One of the best buffers and protectors from stress is having a group of people around that you interact well with, can complain to in confidence and get things off your chest with. In the workplace, it is important to have a strong network of colleagues, and at home it is important to have family and friends to get you through everyday life.
This can cause a problem for people working from home, as their families are out all day, and they don’t have colleagues present (or may not even have colleagues at all in the case of pure freelancers).
Talking things over and “a problem shared is a problem halved” mentality really can help to reduce stress, but home workers can have these issues. Furthermore, there is no boss or HR manager to talk issues over with, and freelancers may feel pressured into accepting as many gigs as come their way because of the value of each job.
In order to combat this, a network of freelancers form what is called UK Jelly. Simply, Jelly helps to set up centres for people who would otherwise work alone to go to, meet people and socialise while working.
This can greatly help to protect people from the rigours of stress and the problems it can cause with mental health. Anxiety and depression have been found to occur as a consequence of work related stress, and can even lead to conditions such as asthma.
These centres bring people in the same situation together, let them work on their own projects in a casual environment, socialise with others and reduce their stress levels.
There are Jelly groups all across the country, and there should be one near you. If you are someone who works from home or are your own boss, and can feel the pressure of not having the support of colleagues, then you could look into attending one of these Jelly groups. They are free to attend, there are enough across the country that there should be one not too far from you (or you could even start your own!), and most importantly, they are a great form of stress management .
