My husband reminded me of a funny story, and I thought I’d share it with you.
A couple weeks ago, we had a rare family weekend — my husband didn’t have to work for a change. So, on Saturday morning, we all went to the gym together. The kids went to daycare, my husband went to work out, and I headed to my beloved step class.
#childoftheeighties 🙌🏻
Class is an hour, and Justin usually works out for about 40 minutes. So he was waiting for me to finish. Class ended, and allllll the people came out… except for Lauren.
I didn’t show up until a good 10 minutes after class had ended. Why? Because I was hanging out chatting with the instructor.
Justin laughed out loud when I told him, “Hey, this is how I fit in my daily interactions with grown-ups.”
The thing is, I’m not kidding.
Freelancing means being on your own — which is awesome — but it can also be a little lonely.
The thing is, I firmly believe that as a grown-up — and in particular as a freelancer and/or business owner — you have control over your life.
If you’re lonely, what are you doing about it?
You could join a mom’s group. Or a networking group. Or team up with another local freelancing mama once a week for a co-working session.
You have options. You’re not helpless, Mama.
It’s totally legitimate to worry that you’ll be lonely if you leave your job and start freelancing. Heck, it’s totally legitimate to feel lonely at home. But you don’t have to just sit there saying, “I’m lonely.”
You can find a way to change that situation.
Maybe you’re a person who likes small, limited doses of people.
Maybe hanging out in our amazing online community daily and spending an hour walking and talking with a friend once a week will be plenty to recharge you.
If you’re more like me (HELLO! EXTROVERT!), you can definitely find ways to fit interaction into your schedule. I’ve been known to work at Starbucks just so that I could hang out with the barista and find out how she’s really doing.
But I also build interaction into my daily life. I stop at the park on the way home from school with Daphne. She plays with friends, I chat with the parents. It’s low key, and it helps us transition from the school/work day to family mode.
I work in public spaces (like Starbucks) so that I can have casual conversations with people around me.
I befriend the step instructors at the gym.
I joined a mom’s group the second I arrived in Houston.
Being lonely is a real thing. But you don’t have to just accept loneliness as part of your life. If you’re struggling to figure out how to get more community in your life, let us know in the Facebook group. Maybe there’s another Free Mama in driving distance — or at least one who knows your area and has some smart suggestions.
Remember, being part of The Free Mama community means you’re never really alone.
We got you, Mama.