Freelance Writers: Dealing with Stress

The freelance writing life is full of stresses, from panicking about not having enough work to feeling overwhelmed by having too many freelance writing jobs going at once. Freelance writers have to constantly promote their own business while keeping up with all the administrative tasks that come with being self-employed. Freelancers don’t get paid time off, vacation or sick days, and we’re often up late meeting deadlines. Add to all of that chasing paychecks and figuring out your own taxes, trying to balance work and family, and constantly learning to improve your craft, and it’s a wonder we’re not all balding twitching people with drug habits.

Ok, maybe it’s not all that bad. We’ve got the comfort of working from home, deciding which jobs to take and which clients to fire, and (best of all, hopefully) we get to do something we love.

But let’s face it: freelance writing can be a stressful profession.

Here are a few ways I beat stress:

1. Take a free writing day. This means I carve time away from my paid freelance writing work and focus on a creative task, like writing for a literary magazine. Since some literary magazines do pay, I often make some extra cash while I relax.

2. Get away from the computer and other technologies. I’ll admit, I’m an email-aholic. Even when I’m not online, I’m constantly checking my email via my cell phone or PDA. When I’m feeling stressed, one of the hardest things for me to do is disconnect from the net and put all my gadgets away (even if it means hiding them in a drawer so I won’t be tempted).

3. Go outside. Working from home, I sometimes feel like my bedroom is my cubicle. It can get a little claustrophobic. Sometimes getting out helps, even if it’s just sitting on my front step feeding the squirrels for half an hour.

4. Rant to a friend. Another confession: I’m not a patient person by nature. However, because I want to keep my freelance writing clients, I’ve learned to hold my tongue when they get under my skin. Most conflicts can be avoided, because usually I’m simply taking something too personally, or it’s something that will pass. But even in cases where I do need to speak up, I find that holding off until I’m no longer feeling emotional helps. One of the best ways I’ve found to beat that emotional urge is to talk to a friend, usually another writer, who understands. Warning: if you decide to rant to a friend about a client, make sure it’s an impartial third party who will be able to calm you down rather than get you even more angry.

5. Play with pets. Yes, I’ve read those articles in Prevention about petting an animal lowering blood pressure. Although my blood pressure is too low rather than too high, I’ve found petting my furry bunnies does help calm me down.

6. Take a day off from writing completely. Sure, a lot of folks say you should write every day. But for an over-worked freelance writer who doesn’t even take weekends off regularly, it’s sometimes important NOT to write.

7. Remember what’s important. It’s easy to get caught up in freelance writing deadlines, sending out invoices, and looking for writing jobs until it consumes me. Once in a while, when I’m feeling overwhelmed, I find it very helpful to reflect on my life and my career choice to remember why I do what I do, and why I very much enjoy it in many ways. It’s easy to lose the joy. but reminding myself what’s important usually makes me feel more grateful, which ultimately makes me more productive.

How do you cope with your freelance writing stress?