol. If wala, invite your friends to your home and inuman sesh or kwentuhan lang while working ka. Pede rin out of town, meet new people while you work. Hehe
Cycling. Eto from my own experience. At first, maeenjoy mo pa ung ikaw lang mag isa . Then you'll be able to go to places na hindi accessible ng motor o sasakyan. Tapos, may makikita kang ibang siklista. So maeengganyo ka nang mag join sa mga cyclist group(eto ung hindi ko pa magawa kasi nahihiya pa ako haha.)
Alam mo, dati hassle for me mamalengke hahaha. Pero dahil sa cycling, halos 3 times a week n ako mamalengke.
punta sa barber shop para pa shave or gupit, for sure madaming joke at kwento sila manong.
Do not make freelancing your life. You can always go out at your own pace and not be mindful of anyone or anybody.
I got busy joining open shoots and checking out public events. The element of meeting someone or experiencing something new helped lessen the feeling of isolation.
I always choose a work where i can really have time to meet my friends and family, I avoid sleepless nights as much as possible and only work on day time.. even though the pay is not much, but i think it's better.
Sa bahay ka lang naman nagtatrabaho. everything else is the same. Try going out when you can, buy a motorcycle, a car or a boat. Working from doesn't stop you for enjoying your life outside your house. I have been living solo in a house for 8 years and no problems.
I chat with my friends a lot. We make chismis too so my social life is very ok albeit virtual. Hehe
Get a hobby.
- Schedule time with your close friends once or twice a month (they don't have to be seen all at once. Scatter the dates on your calendar);
- Get a pet (as long as your place allows it). I have a pet beagle who keeps me company. You don't need to get a dog or cat. Fish in a bowl can also be refreshing;
- Have a house plant in your room. Not only do you have fresh air always, it's good for the eyes;
- Home based doesn't mean home bound. You can plan a travel to another area in your place. Do a staycation and work from a hotel. Or travel to the next town or province once a quarter to rejuvenate yourself. I'm live in QC. For New Year, I spent it in Laguna. This end month, I'm flying to the province for 6 weeks. All you need is your laptop and strong internet and you can expand your borders. Yes, we should work hard but we can also work smart. 😁✨
I do a monthly meet up with trusted inner circle of friends (kahit iba-ibang set of friends).
Plan an out of town once a month or every quarter (usually hiking or just weekend tour) alone or with someone.
I call or visit my parents sa bahay nila.
If you can sing, mag-join ka sa amin..naghahanap kami ng new choirmates (location: Makati). 🙂
Chat with friends online. Thats what I do. Or.. get a pet. 😁
I chat with my friends and cousins all Teh time. Most of them are abroad and vacations once a year so I get to see them and travel with them. Nice pa when they go home in different dates, I get to travel 4x a year or more.
omg. i thought i was the only one. 😶😟
- Get a hobby. Mine was surfing and yoga— (before what I do was surf every weekend, then I stayed in Baler for almost 2 mos., and now I am in Bali for 4-6 mos. Sa yoga naman I attend classes). There’s many to choose from, like hiking, cycling, gym, language classes, even if you come alone you’re always bound to end up w new friends one way or another
- Schedule time with your friends— this is v impt! I try to make it a point to sched lunch or dinner w my close friends, individually.
- Attend social events— networking events, parties, etc. There are many events about just about anything here on FB. Find one that interests you and go to it. In this way also you get to hone your skills (e.g. digital marketing seminars, dev meetups, etc.) apart fr FB, you can also check Eventbrite, Meetup.com, etc.
I get it’s hard to get out of your house once you’ve gotten used to staying in. But you have to push yourself to be proactive in scheduling your social and personal life, then in showing up. Easy to say this but it was a struggle, even for me. I’m an introvert and could last for weeks w/o going out of the house. But then I miss being surrounded by people, so I realize that I have to snap out of my comfort zone and deliberately put myself in these diff social situations.
Talk to yourself from time to time. ;p Not kidding! Not that you're crazy, but it allows you to acknowledge your feelings more. :D Kidding aside, you might want to join clubs, or form your own. Interest groups as such help you attain your goal of enhancing your social life. You may also consider getting part-time jobs somewhere (in my case, I got one in school but ended up having a full-time job now while still freelancing and teaching -- lol). It also helps to join online and in-person learning sessions as well as networking events. Sky's the limit! :)
I go to church every Saturdays for our weekly band rehersal. Then Sunday morning for worship service. After that, hangout with friends sa church, mga ganun po.
