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Are you walking on eggshells around your colleagues? Are you tired from having bosses breathing down your neck round the clock in the office? Do you ever take a little too long in the washroom to take a short breather?
If your answer is a yes to all, then you might want to consider freelancing to improve your mental health.
We know how mentally exhausting it can get to be on your toes at every minute and the exhaustion is amplified when you have snappy bosses. At this rate, it’s little wonder when you find your hair falling out because of the piled-up stress.
And before long, you would find yourself in a constant state of anxiousness and full of dread to get to work. Oh- and let’s not forget, the terrible peak hour to and fro.
No one wants to feel like they’re walking in a dark tunnel with no end in sight. So maybe, it’s time to consider switching things up by getting into freelancing.
Freelancers are those who are self-employed and provide their services or products for an agreed-upon fee. They are people who are not bound to specific work hours and are able to freely choose whatever jobs at their own convenience. Thus, they have more freedom in their way of life than being married to their job.
Making the switch to freelancing and away from your 9 to 5 job would first and foremost help in regulating your emotional welfare. This change would help introduce a breath of fresh air into your life.
By settling into freelancing, you are in full control of your daily routine. You have the freedom to use the washroom whenever you wish. You are no longer required to mentally prepare yourself for a snarky rejection from superiors. You can forget about the judgemental eyes following you and ruthless competition to achieve KPIs.
You have full authority to tailor your work hours in a way that helps you achieve the best productivity levels while keeping your mental and physical being in check. One of the best things about not committing to a full-time job is (probably) the mid-day break for snuggling with your cat!
Without compromising your mental well-being, you can approach your clients in a manner that makes you comfortable and confident. You know what works best for you and how to carry yourself without anyone telling you the “correct” way so you can work with full confidence.
Mental health is a hot issue among the young and is gaining more recognition in recent years. One example is the changes in the PSLE scoring system. The new system in place aims to put less stress and pressure on students by allowing more space for them to pursue other activities to nurture than branding them solely on strict grades.
Similarly, for adults, this includes remote work as a desired work arrangement to lighten work stress. Research from Catalyst reported that remote work increases employee well-being and productivity among many other benefits. The findings showed that access to remote work increases innovation by 63% and a 75% increase in work engagement.
Hence, allowing yourself comforting distractions as self-care might be the added change that your mind needs. For as long as the work is done satisfactorily and the client is happy, the sense of satisfaction is there and you get to enjoy this high while keeping a healthy work-life balance.
However, that is not to say that freelancing is equivalent to a 100% stress-free lifestyle. Everyone’s mental health is different and there is no right answer. At the end of the day, it is equally important to take care of your health no matter which type suits your preferred lifestyle.
Nonetheless, it is advisable to seek professional help should you need help to cope with work stress or trauma that is negatively affecting your daily life.
Outside is Singapore’s leading community micro-job platform that creates micro (l)earning opportunities for students, homemakers and seniors.
As a two-sided platform, Outside provides an all-in-one outsourcing management platform for businesses, assisting in breaking down jobs into smaller simpler pieces and improving operations efficiency. For job seekers, Outside provides flexible job opportunities that users can easily pick up and complete within the Outside app, allowing them to work conveniently and earn reliably.
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