The first thing you may notice about working from home is the lack of social interaction! You may be feeling some social isolation. Even if you’re very busy during the day, not talking with others can be tough. This isn’t the case for everyone, as many of us have children, numerous calls, social engagements, and so on, but it’s important to make social interaction a regular part of your daily life.

To avoid the habit of not speaking to others for hours or days at a time, follow these simple tips below.

• Get Out and About: If you’re able to, try taking your work to a coffee shop or local business with Wi-Fi a few times per week. The change of scenery is always helpful and may make you even more productive! This also forces you to get ready, get out of the house, and arrange the outing into your schedule – all things that may help you feel more likely yourself in a home-based position.
• Schedule Your Social: Planning social outings and activities becomes even more important without the workplace friendships and opportunities available in a traditional office job. Plan social or networking events at least 1-2 nights per week, as this will keep you from getting bored and lacking social interaction during the day. Often times there are networking events that take place over lunch, so those may be a great option too. Try Meetup.com for networking events in your area.
• Talk with Friends: When you get a break, try to chat with your friends. Send a text, schedule a quick call, or just chat briefly on Gmail Chat, Facebook Messenger, or any other chat feature. This allows you to break up your day, laugh with a friend, and maintain your social relationships.
• Interact with Other Home-Based Workers: There are groups, such as the HireMyMom.com Facebook page, that have a large collection of home-based working moms and people. They can offer tips and advice and lend an ear when you might want to chat. It’s a great idea to cultivate friendships among groups like this, since working from home is not extremely common. It’s nice to have someone who knows what you’re going through, and who also understands that social interaction is key to a happy, successful life – especially in the home-based working realm.

So, the next time you’re working from home and feeling social isolation, get out of your chair and onto the phone to call a friend for a chat or a coffee date.

Check out these other great articles about staying healthy as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

(Image courtesy of Serge Bertasius at freedigitalphotos.net)