We are living in a landscape of loneliness. Loneliness is not only bad for our minds: it’s bad for our health, too, with research showing that chronic long-term loneliness can be as bad as smoking fifteen cigarettes a day, and can increase the risk of blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.
It is perhaps no surprise, then, that workplace loneliness is on the rise. It almost sounds like the start of a bad joke: how can you spend all day surrounded by colleagues and still feel alone? But with technology replacing human interaction, heavier workloads (which means less socializing) and the popularity of working from home, it is increasingly the case.
Whether you’re at the office from 9–5 or you’ve embraced a more unconventional work path, it’s critical to take deliberate steps to balance your digital work life with your respective social one.
To help spark ideas to mitigate these effects, below are given some tips to overcome loneliness.
Find a Co-working Space Near You
Use sites like Coworker to filter by location, reviews and membership options to find your perfect space. Many offices provide a free day pass or in some cases a free week so that you can test out the space and ensure it’s the right fit for you.
Deskbookers has an aggregated list of the top 150 spaces around the world. Use the command and ‘F’ key to see if your city or country had an exceptional space that made the list.
Additionally if you’re looking for a place to create camaraderie and unity and even join events, Wework is a great option. The valued global community of entrepreneurs, leaders and innovators will make you feel right at home.
Become a Tourist in Your Own City
Who says the only time you can explore is when you’re living in a new city or nomad-ing in a foreign country?
Using platforms like Yelp, Foursquare and the more globally renownedTripAdvisor can be an effective way to search for coffee shops and aesthetically appealing libraries to change your daily environment and give yourself an opportunity to interact with new faces. Important things to search for are terms like “free wifi”, “study” and don’t forget, “outlets”.
Join Meetups Based on Personal Interests
In primary school, you’re limited to befriending individuals within a few yards of where you study, in the office space, your community can be just as limited.
Meetups provide you with a way to explore and discover groups who can broaden your horizons or join activities you wouldn’t otherwise try alone.
I like to join hiking and board game meetups as they allow you to interact with people in different ways, versus just plain networking which does not encourage development of deep relationships during the event.
Enroll in Remote Working Conferences
Conferences can be a powerful form of networking. Remote workers are the best candidates for long conferences because your work doesn’t have to be put on hold.
Homebase Global is running a conference this November in Barcelona, a great prospect for fun while gaining personal growth and learning to optimize productivity.
If you’re running a remote team, the June 2019 Conference by Running Remote in Bali could be for you, providing you with actionable strategies and tactics to use to scale the team.
On the other hand, if you’re a location independent professional the Nomad Summit in January 2019 will bring you together with like minded individuals and deliver powerful inspiration.
Calendar Coffee & Lunch Dates with your New Network
After effectively making new connections, it’s all about continuing to cultivate the relationships you’ve built with your newfound friends. As a remote worker your personal calendar might be a bit sporadic, so be sure to schedule time in advance with the people you’ve met as a way of keeping in touch and catching up.
BDST: 1805 HRS, SEP 17, 2019
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