Congrats to the winners Robert, Justine, and Alex! I hope the free app makes it easier to de-stress and focus on your awesomeness :-).
The sales brochure for freelance writing always starts with the benefits: Work less, make more! Choose your projects! Escape the cubicle! Live location-independent!
(And hey, I tout them, too!)
So it’s no wonder that the first few months or years of working for yourself feels like slamming full-speed into a brick wall. Sure, you can work wherever you want…. but most of the time you’re holed up in your apartment, a little sweaty, wondering if you drank any water that day. And yes, you can choose your projects… but more often than not you choose boring projects that pay you consistently (when you can find them).
Until you make the effort to find those special clients and chase the white rabbit of work-life balance that syncs your business up with your true self, the whole shebang is pretty darn stressful.
Until you make the effort to find those special clients and chase the white rabbit of work-life balance that syncs your business up with your true self (which are both important goals to pursue), the whole shebang is pretty darn stressful.
What’s So Bad About Stress?
Obviously stress can be good. It can save you from picnic-snatching bears in the Smokies and alert you to bad relationships you need to ditch. But prolonged stress like the kind that occurs when your livelihood relies on your hustle is no bueno.
When is my next check coming?
Why won’t this client pay me on time?
Why do I keep saying yes to bad clients?
When will I get to write about what I want?
When can I stop marketing or selling myself?
I don’t know about you, but even though I’ve handled most of these questions myself, reading them still made my blood pressure jump up a little bit. It’s stressful. It keeps you up at night. And it can…. Completely destroy your business, health, and life.
Chronic stress destroys your performance, eats away at your sense of self-reliance, paralyzes you from achieving your potential, and probably is the reason you get a stomachache at night.
Chronic stress destroys your performance, eats away at your sense of self-reliance, paralyzes you from achieving your potential, and probably is the reason you get a stomachache at night.
Not only that, stress can trigger chronic illnesses! You’re looking at sad sack proof of long-term stress triggering (thanks a lot, classroom teaching experience) an autoimmune disease that now plagues me on a daily basis.
So Let’s All Quit! (Not)
So, is the answer to fold up your lemonade stand and politely backstab your way back into the rat race?
No, I don’t think so, (not yet, at least). When you’re committed to working for yourself, the solution is never to give up. The solution is to identify the problem (stress), learn about it (this blog post), and implement sensible changes in your life to manage your stress (the next section).
Self-knowledge is the key to self-actualization, and self-actualization is the key to running a badonkulously successful business.
If you don’t implement any strategies, yes the stress may overwhelm and paralyze you. And even if you implement all of them, it still may be too much. But self-knowledge is the key to self-actualization, and self-actualization is the key to running a badonkulously successful business (just go with it).
Crack a smile or a seltzer, pull up a chair, and check out these no-BS strategies to help relieve the stress that comes with running a freelance writing business.
Divide & Conquer Your Problems With Worry Flashcards
Every freelancer is unique, I really believe that. But listen, our problems are not. It’s always, always, always cash flow, clients, and purpose. Every problem I’ve ever had and every problem a client has ever brought up came back to one of those three things:
I don’t have enough cash flow. / I have cash flow but I’m not doing work I love.
I don’t have any clients. / I don’t the clients I have. / The clients I like don’t pay well.
No one’s hiring for work I love./ The work I love to do doesn’t pay. / I don’t know what I want to do with my skills.
The main problem is not these individual problems. After all, you can probably find a great book to read (or mentor to talk to) about any one of them. But when all of these problems gather in that smelly hall closet outside your office and jump you at once, it’s completely unmanageable.
When all of these problems gather in that smelly hall closet outside your office and jump you at once, it’s completely unmanageable.
Your brain is completely panicked and sets off all of your emotional alarms. Unless you redirect it, that day is only good for a hot bath and a cry sesh about how unsustainable freelancing is.
No-BS Stress Less Tactic:
This good old standby comes to us from Jess Lively back when she ran a jewelry and products company. Her personal blog had a post that shared her stress-less strategy of Worry Flashcards which I have since used several times for this-is-the-end-of-the-world moments where life crashes down on you from all sides. It always helps!
Jess does it a little differently, so read her blog post for another perspective. My instructions go something like this:
Take a pack of note cards (or cut up a sheet of paper) and write one problem on the front of each card. Keep going with all of your worries — both professionally and personally — until you can’t think of another thing that bothers you.
Review the cards and sort them into personal and professional problems (if you’re in the mood to approach each separately). Read the card out loud, and then — focusing only on that problem — write a few ideas for what you can do to make progress with the issue on the back of the card.
For example:
I don’t know what I want to do with my business. ==> I should read a book about finding your purpose. I’ve seen a few great recommendations like Road Map. Also, it’s normal for people to now know what they want to do. I need to be patient with myself while I learn about possible business trajectories. Also, I bet other successful people have felt this way and would respond positively to a vulnerable message from me. Who can I email right now to ask their advice?
