Freelancers and the Importance of Self-Care

Tell me if this sounds familiar: in an effort to get all of the things done that you need or want to complete, you work hard and put in long hours. Maybe you start sleeping a little less, like 6 hours a night instead of 8. And you do this for a while, maybe a few days, maybe a few weeks. And then you start to crash.

It becomes a little harder to maintain focus. You start feeling a little cranky. You’re a little less motivated to keep working on projects, even one that bring you joy. Your overall stress level builds up.

But when you think about taking a little time to recharge, you feel guilty about not getting the work done that needs to be done, and that adds to your stress level. Which makes it harder to work at your best. Which adds to your stress level. Which makes you want to take some time for yourself, which makes you…

…you can see where this is going.

Freelancers and Self-Care

Self-care is vitally important for everyone, and I would say even more so for freelancers. Often, unless we have the fortune to be able to work somewhere like Indy Hall, we work alone most of the day. While some of us might identify as introverts, humans are still hardwired for social interaction and the lack of that interaction can lead to long-term mental health issues.

And now, with places like Indy Hall and other co-working spaces not being open due to COVID-19 (wear a mask, people!) it’s even harder to find those human connections and interactions. What’s more is that it becomes even harder to recognize when we may need a break without a relatively objective third party, such as a friend or a co-worker, asking us if we’re OK if they see changes in us.

It’s paramount that we take the time to recognize our own symptoms of stress and of needing to take a break, and then taking the actions needed to alleviate those symptoms and to do so without feeling guilty.

A Really Informal Case Study

I used to be terrible at this.

I hosted a watch party for a PAX Online panel the other night on the EatDrinkRoll Discord, and we stuck around for a while just to chat. Two of the people in there mentioned, not knowing me outside of watching the Team X game, that I’m someone who seems to like being busy.

This is a true statement.

I’m not sure why, but I like having projects to work on. I’m always working on something, be it for work or a personal project, and if I’m not occupied with that I’m already thinking about my next projects. (Currently in the hopper: learning C# and making a game for my nephew, building some new nightstands for my wife, and building a new coffee table for her as a Christmas present. Those are the big ones, and don’t include all of the little ad hoc projects.)

Don’t get me wrong, I love to relax. Put me on a beach and I’m in heaven. But I suppose even then, as much as I like to just sit on the sand and read, I’ll also be in and out of the water, surfing. So, yeah, I like engaging my brain and/or body in some way.

I would posit that it’s a part of my Attention Deficit Disorder. I was never diagnosed with the “hyperactive” component of it, but no one who knows me would say that I lack for energy. I think my brain is just wired to always be active, and since I started on the meds over a year ago (I started taking Vyvance in August 2019 and it has made a world of positive difference) I’ve been able to harness all of that energy and focus it into work and actually finishing projects.

But I still tend to burn the candle at both ends. Over the last several weeks, in addition to my usual voiceover work, I’ve also been barreling through house projects. I put up a new fence in our yard and tore the old one down. I fixed some of the outdoor lights and ran wiring for new ones. I cleaned and started a massive reorganization of my workshop in the basement. I’ve been going through all of my stuff to see what I can get rid of, and been digitizing our DVDs so we can lose the physical media.

All of this takes physical and/or mental bandwidth, and combined with not sleeping as well the last couple of nights, yesterday I finally felt the crash closing in.

Now, in the past, I would keep working through it, and it would take a toll on my mental health, and I would eventually get to a point where I would almost be forced to not work for a day, or two, or even three; my brain just wouldn’t focus on anything, I would have zero motivation to even get started on anything.

Do What’s Right For You

Self-care doesn’t look the same for everyone. Maybe for you it’s taking some quiet time to yourself. Or perhaps it’s spending time with your friends. Maybe it’s learning something new, or maybe it’s binge watching a show.

There’s no one “right” answer for everyone. The key is to recognize when you need your little rituals, and to check afterward to see if they worked.

And this is an important step: did it work? If it did not, is it because you need more of this medicine, or do you need to change it up? If you don’t feel at all better, it may be time to re-evaluate your self-care regimen and see if you are doing the things that you need to do, or if you’re just avoiding issues.

This can quickly devolve into a whole thing on mental health that is way deeper than I’m capable or qualified to talk about, so I’ll say this: there is nothing wrong with seeking professional help. If you sprain an ankle, you would go to a doctor. Same thing goes for “spraining” your brain. Anyone who says otherwise can go to hell. You can tell them I said that.

The Next Day…

I felt the crash coming, so I decided to take a mental health day yesterday.

At first I thought, “I should be recording this audiobook project,” but I realized I wouldn’t be able to put in my best work. I let go of the guilt of taking a day for myself and just let myself veg out on YouTube videos, to meander through the C# class I’m taking.

And now, today, I’m feeling so much better. I got a full night of sleep and I’m ready to go. I’ll be wrapping up the Pilgrim of Fate audiobook project very, very soon, and then I’ll be able to get stated on what will likely be my biggest project to date, narrating and producing World Serpent Arcanist, the latest entry in the Frith Chronicles series written by Shami Stovall.

I know I can go both ways: sometimes I just need to veg out and give my brain a rest, and other times I need to see my friends and have social interaction. Yesterday was a brain rest day.

So take care of yourselves. Don’t feel guilty if you know you need an hour, a day, a week to get yourself right.