Is Working at Home Making You Feel Socially Inept?

I go to a once a week Meetup for professional women who work at home. In the group, one of the main issues everyone can agree on is how isolating it is. One person made a comment that the only person she talks to on some days is the UPS guy. Do I hear a Amen?!

Many freelance writers love the flexibility of their job and the creativity with dreaming up their own life.

But the downside?

No more 15 minute coffee breaks with your pal in the next cubicle. Ever watch The Office and actually feel pangs of jealousy?

The good news is that your normal.

All writers feel this way. Even super successful author Robert Bly says in Getting Started as a Freelance Writer, “You may think you’re losing your social skills.” And the Savvy-Writer similarly blogged about, “How to Combat Freelance Writer’s Depression.”

The bad news is that you’re going to have do something about it yourself.

Depressed yet?

Don’t be! There are things you can do to take some of the lonely out of this lonely profession.

Here are a few to get you started:

1. Reach out and touch someone. Connect with old friends you haven’t since you started working as a freelance writer. Remember when you’d had those long hourly breaks for lunch that you’d use to gossip with a co-worker? Well why not make a date with a friend by taking an hour of your freelance schedule during lunchtime to catch up? If you feel like you have too much work or feel guilty doing so, schedule it in as a treat for an hour once a week or even make a date for tea or a walk after your work day is over.
2. Join a group/club. There are sites like Meetup.com that are dedicated to helping people make new friends. There are book, exercise, new mommies, hiking, biking and every other subject under the sun. If you’re interested and passionate about something in particular, I dare you to look. You may find the group you’re looking for. The best thing about joining a club besides having the potential to make new friends is the opportunity you have for networking with other like-minded peeps and having a topic to write for that next article, book or blog post.
3. Meet digitally. I’ve made a few writerly friends on the web who live in other states. While it would have been nice to have coffee with them in person, I didn’t let the distance come between us and I’m glad I didn’t. There are a whole host of people across the country and even in the world that you can connect with. Don’t let distance stop you from interacting with potential writing friends that can offer you a world of support, advice and guidance on your journey.
4. If all else fails, social network. While Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc., are not as good as face-to-face interaction, it can be the boost you need in a challenging work at home day. Sometimes we just need someone to vent to, celebrate with or cheer us up. And the fastest and easiest way to do that is through social networking. In fact, while I was scrambling to finish a few projects today, a friend I hadn’t spoken to in ages saw me on Facebook and chatted with me online. It was just for 1o minutes, but it was the break I needed to keep going.

How about you? Any secrets you’d like to share on making freelance writing less isolating? I’d love to hear it.