If you’re self-employed, you might be facing a huge amount of anxiety because of coronavirus, as it has a major impact on your work and money. You might not be able to work or have clients cancel, and we know lots of small business owners are in for some tough times.
Leapers is a community which supports the mental health of self-employed people. So we wanted to share some of our community’s tips for looking after your mental health and coping with the effects of coronavirus if you’re self-employed.
1. Don’t pressure yourself to be the most productive person in the world
Right now, the most important thing is looking after yourself.
You might feel pressure to be productive, but it’s very unlikely you were ever 100% productive while everything was normal! So it’s even less likely right now.
It’s also likely we’ll be working this way for a few months at least, so you don’t have to get it all figured out right away.
2. Look after your financial health
You might’ve found you can’t work remotely, or your clients have cancelled lots of your work. So it’s understandable you might be worried about what the future has in store for your small business.
We know this can be incredibly stressful and worrying. Try not to panic, and instead take immediate action to:
Understand your financial position: how many days, weeks, months can you run without work for?
Cut back non-essential spending
Read up on what financial support you can access. Martin Lewis has brilliant guides on Money Saving Expert which they keep up to date as things change. Or check out the excellent Work Notes for advice if you’re self-employed.
3. Remind your clients that you’re here!
Lots of businesses are still operating, and might need extra support as they struggle to manage core business operations or cope with the changes brought on by coronavirus. This could be a good time to offer your support as a freelancer.
Reach out to your network and either ask if there’s anything they need support with, or suggest some tangible things you can do that could help.
4. Use any new-found free time to plan for your business (...or don’t!)
If your financial situation’s okay and you’re fortunate enough to still be working, you might have more time while you practice social distancing at home.
If you want to use that time to relax and watch Netflix, that’s totally fine! But if you want, it could be useful to think ahead about how you can make sure your business stays resilient, what new skills you might want to develop, and what new products or services you might want to offer in a post-corona world.
You could even lend your efforts to support other small businesses. Ask around your network to see if anyone needs help, or even just someone to talk to.
5. Don’t forget to go outside!
Your physical health and mental health are absolutely intertwined. So keeping on top of your diet and exercise is especially important in stressful times like this.
Eat well (lots of green leafy veg, lots of Vitamin D rich foods), drink lots of fluids (ideally not as much caffeine, less alcohol and lots of water) and make use of your daily exercise allowance outdoors. Without jobs or client meetings to get you dressed and out the house, it can be hard to stay active!
6. Freelance life under coronavirus can be lonelier than ever. Reach out to other self-employed friends to check on each other and chat 💛
Freelance life can be lonely at the best of times, let alone if you’re working less than usual and everyone’s at home.
So take time to ask people in your network how they are. And actually listen for the answer! Give people an opportunity to share if they're struggling, and help them talk it through.
Lead by example and share how you're feeling too. So when someone asks you, be honest if you can. If you're struggling, try to say so. Often the simple act of saying it out loud helps you, and lets others know they can be honest if they're struggling too.
If you don’t feel comfortable sharing with your team, you can find people to connect with in a non-judgemental online community like Leapers!
We’re available online at www.leapers.co, where you can register to join our slack, sign up for our monthly tips, and access more resources for looking after yourself when working for yourself such as our ebook on working well from home. If you’re a business owner who wants to support your team whilst their working remotely, we can help you work apart closer together.
If you’re really feeling low or struggling with feelings of isolation, anxiety or panic, there are people who can help. Call Samaritans on 116 123.
We’ve invited charities and organisations working hard to support people through coronavirus to share their work and answer your questions.
Look out for more guest blog posts and tell us what else you’d like to hear about 💚