I am suffering from a horrible case of cabin fever as I am writing this. I live in Montana where I am surrounded by lovely log cabins and majestic mountains. It is gorgeous here. However, it is mid-winter and I am surrounded by snow (and lots of it). I am itching for spring to arrive. I am daydreaming about sitting by a campfire and lounging on a hammock. I can’t wait to put burgers on the barbecue and kick back with my feet propped up on a cooler. Ahhhh…I can hardly wait for warmer weather.
Many home-based workers suffer a similar type of “cabin fever” year round. Have you ever felt cooped up? Do you ever miss water-cooler chats with your co-workers? When is the last time you had a business lunch with girlfriends? Do you ever daydream about getting out of the house and actually socializing with adults?
Here are some tips to help you treat the “Work at Home Cabin Fever” that we all suffer from on occasion.
Join message board forums. This is a bit of a catch-22. The last thing you want to do (in terms of your productivity) is spend too much time chatting on a message board. That being said, if you spend a few minutes, or even an hour a day chatting with fellow WAHMS (work at home moms) you will both feel connected to the “real-world” and you’ll probably be able to do some business networking and marketing in the process. Families.com has wonderful forums where you chat about anything from diaper rashes to politics.
Plan a bi-monthly business lunch with friends. This is a fairly simple way to get rid of the work-at-home blues, but it is something that many WAHMS neglect.
Join a Moms / Mops Group. Most MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) groups provide childcare services while the mothers chat and do activities together. This is a great means of fellowship with moms in your community while getting a bit of a break from the kids in the process.
Join a local networking group for work at home moms. One of the best ways to promote your business and meet new like-minded friends is to join a “meetup” group for at-home moms. You can learn more about scheduled Work-at-Home networking groups by visiting Meetup.com.
Do you have any other suggestions for treating Work-at-Home Cabin Fever? Post them in the comments section.
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Can Napping Help Your Business?