3 essential mindfulness tools for freelancers
3 mindfulness tools to manage freelance stress
Neuroscience has revealed the lasting effect that regular mindfulness practice has on the human brain. So it’s no surprise that we’re hearing more about it in mainstream culture. If you’re not familiar with mindfulness, here are 3 ways it can benefit you right now.
I’ve worked as a freelance mindfulness coach for the past 5 years and before that I ran my own company for 10 so I’d like to share some simple tools that regularly save me from mental anguish and stress.
When you commit to using these techniques on a daily basis, your life will change. Trust me, it’s more than worth the effort!
1. DOING EVERYTHING ON YOUR OWN
Life as a freelancer can feel pretty lonely if you’re working at home, alone. With no-one to bounce ideas off or chat to between meetings it can feel isolating. We can start to doubt ourselves and the work we’re doing.
We can feel even more disconnected when we start comparing the past with the present too. And once we get on that train of thought, it can snowball and before we know it, we’re miserable.
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A practical way to increase your feeling of connection with others is to join online or in-person groups (when restrictions ease) of like minded people in similar situations.
But this is a useful mindset you can use here too. Remember why you are a freelancer. If you made the choice to be one, remind yourself what you love about this life and the work you do and how it makes you feel to be able to do it. And if it wasn’t your choice, think about the benefits of freelance work and the freedoms and choices it offers. You could write this as a stream of consciousness or as bullet points. Get familiar with them so you can bring them to mind in moments when you need a boost.
Gratitude is another great technique to use her. It has been proven to increase our happiness. When we practice it, the brain releases two ‘happy chemicals’, dopamine and serotonin. And the more you practice it, the easier it becomes for the brain to access these types of thoughts.
Lastly, trust yourself. You know the answers. We sometimes just need to give ourselves the headspace to hear our own wisdom.
2. DEALING With UNCERTAINTY
Ironically, uncertainty is the only certain thing about being freelance. Not knowing who your next client will be and therefore not knowing how much money you’re going to make can be a major source of stress.
A study by Robert Leahy, Ph.D concluded that 85% of the things we worry about never happen. So rather than spending hours worrying about something that hasn’t happened and is unlikely to ever happen, you can instead just get on with your day.
Finding a practical way to manage these unhelpful thoughts and feelings when they do arise is one of the most powerful things you can do.
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Be clear on what you can influence and let go of what you can’t control.
This takes some practice as our brains like to hold on to the idea of control; it makes us feel safe, but can actually make us feel worse because no-one and nothing is truly in control. This can be a scary thought at first, but as you begin to absorb and accept this fact in your core, it will be incredibly freeing.
When you feel that sense of uncertainty, notice the sensations that arise in your body. What does it feel like? When we just notice the sensations in our body and we don’t layer on additional thoughts or explanations, the feeling passes on its own. But when we start to judge or fight the uncertainty, or worse, try to push it away, the feeling stays with us for longer.
Remember that everything changes. Nothing says the same. When we allow our emotions to flow naturally we gain a greater sense of ease in our lives. We stop struggling. And when things don’t work out the way we hoped or expected we can more easily accept this and move on instead of getting stuck We can keep moving forward with an open mind and fresh possibilities ahead.
3. FEELING OVERWHELMED
As master of your own business, you will always have tons of things to do. Automation is a great help but you still need to check and refine your systems. The constant demands on your attention can feel overwhelming, particularly as you’re unlikely to be an expert in every area of your business.
One of the main challenges we face as freelancers is that when we’re busy it’s great. The work is flowing and you’ve got lots of clients to invoice. But you don’t have time to do anything else, like sales or marketing. So when your current projects finish there’s a lull until you generate more work.
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Neuroscience has proved conclusively that multitasking doesn’t work. The brain just hops from one thing to another without giving its full, undivided attention to any one thing. Not only will this impact the results of your efforts, but it’s also exhausting and inefficient.
One way to keep all those plates spinning without feeling tired and confused is to make clear decisions with specific time frames and (this is the tricky bit) stick to them.
1. Create a prioritised ‘To Do’ list
2. Allocate a certain time frame to each task
3. When you feel yourself starting to get distracted, take a breath and choose to return to the task in hand - mindfulness shows us the power of returning to something over and over to build focused awareness. Using this technique over time will ensure you get more done, more effectively, without feeling overwhelmed.
I find this technique really useful whenever I feel myself becoming distracted by things like social media. In fact I used it to write this article!
4. Take a break between each task to give your mind and body a ‘reset’, even if it’s only for 3 minutes. Go outside and look up at the sky - feel yourself in the present moment, absorbed by nature. Using a timed alarm can help to completely let go of everything for that period of time.
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A final thought…
Keeping a light touch to your mindfulness practices will help you to keep doing them. After all, life is short, and there’s so much to enjoy!
For daily tips and inspiration you can find mindfulness expert Kate Greenslade on Instagram @mindfulness_life_coach or on LinkedIn for work related mindfulness tools.
This was written originally for Freelancer Magazine.
