Do you work from home? There are many advantages, whether you’re a remote worker for a company or simply working for yourself.  You don’t have to set the alarm clock so early, for one, and you can avoid the rat race by skipping the daily commute.

However, there is one big negative when working alone, and that is loneliness. Now for some, this might not be a problem. Who needs distracting office chatter anyway? While for others, those people who thrive on social contact, it can be a tad overwhelming.

So what can you do about the problem? Here are some practical tips that may overcome the issue of loneliness.

1. Don’t work in silence. You may not have other people around you, but you don’t have to subject yourself to total peace and quiet (unless you want to). Put on some background music or switch on the television, and you may find the noise offers some comforting background noise if you can’t stand to work in silence.
2. Get on social media. Now, this is both a good and a bad thing. Focussing on the negative, spending time on Facebook and Twitter, as examples, are guaranteed ways to distract yourself from what you should be doing. However, you still need to factor in time for a break during your working day, so whether it’s twenty minutes in the morning or an hour for lunch, share your thoughts online and have a conversation with others.
3. Take a walk. Again, focussing on your break times, get out of the house for a bit and take a walk. It might be a stroll around the block or a visit to a local store. You might even take the dog for a walk, which will be ideal for both of you. Getting some fresh air and being around other people will give you a boost, whether you stop for a conversation with somebody else or not.
4. Hold weekly meetings. If you work for another company, you are probably communicating with somebody, whether that’s on Skype or on Google Hangouts (other communication formats are available). This isn’t so easy when you’re working for yourself. However, if you know other people in the same situation as you, and preferably in a similar sort of business, get together with them and share ideas. Again, you can do this online, but if they are in the same locale as you, it might benefit you both to get together over a coffee and have a chat instead.
5. Don’t work from home. There are other places you can conduct your business from, whether you’re a remote worker or self-employed. You could make use of a designated co-working space, your local library or even enjoy a coffee and a cake while you work from a cafe. Many of these places will have free wifi too, and you won’t have to burden the expense of your rising utility bills at home. Result!

Final word

If loneliness gets you down when working from home, try our ideas and see if they help you. Let us know if you have any further advice for our readers too. Thanks for reading.

This post has been contributed by Ryan Gatt, it may contain affiliate links.