We love to be surrounded by people who admire and love us. Being surrounded by people who understand our values gives us a sense of happiness and belonging. Similarly, we do not like to be surrounded by people who let us down and do not talk positively about us. When working in an office setup, you might get a mixture of people working around you. You may get along with most of them, and you might not get along quite well with some of them. That is not a problem; that is part of life.
If you are someone who likes to be on your own, you will appreciate the isolation working from home brings you. Working in isolation is totally acceptable and should be respected equally by people who do not like to work in isolation. It is also worth mentioning that working in isolation does not mean averse to collaboration.
Approximately 42% of remote workers expressed that they often or sometimes miss the direct communication that comes with being physically present in a workplace. This need for interaction encompasses both professional discussions and personal exchanges. In contrast, only 12% of on-site workers reported a similar sentiment regarding insufficient communication.
https://themunicheye.com/survey-home-office-loneliness-office-employees-10308
Working on yourself is not the only contributing factor to feeling lonely. According to scientific investigations, a person with a multitude of social contacts may still feel isolated if the quality or quantity of the relationships does not meet their demands.
However, if you are someone who feels lonely or isolated from colleagues, you can follow some of the points outlined below to help the situation.
Short casual chats with colleagues
You can always start a short casual chat with a colleague. The conversation does not have to be work-related, however; always ensure that you are not disturbing. We sometimes meet lifelong friends through our workplace.
Themed fun meetings
You can organise activities like quizzes, games, or show-and-tell sessions. It is a great way engage with your colleagues and stay motivated.
Meet up in person
Working from home does not mean you cannot meet your colleagues. You can meet your colleague/colleagues in person once in a while. If you are a team leader/manager, you can arrange an activity, such as a movie out, a meal out, or a gaming activity, once every few months to build team bonding.
Go for a walk/run
To counter-attack sitting at the desk and feeling lonely, you can take a step back from your desk and enjoy a walk or a run. Walking or running does not just help you out when you are feeling lonely; it will also make you healthy, and motivated, and make you feel good about yourself.
Read a book or learn something new
Whenever you are feeling lonely, you can take that opportunity to read a book or learn something new. Not only will it help you to fight your loneliness, it will also help you to expand your knowledge.
Talk to a family member or neighbour
You can always talk to your family members if they are around you or even take a short walk to your neighbour to have a brief chat. Before you do, make sure you agree on a time that is mutually convenient, so you do not end up interrupting them.
Listen to a music
Nothing stops you from listening to your favourite music track. Listening to a song and singing along is a great way to combat loneliness and feel energetic.
Meditate
Feeling lonely does not necessarily have to be replaced by social contacts. You can leverage the precious moment of silence into a meditation session. The loving-kindness meditation in Theravada Buddhism is something you can try regardless of your religious or spiritual background.
In a Nutshell
Feeling lonely and isolated when working remotely can be demotivating and hinder remote workers’ performance. However, this can be easily resolved by following a healthy lifestyle/work style as we discussed throughout the article. People find the right balance in their very own unique ways. Therefore, it is important to sit down or take a break to understand what is important to you and what is the best strategy to overcome loneliness when working remotely.
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