Being your own boss has many advantages. To manage stress effectively and to take care of your mental health, however, is often not a priority for the self-employed. If you suffer from work-related anxiety in general or related to self-employment in specific, there are certain things you can do.
12 Easy Ways to Manage Stress
There are some easy and quick steps you can incorporate into your own business. Workplace wellbeing doesn't only apply when you work for other people. Self-care is equally important for self-employed people and you might want to add the following to your to do lists:
Short walk - fresh air, moderate exercise and a change of scenery can do wonders
Connect with other freelancers - you're not alone; talking to others who are in the same boat can help
Take a break - allow yourself to step away from work by taking regular, short breaks
Set up a schedule - instead of working day and night and being available at all hours, it is better to stick to a schedule that structures your day
Prioritise - knowing what is important/urgent at any given moment (and what is not) will help you to structure your workload
Learn to say no - a limited amount of time means that you can't accept every job that comes your way. Feel free to say no to a client who has work for you that isn't as attractive as another offer on the table
Practice self-care - allow time for yourself to do what you love to do. Whether it's a hobby just for the fun of it or treating yourself to a massage
Accept praise - we tend to be quite harsh with ourselves. If a client praises you for a job well done, you certainly earned it and you are more than welcome to see it that way
Be yourself - that includes, amongst other things, not accepting jobs that don't align with your values and expressing your wishes and concerns freely
Don't forget your personal life - you treat your own company as your baby, quite rightly so. But don't forget that you've also got a life outside of work, such as your friends and family
Clear business goals - knowing where your self-employed business is taking you, can relieve stress
Mindfulness - learning to let your thoughts go, can help to alleviate everyday stresses
Work-related Stress - What is it exactly?
Feeling stressed and overwhelmed is a result of the fight or flight response. Our ancestors had to deal with a lot of life threatening situations. The stresses of our modern day world, however, are probably not going to kill us - well, chronic stress most likely will.
Social anxiety is a good example. As self-employed workers we might be afraid of meeting a new client and pitching our services. No matter how badly that might go and what nasty things the potential clients might think about us as a result, it won't be the end of our life.
Often it is being worried about the future - things, that haven't even happened yet, that cause us the most stress. Experiencing feelings of fear, depression, a loss of control and abusing alcohol or drugs are often direct results of feeling like we can't or won't be able to cope. Physical symptoms, such as tension in our bodies and digestive problems can also lead back to this state of mental health.
To make things worse, worrying is usually not very productive. We spend many hours of the day doing the wrong thing: instead of allowing us to rest, we worry about our freelance career. Hardly ever do we end up with specific tasks that will help us to overcome the challenges we currently face. Instead our minds keep returning to the same thought patterns, leading nowhere.
It would be nice to allow us to reap the benefits of being self-employed, but what we do is keep on thinking about how nice it would be to have a regular income; if our small business is too small or what other people might expect us to do. We turn to social media channels to distract us, to find support and advice, only ending up comparing ourselves to other business owners who seem to be doing so much better.
In a nutshell, work-related stress has several components. On the one hand, we have the trigger (e.g. a deadline). On the other hand, we've got our thoughts, behaviour and emotions that determine how we evaluate that trigger. If we are happy to have a deadline, because it makes us work harder and more focused, we will evaluate it as a positive thing. If we see it as a threat, we will most likely end up in a vicious circle of avoidance, anxiety and stress.
When to seek help
Whether you are self-employed or not, whenever you recognise that you might need help with your mental health, it is time to seek help. This blog post was written out of experience. For more than 10 years (and counting) I have been a self-employed person, working in different areas, such as copywriting, translations and SEO. I know how hard it can be sometimes to focus on what is truly important: YOU.
This is not necessarily a dedicated advice page, I merely wanted to help you navigate directly to specific steps you can implement right now. If you want to put in more effort, I am happy to help you as a cognitive behavioural hypnotherapist with a freelance background. My approach is based on research, offering you evidence-based techniques that have already helped many self-employed people to take control and manage their work-related stress.
Should your symptoms have already progressed to a stage where they cause severe anxiety, it might be wise to contact a GP or mental health professional who deals with more severe cases. I'm happy to help you assess whether this might be the case.
FAQ
How do you deal with self-employment stress?
There are many things you can do to relieve self-employment stress. Many people manage their stress by maintaining a good work-life balance and prioritising. Allowing yourself to step away from work, recharge your batteries and to gain a new perspective can also help with work-related stress.
Is freelancing good for mental health?
There are many aspects of freelancing that can promote mental health, such as self-efficacy and the flexibility to work hours that are suited to you and your life. On the other hand there are also factors that can cause stress and anxiety. Those who are self-employed tend to worry about not having a steady income and clients not paying them on time, for example.
Why is it hard to be self-employed?
The hardest thing about being self-employed is probably the best thing about having your own business: being in full control. On the one hand, this can be great. You can shape your work-life the way you want it. On the other hand, great power comes with great responsibility. There is no one else to blame if something goes wrong but you.
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