Try going to Diligence Cafe in Katipunan.
do or find your passion, sa off mo. it may be sports, it could be anything, like sakin, combat sports, marami ka makikila agad kc mutual same kau ng hilig so di n mahirap mag approach.
Paano ako nakakapag survive? Dasal una. Playing sa colors or painting.... Makipaglaro sa pets... maglaba... magluto... magbasa.... matulog.... magcrochet.... magcrafting pag trip... means hindi naka stick sa computer lagi... Nakaka depress pag lagi nasa computer
Trips to the cafe or a library if it's available.. taking fitness classes or any type of martial arts..
Doing somethinf entirley different or new is always beneficial.
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Try dating apps, it doesn't need to be always romantic, it gives you an avenue to meet people, the good thing about it is that you can filter the location so its not hassle on your part. Just be honest with what you are looking for.
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Find something thay you love to do. Like classes you can take to gain or hone your skills.
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I think it is way better to work from home than a company where you are overworked, underpaid, unappreciated, and most of all toxic people around you.
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Also find time to meditate, pray and get to know God.
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Take short trips, or travel without breaking the bank.
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Do sports and keep yourself healthy.
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Make a schedule and find time for your family, we will never appreciate what we have specially our families until they are gone. But the truth is it doesn't have to be that way.
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Know what really matters in life. Because it is indeed short, it is our responsibility to make the most of it.
Go out after your shift?
9pm to 6am - Work (8)
6am to 7am - get kids ready for school (1)
7am to 3pm - Sleep (8)
3pm to 9pm (7) - this is my flexible time, it depends on what is needed to be done. Everynow and then lumalabas ako with friends.
All you need to have a social life, is to reach out, YOU ISOLATE YOURSELF. A social life doesn't need to be an everyday event.
it's all in the mind, matagal nako abroad been here at australia almost 9 yrs na, been in and out on freelancing world, work at bahay lang ako, I don't even go out for parties, even friend and family gatherings and exploring other countries, may mga suggestion na go out and meet someone for dating, etc; for some personal reason di ako thrilled sa ganung setup lol =)
hindi mawawala yung malungkot at feeling empty but its all in the mind. Saken iniisip ko na lang na I'm doing it para sa future ng mga taong mahalaga saken.
This is the reason why i make sure i go out with friends during my rest day.. And i get to choose my off.. Friday saturday.. Para at least nakakasabay pa din ako sa gimik ng friends ko who work in the corp world..
Take a break and go out with your friends from time to time. Eat out, drink a little bit, talk about other things, get a hobby. Wag masyado magpa-bugbog sa long hours of work. Kelangan din natin aliwin and alagaan ang sarili natin :)
everyday is family day =), kung miss mo na friends mo or social life then invite them or puntahan mo on weekends.
Can relate much. I do gathering sa bahay and invite friends to drop by. Tapos nagluluto ako.
I also live alone. Madalas nanonood ng mga anime while working. 😁
Why not be active on your church community? Or get involved with the people you know with the same hobby like mountain climbing, motorcycle riders etc., or maybe you can go bar hopping lol.
There are some way for you to have that social life aside from having an office job saka kung minsan ang toxic din ng environment sa office... Swertehan lang kung makatagpo ka ng maayos ang culture... If you know the story of "TL Jeff" sa isang call center company? Lol
None of these will work because this is an inner struggle. Solution must not come from the outside. Search for "Inner Engineering" and start from there.
I’ve been through this on and off. Though we go out once a week with my family and dine out while doing shop ang grocery. I also go outside the house everyday for a few mins kc walking distance lng mini stop and alphamart nakaka umay na rin. Sometimes uma attend din ako ng mga training at seminar to stimulate my senses. Don’t know pero cguro variety of those will help but it will only be temporary and quick fix solution.
I've been there too. If your still single find your partner, be in love and have family. Your life would be a lot more colorful 😊😊😊
Travel. Work remotely outside ur home. May it be local, within PH or somewhere nearby. Make sure u go outside at least 2x a week. (I've been wfh more than 6 years) or I go out on a date with myself once a week doing something I love.
Been in that situation. I got depressed. My husband kase is also working farr from us.. Luckily may mga anak akong makukulit at I found freediving. Nagaka friends din tuloy outside work.. And kahit every weekend dive lng.. Atleast I have my outlet outside. I also travel..
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