I don’t have enough cash flow. ==> I would be less stressed about money if I had a few thousand in the bank while I’m waiting for checks from clients. I should set a goal to put $3,000 in a rainy-day-check-is-late account to take that pressure off of me. Also, I have one reliable client who pays correctly. I wonder if I can repeat what I did to get that client to get more clients like them. My goal for next month is to pursue three more leads like that client.
BAM! Seemingly-insurmountable problems dissolve into soft balls of yarn that you can throw to your cat. This won’t solve any of the problems, but it will help you organize your stressors and see that each one by itself isn’t the end of the world.
For an added Christian approach to this exercise, consider taking all of those note cards and physically placing them under a cross or crucifix in your home. Again, this won’t solve your stressors, but it will help you physically act out the process of “Let go and let God.”
Move Your Body Every Day (AKA Exercise)
Wait, wait! Before you close the browser and vent about how I promised there was no BS, I want to encourage you to re-think the value of exercise. Yeah, Women’s Magazine and your mom all tell you to exercise more. But when you look at exercise from the right perspective, it’s not about weight loss and rock hard abs. It’s about the proper functioning of the cells of your body, and your brain (you know, that thing that you use to make an income) is made up of cells!
Women’s Magazine and your mom all tell you to exercise more. But when you look at exercise from the right perspective, it’s about a lot more than weight loss and rock hard abs.
Here’s your new perspective on exercise: Moving your body is more important (and has a more powerful effect on your brain and body) than any medication you could take. Within minutes of moving your body, so many positive writer processes go into play (your subconscious that brainstorms, your heart that pumps fresh blood, your brain that thinks about your setting in a new way) that it’s a completely integral way to keep your mind fresh and your business humming along.
No-BS Stress Less Tactic:
Exercise when you’re stumped, and exercise daily! I’ve had many work days that started with me stressed to the max and staring at my keyboard. I manhandled my brain (one of those freelance writer super powers) to pump some iron with a small free weight and do a load of laundry, and I returned to the computer to pound out excellent work.
So, ignore those voices inside your head that say “This is the same old same old lame idea, and I just don’t want to move my lazy butt.” Set a timer, go for a 15 minute walk, and come back in. Then do it every day. It will change your business.
Laugh Your Butt Off (On The Clock)
Again, no BS here. Laughter is a treatment for chronic health conditions and can interrupt your brain’s negative reaction to mental and physical stress triggers. Laughing flips the switch and relaxes your brain, allowing you to be creative again… literally throwing a stop sign in front of the hormones and instincts that say “Oh crap, the world is ending again and it will be ending forever!!”
No-BS Stress Less Tactic:
When the stress crests, take over your old lizard brain with your modern mouse-clicker and find something funny. My go-to is the What Should We Call Paleo Life Tumblr and the Twitter Moments of Hats On Owls.
The real trick here is to set a timer so that your type-A brain won’t feel like you’ve lost control of the whole day. (AKA When I’m in stress mode, I have to use a timer or my mind will spiral into “the whole day is wasted! I’m dying!” mode). Get a good belly laugh in there, and five minutes later get back to work!
Redirect Your Negative Thoughts With Motivational Art
The human brain will fall back on negative stuff over and over again. It’s up to you to interrupt that process with positive messages that keep you going. (That is…. Every brain is sending negative thoughts to its owner. Some owners know how to cut in line, though!).
The human brain will fall back on negative stuff over and over again. It’s up to you to interrupt that process with positive messages that keep you going.
AKA, when your negative thoughts are spiraling with ideas like, “I’m not working hard enough – I won’t get enough done today!” which is what you’re doing instead of working, it’s time to interrupt that process and redirect with something more positive.
No-BS Stress Less Tactic:
Set a timer and head out on the hunt for inspirational and positive quotes. If you’re artistically inclined (or not!) make the quotes pretty with a thick pen and some illustration or fancy lettering. You can also spend some time on Etsy or Instagram liking and buying quotes from the fantastic artists there (my favorite new discovery is Joyful Papery).
Here’s what I have hanging around my desk for times I feel super desperate or overwhelmed:
“It is only when everything is hopeless that hope begins to be a strength.”
“Come, Holy Spirit”
“The Lord will fight for youl you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14
“Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2
Whether it’s a cute note from your spouse, a meditation from Marcus Aurelius, or a funny Dilbert comic (hey, I won’t judge), you can train your brain to be more positive by manipulating your surroundings.
Set The Tone of Your Day With Meditation, Not Deadlines (Plus a Giveaway!)
