Home is our refuge from the outside world. What happens when staying home is the thing you need to get away from? Working from home leads to being alone, and at some point, we all need the company of others. We are social creatures and need time around others. How can we battle the loneliness when we are secluded away working from home?
Leave
It is only common sense. You need to leave the house. Staring at the same four walls day after day is not suitable for your health. Get out of the house, even if it just to take a walk around the neighborhood. Just having new scenery can help lift your mood and make you feel less alone. Find places that you enjoy going and interacting with others. We all need a break from the silence of being alone.
Co-working Spaces
Working from home is not for everyone. Are you finding that you need an office that is not in the place that you sleep? You are not alone. Co-working spaces are the answer to this problem, areas that are shared work spaces. These spaces are not the same as going to an office each day because those that share it with you will not be your coworkers. It is the feeling of a community without the stress of dealing with coworkers like a typical office. Home can become the off the clock space, and your work hours can be less secluded.
Pets
Many people feel that they cannot have a pet because they spend too much time in the office. Working from home may give you a lot of time alone, but it also gives you time to care for a furry friend. Not only could you provide a great home to a pet, but it will stop you from feeling lonely. With an animal around to keep you company, you will never be alone. Animals have a great way of lifting moods and helping to fill the silence.
Dates
Find time in your busy schedule to pencil in breakfast dates, lunch dates, or dinner dates. Think of social engagements as official meetings. Take your social well-being seriously. Instead of waiting until you are depressed from your solitude to reach out to others, make it a priority. Having something to look forward to is a great way to get you through your workday. Living locked away in your home office is not the right way to be.
Invite A Friend
Do you know anyone else working from home? Invite them to come work at your place. This may not be the most productive all the time, but you will have someone to take a snack break with. While you are working, it is nice to have someone to bounce ideas off or know someone else in the room. It will fill the social need that we all have.
Loneliness does not have to come with working from home.
