Coping with Stress + Anxiety as a Freelancer
Most people know me as someone who is fiercely stubborn. I take risks and am full of annoying persistence.
And yeah, maybe it’s gotten me in trouble. Maybe it’s what led to breakups and broken friendships. Maybe it can make me somewhat frustrating to be around. But, I’d like to think it’s a positive attribute. For one thing, it’s what drove me to pursue a career in freelancing. To pursue a life working for myself. It’s makes me loyal and fuel of grit and determination. It’s led to some pretty amazing changes and it makes me one hell of a competitor.
Let me preface this with the fact that I am NOT an expert on this subject. I’m very green to this world. Allow me to acknowledge that these circumstances are not easily accessible everyone and I feel very blessed to be able to pursue this line of work. There’s still a lot I’m figuring out and many more mistakes to be made.
What does it mean to freelance?
There’s so much beauty in a life of working for yourself. Becoming self-employed is truly invigorating and humbly rewarding. I’ve never felt more confident, brave and free but I’ve also never felt more uneasy, stressed and anxious. I became one of thousands pursuing the same career as me in the same field as me. The Freelancing in America: 2017 survey estimates that 57.3 million Americans are freelancing (36 percent of the U.S. workforce) and this is only expected to grow.
Becoming self-employed has changed my life drastically. I can’t picture a clear career path like I had working for a corporation. There’s no ladder to climb or steps I should take. Every day presents a new challenge, risk and reward. I’m learning constantly and I’m exploring new interests and creative talents I didn’t know I had in me. It’s simply beyond.
You create your lifestyle.
Many people think freelancing means you have it easy. You have no routine or rules to live by. No boss asking to go pick up his breakfast. You create your lifestyle. You have all the say. For a right-brain ruled millennial woman—this is the dream. For the same girl that leans more introverted and can easily slip into the depths of her emotions—it presents a challenge.
Facing it head on + learning to flow
I’ve learned to recognize when I’m faced with a crisis and acknowledge that it comes with the territory. The nature of this work is that nothing is ever permanent. You have to work with a client on his or her terms and those terms can change, rather instantly. It’s recognizing that I can’t control it all. That in order to succeed, I need to build trust in relationships and create authentic connections.
I went to the first installment of Elevate the Globe’s Self-Care Series on Mindset + Rituals. Britt and Tara led us through breathwork practices to incorporate into our everyday self-care routines that allows us to release harmful energy. We also were given a brief talk on the power of manifestation and how to begin this practice by Jamie from Selectively Spiritual. Finally, there was a panel of some of my fav wellness babes including Tamara of WellyNest on the importance of self-care and rituals. I’ve learned - yet again - how important it is to really and truly love yourself. How you carry a life working and creating for others if you are not completely FILLED up.
I know I still need to have boundaries.
So as I recognize stress from my job start to boil, I’m learning to slow down a little and take time away if I need to in order to collectively and calmly work through the situation. I’m learning to separate my work from my personal well being even though I have put my whole self into this new line of work. I know I still need to have boundaries. Boundaries that mean I can’t let every little misstep or hiccup effect my entire week. Understanding that I may really piss off a client and maybe loose two or three clients at a time. Understanding, by the same token, that I could easily change someone’s life by making their job easier and connecting with someone on a level that’s hard to achieve at the corporate or agency level.
It’s once we achieve B A L A N C E that we’ll have the confidence and strength to fully manifest our dreams.
xo