Wake up, read Feedly, check email, start stressing. Does that sound like your typical morning? Unfortunately, that’s not much different from what everyone in the corporate jungle is experiencing. If you’re like me, you started this business to improve your quality of life, not relocate it to a home office, so the idea that you’re experiencing the same stress or miserableness is unacceptable.
Despite being in control of my business, I am still not in control of my day.
Too often the tone of my day gets set by my deadlines. A good day is when my work is all done. A bad day is when I have tons of deadlines and phone calls mixed in (you know how nervous I am about phone calls). This is natural, but it’s also reactive: despite being in control of my business, I am still not in control of my day. My mood is often guided by things outside my control, and my day follows the course.
No-BS Stress Less Tactic:
Everyone is screaming bloody murder about how peaceful relaxation is. I hate to jump on a trend, but I think it can really help writers focus and gain control. So much of what we do is internal, so controlling those internals can have a huge impact.
There are tons of free meditative programs and podcasts out there. I usually read to this before bed or work with this album playing on Apple Music. But from time to time I also do specific meditation sessions for 10 or 30 minutes. And that’s a perfect introduction for the first blog giveaway: OMGMeditate!
This app sits on your smart phone and makes it a no-brainer to take 10 minutes to yourself. You can start a daily meditation program, set a relaxation “mission” and get reminders throughout the day, or just tune into specific meditations as you find ones you like. For freelancers with kids at home, there’s also a child, tween, teen, and family options to go with. Talk about thorough! My favorite section is the OMGood Night function, because I naturally think of meditating when I’m winding down at night.
Today I get to give away five 3-month subscriptions to OMG I Can Meditate premium. The perfect amount of time to experiment with your preferences and start a meditation habit before you decide to keep the premium account. Keep reading to find out how this can be YOU – without the awkward Rafflecopter-sell-your-soul-on-Twitter entry price.
Go Forth and Stress Less
Are you feeling chronically stressed out by freelancing? How do you handle it? Do you think freelancing is more or less stressful than other jobs you’ve had in the past?
Want to Get a Free 3-Month Premium OMGMeditate App?
Here’s what you’ve gotta do:
- Answer one of these questions in the comments below RIGHT NOW! (I’ll pick a winner on December 17th).
- Share this post with a friend who can use it (via email or social network… I’ll trust you to follow through on that!).
The five most compelling answers will each win a 3-month premium subscription to OMG I Can Meditate and have one less excuse to being in charge of your business but stressed the crap out all the time (your BFF/your cat will thank you).
Robert F. says
This was a great article! I loved how you took a topic that is usually very scary to the newbies and gave a no-nonsense approach. Thank you for a great article. I look forward to more meditation articles in the future and even more in your face (in a good way) posts.
Best Wishes,
Robert
Justine says
The cash flow problem is taking over my life. So much that I am constantly thinking about it..but it’s not enough to make me go back to an office job. I still rather stress about my own business that someone else’s!
I realize I feel more productive when I throw in real sweat-drenching exercise..it just clears my mind and I feel good. I used to do it, but now I feel too busy to squeeze it in. My mind can’t get around the counterintuitive nature of making time for it..!
Great post, Sarah!
Alex Cohen says
When it hits, I usually one of the following:
1) Review / revise what I am eating/drinking (for more energy and greater focus). The more optimal my brain, the less likely the clog, the faster problems are resolved, obstacles removed, etc.
2) I go back to my plans. My plans always excite me, and I review it in search for a breakthrough. Sometimes I find it. And othertimes I am just reminded of what I am working towards and it fire me up to push through.
3) I do have a list of my favorite quotes that gets displayed after 2 hours of time logged on my computer. The app locks my screen, forcing me to take a break and shows me a quote. The app is “The Clock” by these guys: https://www.seense.com/
4) My spotify playlist named ‘Deep Focus’ helps a lot.
5) I have implemented an F.U. method. Which is partially something you shared on putting my best project first at the top of the morning. And it is also partially just me practicing the art of letting go, saying no, and saying “F” It (within reason) in the face of the breakdowns.
Really nice point you make on “self-knowledge”. So I try and listen as much as possible. Sometimes people are on to something. And sometimes they are just responding to me, unaware, but still reflecting me back onto myself. This is probably the greatest source of clues to why I am in stressful situations in the first place.
FiveFigureSarah says
I love this so much Alex! I’m so passionate about food (Paleo) that sometimes I ignore writing about it to avoid a perceived bias. But you’re right — food choices can have SUCH an empowering effect on state of mind, resiliency, and energy! Not to mention the other fantastic suggestions here.
PS – “My plans always excite me…” Brilliant! Figuring out what triggers/excites you is an awesome way to chase your joy. In my case, plans intimidate me and make me feel like I’ll never get enough done. I need to figure out what gets me going! (I think it’s helping someone… those are always the emails I prioritize).