There’s no secret about the fact that freelancing can be an anxiety-ridden affair.
You never know where your next project is going to come from.
There’s always that fear of…
“What if my work dries up?”
There’s also the fear of running into issues with payment, running into clients who don’t honor their contracts, running into clients who spread bad false information about you in the marketplace, etc.
There’s really no end of things to worry about.
So today, we’re going to talk about five effective ways that you can use to cope with stress as a freelancer, regardless of what your hustle is.
These are all science-backed, health and wellness-based methods that you can start deploying today.
Let’s jump into it.
Table of Contents
1. Stay Physically Active
The science is really clear on this.
The more physically active you stay, the better off you’re going to be in the long run in terms of stress reduction.
So develop a workout routine that’s based on exercises, that will give you a little bit of strength training and aerobic output.
And make sure that you stick with this routine on a daily basis.
You don’t have to go crazy and run yourself into the ground.
You just have to work hard enough to get a good sweat going and your heart pumping.
This will do wonders for helping to reduce your anxiety levels.
2. Avoid Using Substances (Like Alcohol Or Drugs) To Treat Your Symptoms
It can be very tempting to use alcohol or drugs as a freelancer.
But here’s the thing.
Since you work by yourself, you’re already going to struggle with isolation as a freelancer.
And using drugs or alcohol to try to numb your anxiety will only make that problem worse.
Plus, it’s bad for your body.
It’s bad for your business.
It’s bad for your health in general.
To add on top of that, becoming dependent on a substance will only actually increase your anxiety in the long term.
So using alcohol or illegal/illicit drugs to treat freelancer anxiety is definitely a lose/lose scenario.
3. Make Sleep A Priority
It’s vitally important to get enough sleep.
As a freelancer, you may be tempted to stay up and work late into the night trying to make ends meet and to get ahead on your projects.
But here’s the problem with that.
This puts you behind the curve because it sets you behind a normal healthy circadian rhythm.
It’s always in your best interest to adopt a healthy sleep schedule.
Ideally, you’ll adopt a sleeping schedule where you go to bed in the evening and get up early to make use of that early morning creative energy.
4. Eat A Healthy Diet
Another issue that often plagues freelancers is that they can tend to have a poor diet.
As a freelancer, it’s really easy to fall into the habit of grabbing takeout, going to the drive-thru, or heating up a TV dinner in the microwave.
But here’s the problem.
All of that stuff is processed food that’s high in fat and sugar content.
And really, it’s not giving you any substantive nutrient-rich calories that are going to actually provide you with the nutrition you need to stay fit and healthy.
Instead, focus on a whole food diet made up of vegetables, fruits, lean meat, and low-calorie sweets.
Try to avoid excessive junk food, and make sure that you drink plenty of water.
5. Make Sure To Take Breaks
As a freelancer, you may be prone to workaholism.
And this can definitely increase your levels of stress and anxiety.
Therefore, it’s always a better approach to attack your work with enthusiasm for a certain number of hours, and then to let yourself off the hook to take some breaks.
This just speaks again to the importance of getting ahead of the curb and being responsible about your work—but then, also being responsible for your own happiness and well-being at the same time.
Taking breaks is super important—so don’t neglect it.
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Conclusion
There you have it.
Five effective ways to help cope with freelancing anxiety using effective health and wellness techniques.
All that’s left now is to put in the effort and make it happen.
Living a stress free life as a freelancer is important.
It may seem impossible, but it’s not.
You have the power to crush your anxiety and create peace of mind for yourself.
So make it happen using these five tips today.