Dealing with Isolation When You Work from Home
I love solitude. Before I had a family I used to spend a lot of hours in silence, alone, just listening to my inner self, planning, thinking, even day dreaming. I loved to set aside some time each day to get in touch with “my self”, after I got married and started a family, those days turned into a memory.
Working from home usually means “working alone” and all that loneliness can be distracting and a culprit for your productivity.
I live in Puerto Rico and since I started working from home in 2004, and in all that time I’ve only met in person 1 gal who also works from home. When people ask me what I do, they think I’m tripping, that there is no way, I have a “real” job and they don’t relate to me and I feel even more isolated! I can’t talk to them about “article marketing, SEO, or downlines”, because they don’t get it.
But here’s how I’ve handled my isolation… Social networks, but wait!…
No, I don’t spend ALL day writing on “walls” and leaving “graphic comments”. I belong to some social networks where I’ve met some gals… who also work from home, their businesses are different than mine, but we face the same challenges each day.
I follow them on Twitter and they follow me, we frecuent some of the same social networks and message forums and we “talk” there about our business and personal (not TOO personal) stuff and we get the feeling that we are together, in whatever it is that we are facing.
It may seem like an impossible task to feel that you belong to a group and gather around the water cooler to talk about our work days, but it can virtually 
be done, here are some tips:
* Create your “work at home” support system.
* You don’t have to follow everyone who follows you on Twitter, you don’t have to accept everyone as our Facebook or Ning friend.
* Choose your online friends (a.k.a “support system’s team”) as selectively as you choose your “real world” friends.
* Develop a relationship with them based in trust and respect.
* Treat these people like real human beings, not pixels or bits… because they are!
* Give them support, help them, share resources, do what you would them to do if you were in need (because they will)
* Show that you care. Did anyone mention they were sick? Ask them if they are feeling better. Did anyone have a new addition to the family or received an award, or any kind of achievement? Congratulate them. They will do the same for you.
I’ve never asked a question that wasn’t answered, I’ve never been upset and didn’t receive comfort, I’ve never been confused and never received tips, ideas or direction. In other words, even though I work (alone) from home, I never feel lonely anymore. I have MY people!!! 
About Mariangie - She started working from home in 2004. She owns www.MindBodyAndPaw.com and www.MariangiesBiz.com. She also manages another blog about living healthy with aloe.
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