Loneliness when WFH - tips to prevent

[UncertainWife]

Anyone got any tips to combat loneliness when stuck WFH full time hours?

I can’t go into an office.

Work or non-work buddy for Teams/zoom lunch once or twice a week. Or a phone catch up with friend/relative.

Get out of the house in the evenings once or twice during the week - meet a friend, join a local yoga/whatever class, join a meetup group. Go for a walk.

I love WFH but I live alone and get stir crazy if I save all interactions for the weekend.

Get a different job. Otherwise, invite a friend who also WFH to your place. Work in cafes sometimes. Go to a co-working place.

Dog.
I was office based now wfh as we never returned post covid.
I got a rescue dog. Best decision ever.

If I don't have meetings sometimes I go and work in a café for an hour or two.

Get out on a walk at lunchtime and/or buy lunch out somewhere.

Join an exercise class or another class you're interested in, even if it's the evening.

See if a colleague will have a Zoom coffee break and a chat with you once a week.

Call friends or family members at lunchtime.

I am ok with quiet days WFH because I get out of the house without fail every lunchtime. I may not see anyone in particular, I may just walk to a café and get a takeaway coffee but being out and about and having small interactions with people helps. I go to an amazing yoga class once a week with a really lovely bunch of women. I've not formed strong friendships there but they are all friendly and we have a chat before and after class.

Do you have the opportunity to interact with colleagues online?
Have some evening hobbies
Visit a neighbour
Chat to friends on the phone in the evening
Message/WhatsApp friends throughout the day
Go into town in lunchbreak and just be around ppl milling about

These are some ideas.

Is there any shared workspace/hotdesk nearby that you could rent for a day a week. Local big coffee shop where you buy food and drink regularly during day? Could you work out of local library for a few hours. Linking in with a colleague on teams?

Yes get a dog!

Set a regular lunch date - maybe go out to lunch every Tuesday, and for coffee, every Thursday mid afternoon. By yourself if necessary, but become a regular somewhere so you stand a chance of developing conversations.

In the summer, I used to run every Monday morning between 8 & 9 and swim at 6pm on a Friday.

Some great ideas here, thank you!

It's easy to get stuck in a rut when full time wfh. I joined a local dogsharing group and I walk a dog at lunchtime 2 or 3 times a week. Exercise and fresh air for us both 🐾

Lunchtime exercise class or sandwich lunch with friends

My friend goes into a school for an hour a week and helps kids with their reading

Some of us started wfh 1 day a week at a local venue and have become coffee mates

Podcasts and audio books.

I have WFH FT since covid I’m on my own in the house all day. It suits me fine, but it most definitely isn’t for everyone.

My suggestions : Always take a proper lunch break and get out of the house. Go for a walk, or to the shop or to the gym or a cafe. What you do matters less than getting away from your screen.

Listen to podcasts or R4 or some other sort of interesting speech content.

Try working in a nice cafe or wherever instead of at home.

Find something social to do at least one evening a week. Learn a language, do a course, volunteer, join a political party. Again, what it is matters less than the fact that it gets you out of the house & meeting people.