Loneliness isn’t something you always see coming – it can creep up on you, especially during big life changes. During the pandemic, I was one of the millions of adults in the UK who felt its weight.

Did you know that in 2022, 49.63% of adults (25.99 million people) in the UK reported feeling lonely occasionally, sometimes, often or always ¹?

Loneliness Caught Me by Surprise

But loneliness isn’t just a statistic; it’s a very real experience I’ve lived through.

When I was made redundant in 2020, I had no idea of the loneliness waiting around the corner. I went from working crazy days full of meetings to, well, nothing. (You can read more about this yucky period of my life here).

Yes, I had my new business to throw myself into, but my business was new. I was lucky to have clients from the get-go, but there were no back-to-back meetings, something I wasn’t used to!

Discovering Being Freelance

At some point in 2020, things started to change. A good friend who had also recently started freelancing suggested I listen to the Being Freelance Podcast.

I’m not a massive podcast listener, but I was intrigued to know more. I then came across the Being Freelance Facebook group and watched some videos Steve had posted. I was crying with laughter watching his videos, and I knew this was my kinda community.

Steve turned out to be the founder of Being Freelance.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Steve Folland – Freelancer Advice & Community (@beingfreelance)

Unfortunately, I discovered the community when my interest in Facebook was waning. I struggled to keep up to date with the chatter in the group, and I soon lost interest (sorry Steve!).

Then in 2021, Steve rolled out a course called ‘How To Get Started Being Freelance’. I was a year into freelance life but hadn’t spent much money investing in my personal development. I decided it was time to invest, and without much hesitation, I signed up.

The First Step Toward Connection

Aside from the course being incredibly useful, it was my first opportunity to meet other freelancers. Steve organised a group Zoom chat a few months later for those who had undertaken the course. It was a chance to meet others who had signed up and to have a good natter.

Little did Steve know, that Zoom call was the first step to me walking away from that spell of loneliness. It felt like a lifeline, giving me a new sense of belonging.

In the Zoom call, I met Jessie, someone I’m lucky to still be BFFs (Being Freelance Friends) with today. Jessie lives not too far from my hometown giving us some common ground outside of freelancing (and we’re both redheads so we had that in common too!).

From Online to In-Person: The Power of Real-Life Meetups

Since completing the course, the Being Freelance Community has moved away from Facebook and onto a community-based platform called Circle. I don’t engage with it as often as I would like, but when I do, I get so much out of it.

The move from Facebook also coincided with the first-ever Being Freelance IRL (In Real Life) meetups, which I LOVE.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve had the opportunity to meet BFFs at in-person events, including:

• Mini-golf socials
• Pool parties (the type with a cue, not water, although that would be fun!)
• Christmas lunch
• The biggest ever BFF meetup at Atomicon
• Netwalking
• And most recently a Brush Calligraphy Workshop run by fellow BFF Julia Broughton.

Building Friendships and Expanding Networks

I’ve met some incredible people through the Being Freelance Community, including people I now see outside of BF events.

More recently, someone I had never spoken with in the community reached out. She too lives in Lewes and suggested we meet up for coffee. So we did! It was lovely to meet someone to chat to about local stuff as well as freelancing!

Not only has the Being Freelance Community helped combat loneliness, it has also helped me settle into my new surroundings.

Freelance Life is Better With a Tribe

Being Freelance isn’t the only community I’m part of, but it is the one I’m most active in.

There is so much more to the community than the stuff I’ve mentioned here. If you’re new to freelancing, whether you’re feeling lonely, or otherwise, it really is the best place to meet people. Whether you’re an introvert, an extrovert or something in between, there’s something for everyone.

So if you’re navigating the freelance world, join a community like Being Freelance. It might surprise you, just how it did me, as to how much it can enrich your life.

Freelancers – I’d love to know which communities are you a part of? Let me know in the comments below!

¹ https://www.campaigntoendloneliness.org/