6 ways to deal with loneliness when working alone

If working alone has you feeling lonely, read these 6 simple, cost-effective strategies to deal with loneliness while working remotely.

Working alone has a lot of benefits.

There is more work to be done generally. There's no need to engage in office politics. You get to have your breaks when you want, when you'd want, and you're the sole controller of your every day life.

However, there's a really major downside that I wish I'd been warned about by someone:

Even if you're a robust introvert, working on your own and completely by yourselfis lonely.

As in, draw a picture of the volleyball, and then name the ball "Wilson" different levels of isolation. That loneliness, regardless of whether it creeps in or hits the whole time it can be a major disruption to the flow of your life when you're working to manage your business.

We've all been there that we've been there. This time, we'll share the best way to deal with it with our six favorite strategies for coping with loneliness when you're flying solo.

Let's get started.

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6 ways to cope with loneliness when working remote.

#1. Take the time to exercise

Though it could sound insignificant, our first way to fight loneliness when working in a solitary environment is to integrate exercise into your daily routine.

Why? Nothing is more beneficial for mental wellbeing than exercise.

A research study published in the journal Front Psychiatry scientific journal revealed that exercise reduces anxiety and releases endorphins, the result of which helps you create positive emotions and decrease your perceptions of suffering.

Productivity aside, loneliness leads straight to a decline in your mental well-being. Its negative effects can worsen anxiety, depression, mood disorders, and the decline in your cognitive capacity.

Exercise is an excellent way to actively practice self-care and curb the negative effects of loneliness on your mental wellbeing.

Unfortunately, however, just 23 percent of Americans are getting enough fitness.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, adults should be able to complete at minimum 2.5 to 5 hours of moderate intensity aerobic exercises as well as 1.25 to 2.5 hours of intense-intensity exercise every week.

The fact that people do not exercise enough isn't a surprise. When you consider the length of time that is spent in front of a screen that's 12 hours a day for adults, and 6 hours and 40 minutes daily for teens.

You could spend the majority of your time in front of screens, or even more than that, if you're too lazy to get up and take some exercise breaks.

Look, will exercising alleviate loneliness? Most likely not. It can aid in reducing the worst side effects, and as in terms of preventatives, it's a cheap one.

So, get moving and get up. Dance if that's your speed or do some intense yoga if it's not.

No matter what you do, don't be a victim of spending your entire day on a computer. It isn't healthy, and only increases the effects of loneliness that are compounded.

As does skipping breaks in general.

#2. Make sure you take regular breaks (free from your devices and screens)

When you stop to exercise or take a stroll through the neighborhood or sit up to take a stretch break, having regular breaks from your work is essential, especially when you work alone.

In the event that you're working by yourself at a remote location, from a your home office, it's simple to remain captivated by your laptop screen, without having to endure the typical drinking-in-the-water desk interruptions from officemates and coworkers.

And, as you know, screentime is a dangerous tunnel to be caught in.

According to the findings of a University of Illinois study, having a short break each hour aids in your performance as it provides your brain with a short break to give it the time it requires to recharge energy and concentrate.

As with fitness, it's becoming a popular habit to not take breaks, like your lunch break.

According to research by Tork, 62 percentage of millennials would go for an extended lunch break in the event that they could, when compared to only 46 percent of Boomers.

What's more, 16% of young people declare they'd consider accepting a 10% salary cut in lieu of having a lunch break every day.

This figure of close to twice the proportion of Gen-Xers as well as more than three times the number of boomers indicates that the way we're going is the habit of not taking lunch breaks.

This is to say that don't fall victim to the cultural pressure of having to take breaks. Although it might seem that you're being productive however, it actually causes further health problems and adds effects of being confined to the desk.

Instead, take one breaks every hour. This increases your focus, energy and general performance.

You can take it more seriously and make proper breaks -- those with your friends- after the workday.

#3. Schedule social plans in the evening after work

Though it's not specifically connected to fighting loneliness during working hours, our third tip for fighting loneliness is short and sweet -- make time for yourself to socialize beyond work.

Socializing on social media doesn't count. It needs to be face-to-face in any way, be it an Zoom call or otherwise.

A UCSD study revealed that face-toface social interactions can improve your health however, using Facebook is likely to have a negative impact on your physical and mental health.

If you're not able to arrange a time for socializing after work, combine two of our suggestions and schedule a lunch with a friend or make a lunch break to hike with a friend.

If you're not in a situation to go out around town, consider an online happy hour, knitting hour or cat .GIF time works equally good.

Whatever you decide to do, put an event with a group of people on your calendar and plan to do often.

A significant 20% of workers who work remotely are lonely which makes it among the most difficult challenges of working alone (tied to collaboration and communication).

In addition, with an overwhelming 98 percent of workers who work from home intending to continue their way of life for the duration of their careers, this isolation issue will be here to stay, and is only getting increasingly important in battling.

That said, we know the importance of allowing time to spend time with friends isn't an easy task. There are families to tend to, pets that be awed by, and a dozen additional obstacles that make it difficult to stay on top of your schedule.

