{"id":11480,"date":"2015-03-26T11:00:40","date_gmt":"2015-03-26T11:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/?p=11480"},"modified":"2022-01-19T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-01-19T12:00:00","slug":"changing-workplace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/changing-workplace.htm","title":{"rendered":"Working for Yourself? How to Stay Sane When Self-Employed"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"working<\/a>

By: Alper \u00c7u\u011fun<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Working for yourself<\/strong> as a<\/strong> freelancer, entrepreneur, or ‘digital nomad’? The ‘freelance economy’ has seen many of us wave goodbye to steady jobs to achieve what we thought a dream lifestyle of freedom.<\/p>\n

But turns out that being your own boss doesn’t come without a price. Andrea M. Darcy<\/strong> explores.<\/em><\/p>\n

The psychological costs of working for yourself<\/h2>\n

A 2021 survey by freelancer mental health association Leapers<\/a>\u00a0found that 79 per cent of those who become self-employed didn’t even consider how it might impact their mental health. 35 per cent end up reporting that the reality of working for themselves was not what they expected.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If any of the following sound familiar, know you are not alone. Many who attempt to be a freelancer or entrepreneur go through a similar journey.<\/p>\n

1. Anxiety.<\/span><\/h3>\n
\"self<\/a>

By: Pat Pilon<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Work has always been the cause of anxiety for some, but there are new reasons workers are anxious.<\/p>\n

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Freelancers live with the constant worry<\/a> over whether new contracts will come in, and can feel like they no longer have life security.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

And then there is the lack of<\/strong> feedback<\/a> the regular workplace<\/a> provides. This can lead to anxiety about whether or not clients are happy with the work being done.<\/span><\/p>\n

(Not sure you are suffering anxiety or just stressed? Read our piece on stress vs anxiety)<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

2. Money-related depression. <\/span><\/h3>\n

It can be hard to predict a regular income if working for yourself, leading to money stress<\/a>. Freelancing can also lead to being seen differently by banks, and we might have not realised we’d, say, now struggle to get a mortgage like our friends.<\/p>\n

And many new businesses take out start-up loans,<\/strong> which can seem a good idea at first.\u00a0 But it cause stress later on when the interest-free period expires or the generous relative demands payback. We end up with depression over debt<\/a>, which can be even more problematic if we are too embarrassed to let family or friends know for fear they see us as a failure.<\/p>\n

3. Lowered self-esteem. <\/span><\/h3>\n

Traditional workplaces<\/a> provide feedback and ongoing training that works to keep employees feeling on track. Without this structure, and without constructive criticism, freelance workers can worry about their performance or talent. This can exacerbate any self-esteem issues<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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And while a project gone wrong can seem acceptable and a part of any job when it’s for a company, if it’s your own company, it can seem a personal setback.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

4. Focus issues are common when working for yourself.\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
\"changing<\/a>

By: whatleydude<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

We can think we hate the supervision and competition of the workplace. But then we find ourselves a freelancer working at home<\/a>, and discover we are prone to distraction<\/span><\/a> without supervision, in ways we didn’t expect. It can feel harder and harder to get things done<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Boredom<\/a> can also trigger<\/strong> all of the above, when the thrill of working from home in your pyjamas or being your own boss wears off.<\/p>\n

5. Loneliness. <\/span><\/h3>\n

Many workers gone freelance underestimate how much they relied on the social contact<\/a> the workplace provided, or on afterwork drinks. Life can start to feel very lonely<\/a> when working from home or caf\u00e9s where you know nobody.<\/p>\n

(Read about ‘the 3 Stages to Overcoming Loneliness’<\/span><\/a> if you are concerned, or our piece ‘7 Surprising Reasons You Are Feeling Lonely’<\/span><\/a>).<\/p>\n

Experiencing self-employed burnout?<\/h2>\n

A whopping 75 per cent of the self-employed workers who took part in the above mentioned Leapers survey reported experiencing burnout.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"changing<\/a>

By: bark<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

The traditional image of workplace burnout<\/a> is of a CEO<\/a> working 14 hour days.<\/p>\n

But burnout is actually less related to hours worked,<\/strong> and more to the effects<\/em> of those hours. Burnout is specifically about experiencing feelings of powerlessness<\/a> and loss of control.<\/em><\/p>\n

Symptoms to look out for include:<\/strong><\/p>\n