Freelancer Burnout and
how to End the Stress Cycle

reading time: 5 minutes

Stress has become a ubiquitous part of our lives, often leaving us feeling overwhelmed or exhausted. Burnouts are common in many industries, but pretty often in self-employment. Finding yourself working around the clock? Or checking work messages on your phone when you’re supposed to be out in nature? Many freelancers know exactly what I’m talking about, because it’s super easy to go all-in on freelancing at the expense of your physical and mental health.

Why do freelancers have an elevated risk of burnout?

As freelancers, we have the freedom to choose our schedules, which often leads to end up working longer hours than the typical seven to four. The average freelancer putting in 43 hours per week.

Further most freelancers work remotely and use their phone, laptop or tablets to connect w/ their clients. That also means, they collect many hours of screen time each day – and this can be incredibly draining.

The always-on-work schedule should come hand-in-hand w/ many vacations, right? But often freelancers find it tough to schedule restorative vacation time and skip their days off.

How to recover from never-ending Stress

This relentless cycle of stress triggers the release of cortisol, also known as the stress hormone. Cortisol floods our bodies and minds with tension, weaken the immune system and lead to chronic health problems.

If work is getting you down, it’s time to break the stress cycle. Take a step back and take a honest look at where you can achieve a better work-life balance. Mindfulness and self-awareness can help us identify the triggers that set off our stress responses.

3 Ways to lower the cortisol level:

practicing deep breathing techniques
engaging in physical activities
start meditations

By learning how to create a stronger and more harmonious mind-body connection that interrupts the stress cycle, you empower yourself to live a healthier, more fulfilling life.