We all know the saying: “health is wealth.” But for busy freelancers, juggling deadlines, chasing clients, and navigating an ever-changing workload can make self-care seem like a luxury, not a necessity.
But here’s the truth: prioritizing self-care isn’t a selfish indulgence, it’s a strategic investment in your freelance success.
Think of it like this: your body and mind are your tools. When they’re well-oiled and running smoothly, you’re a productivity powerhouse. But when they’re neglected, stress and burnout can creep in, leaving you feeling drained, unfocused, and even resentful of your work.
That’s why we’re dedicating this article to exploring essential self-care tips for freelancers.
Let’s face it, freelancing can be a rollercoaster. But by equipping yourself with the right self-care practices, you can navigate the ups and downs with grace and resilience.
Self-care is an essential part of our lives.
In this line of work, a lot challenges are being encountered.
There’s always this pressure that you put on yourself to find more clients and projects that will help sustain your daily needs and financial obligations.
You must know how to relieve yourself of the stresses that come with it to remain in tip-top shape, with the staying power that you need to be able to continue effectively in your chosen career.
The biggest struggle many home-based freelancers experience is managing how to keep a well-balanced lifestyle.
Being in isolation for longer periods of time can take a toll greatly on someone’s mental and emotional wellbeing.
More often than not, freelancers who work in their homes, in their pursuit of finishing more projects as much as they can, leads to unhealthy habits like skipping meals and sleeping late nights or simply not getting enough healthy sleep at all.
Now that is dangerous and can lead to serious health problems.
That is why we decided to come up with this video to give you self-care tips that really work.
After all, you are still your greatest asset.
So here are your self-care tips, served hot and with a lot of love.
1. Start A Healthy Morning Routine
We know that when you wake up in the morning, the first thing you do is check your email right away, and you won’t notice that you already spent almost your entire morning sitting in front of your computer.
You often forget to take a nice shower and make yourself a good breakfast.
Now that is not a healthy morning routine.
Remember that you need proper conditioning first so as not to abuse your body and mind.
You need to have that positive energy to get you going throughout long hours of work without exhausting yourself.
So after you get out of bed in the morning, do some stretching and little exercises to release positive hormones in your body.
And then treat yourself to a nice breakfast and a delicious brew of hot coffee or any fruit juice that you love.
Clear your mind of the workload ahead first, read or watch a nice short story, and when you feel already relaxed and energized, then go ahead and start working.
Remember that you always have to be at your best, within the correct frame of mind, to be able to give your best in work.
You will be more productive this way, and you will surely deliver quality work always.
2. Connect With Family and Friends
A good break in between work is normally a cup of coffee or a cigarette.
Try calling people that love to hear from you even for just a few minutes, like a good friend or your mom or dad perhaps.
Just talk to them about anything, not work-related.
Just try to connect because we are humans, and being a home-based freelancer shuts you out from the world most of time.
That’s why a little human interaction from the outside world every now and then is a good break from work.
It is actually one of the best ways to unwind — to hear the voice of a loved one.
It will help you tremendously in taking care of your mental and emotional health.
3. Connect With A Support Group
Now we have mentioned about being alone in your workplace at home most of the time, and interaction with people within the same industry or interest will help you in keeping your mental and emotional health because being isolated for long hours all by yourself is not easy.
It is actually one of the biggest challenges that most home-based freelancers must conquer.
Joining a support group for freelancers will give you a sense of belongingness and within a group, you will have the pleasure of connecting with the rest of the members for some very important tips and strategies on how you can balance life and work and anything in between effectively.
Well, it is actually easy to find such communities or groups online.
You can find them on Facebook or LinkedIn, among other social media platforms available nowadays.
Support groups really help a lot in so many ways especially if you are struggling with a problem within one of your projects, it would be easier to solicit tips and advice that can help you find the solution that you need more quickly.
That can save you from a whole lot of overthinking which often leads to frustration and stress.
4. Download A Self-Care App
The good thing about technology nowadays is that you can find a lot of apps that can guide you with self-care routines.
Just use keywords like “self-care app” or “healthy routine app,” just a few examples, in Google Play or Apple Store.
Before downloading to your phone, make sure to check the star ratings and reviews first.
Four to five stars is very ideal, and read the positive and negative feedback from users as well to help you pick the best app for you.
5. Self-Care Vs Relaxation
This is an important information that you must learn.
Relaxation is something you do after a tiring day, and that’s what most people call de-stressing through an activity they enjoy, like drinking a couple of beers or going out to shop or party.
But those activities are only for the short-term.
Self-care involves your physical, mental, and emotional overall health.
Yoga is a good example.
You can get into yoga to summon all positive energies and to get rid of all negative vibes.
But you don’t need to go into that.
It is just a suggestion that you might want to try.
The most important part of your self-care routine must include a better sleep routine, a healthy diet, and daily exercise.
A simple but healthy exercise is jogging or brisk walking in the park when you get out of bed in the morning.
Or you might just need a simple 7-minute Qigong daily routine to enhance your mind and body.
It is a good way of taking care of your physical health.
Reading a good book is also a good way to take care of your mental health and connecting with people you care about is a good way of taking care of your emotional health.
Those are just a few of the most beneficial activities towards self-care.
6. Good Food Routine
Most home-based freelancers forget about this simple magic that works wonders for health all the time – the good food routine.
Admit it or not, you often forget to prepare a hearty meal for you when you get busy in front of your computer.
You don’t notice time passing you by, and so you skip the very important meals of the day.
And you are guilty of eating pizzas and burgers most of the time.
Good food need not be expensive.
You just need to know that it is important to include vegetables and fruits in your daily diet.
That is the good food routine.
Whatever you eat in any given day, don’t forget fruits and vegetables.
An apple or banana a day can tremendously work wonders for your health.
If you are running out of ideas for a good meal, you can always download some apps on your phone to guide you on some of the easiest and healthiest dishes you can prepare in no time.
Some of these apps can also help you plan your meals for an entire week.
7. Exercise Frequently
Exercising on a regular basis not only gives you better physical health but mental health as well.
Exercising releases feel-good hormones in your body that help prevent anxiety and depression.
Sometimes being alone at work for long hours every single day can take a toll on your overall mood.
That is why exercising daily, especially before starting work, will condition your mind and body at peak performing levels.
8. Get Enough Sleep
Don’t deprive yourself of good sleep.
The body needs to get this much-needed rest for eight hours.
Aside from making sure you are properly nourished, make sure that you are getting enough hours of sleep. It is an essential part of self-care.
You need to re-energize your body every single day.
Not getting enough sleep hampers your ability to work at peak performance and you won’t be able to deliver better work if deprive yourself of it.
Lack of sleep also leads to anxiety, depression, and stress.
There you go, self-care is something you do when you learn to love yourself more.
It is not rocket science.
It is just fine to work hard for your goals, but make sure your overall health is not compromised.
So love yourself more and follow these simple self-care tips.
We strongly suggest that you set your health goals and track your habits using a self-care planner.
Download this cute self-care planner.
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