There's a second option -the online community.

#4. Be part of an online mastermind group

Our fourth way to fight solitude while working is to interact with co-workers as well as your peers via a group or online mastermind.

Affiliating to a relevant group on the internet is a powerful way to engage and build camaraderie with like-minded people.

Furthermore, it provides you with an opportunity to work with other people, and has the additional benefit of fueling your motivation. Actually, you'll be able to stick with your task for 64% more time in collaboration with others compared doing it on your own.

Brit Kolo, who is the creator of Marketing Personalities, told me that joining a mastermind group is the best investment she's made in her company up to now -- and not just because of increase in business but also due to the friendships and constant support community it provides.

"I've developed as a person, leader, and a CEO. My fellow business owners who are part of my mastermind group have become long-lasting friends and I do not say it lightly."

The signs point to the society in need of more thought-leadership such as you'll find in a mastermind group. A HRPA study revealed that a whopping 63% of young people believe their leadership abilities aren't getting developed.

The most important thing is to identify your tribe and build a relationship with them. The relationships you build can nurture through live video chat.

In a way, it's our next suggestion for cutting away loneliness in a distant environment.

#5. Leverage video conferencing

Another effective way to fight from loneliness working remotely is to use live video applications to stay in touch to your coworkers and acquaintances.

Why video conferencing? It is effective, as per a landslide majority of users.

98% of people believe video conferencing helps to build connections within as well as outside of their workplaces.

Furthermore, 96% of respondents are either strongly or in agreement that videoconferencing is a reliable method to improve connectedness among team members who are located far away.

Even if you're flying solo, you can still lean on video conferencing to connect with other people in a more intimate way, regardless of whether they are team members or non-team members.

Video chat can be more enjoyable as opposed to, for instance, a phone call or email because it adds an additional layer of nonverbal communication that's otherwise left out in non-face-to-face communication.

70 percent of the communication we use is not verbal. This means that if you're using audio or text, you're only getting just 30% of the information at most.

This isn't going to improve on anyone's loneliness -- but it could be improved on, anyway.

Video can also aid in your collaborative and innovative efforts. So much so that in a study conducted of LifeSize, 50% of businesses who use videoconferencing are more innovative and 55% of them collaborate better.

If you're searching for no-cost video conferencing tools, consider Skype , Webex  and Zoom .

It is important to make the most of the latest technology by using live video conference to connect face-to-face with people in your day-to-day routine.

Our final tip goes one step further by interacting in person with coworking spaces.

#6. Mix it up with a coworking space or place outside your home

Assuming it's safe to travel, another effective way to combat loneliness when working is to get out of your home office and use or a coworking facility, shared office space, or even a café.

The idea is to modify your life to incorporate other humans and work from a place other from your place of residence. This increases the chances of breaking out from a lonely slump, engaging with other people and forming conversation, even if it's just a short one with a barista.

Locating a coworking space in your area shouldn't be a challenge these days since they seem to be appearing everywhere.

The number of coworking facilities has skyrocketed to over 26,300 worldwide . The US alone, the number will increase up to 6,200 by 2022.

In terms of people in terms of people, it was the Global Coworking Unconference Conference (GCUC) predicted that there would have 5.1 million coworking users worldwide by 2022, this is an impressive 24.2% annual growth rate. So far, all indications indicate that it is an accurate forecast.

So that's plenty of potential friends to make regardless of the fact that, under these circumstances, you'll have to do it at a distance. Make yourself visible (as you can) and consider adding a few additional colleagues to your address file. This will allow you to beat the loneliness blues And you never know, it could be a great career opportunity.

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Combat loneliness and find your groove again

Being a solo person doesn't mean that it's necessary to feel lonely.

It's crucial to get involved to prevent loneliness from taking its toll when you work on your remote career and business.

To summarize:

Be proactive in taking care of your mental health by engaging in regular exercise. Many benefits can boost the general health of you and your company.

Make sure you take regular breaks too. Contrary to what you may imagine, they will make you more focused and productive.

Set aside time for social gatherings as well as meet-ups that aren't part of your normal routine. The time spent in person is required and should not be left to the side, no matter it's necessary to conduct this using a conferencing program.

Join relevant online forums such as masterminds, Facebook groups and others to network with other people who share your interests and establish lasting connections. Reddit and Slack communities can also serve this goal.

Improve your communications to other people making use of live videoconferencing software as much as you can. Much of our communications are non-verbal and rely on sound and text for all communication.

In the end, if it's secure to work from a coworking space, consider the coworking space and places outside your home office into your daily schedule. Even the smallest environmental change can be a big influence in your mental health.

Look, as a team as a group, we've had remote work for many years but the reality of it is that one can always be in a state of loneliness when you work on your own.

But you will adjust, and after implementing only a handful of these methods You'll quickly realize that working on your own doesn't have become an isolated island. There's still a way to be part of your community, even if you must travel further than the internet, conference calls platforms, or coworking space to find it.