I’ve worked by myself at home since 1995. At some points I have absolutely felt lonely and that I needed human interaction or some social capital. But most days I am absolutely fine working alone. I have my little doggie by my side, I have a team I interact with on Slack, I might visit a local café and work there, and I teach yoga. So, I get out in my local community quite often. And that works well for me.

When I go out “into the wild”, I am uber friendly and thrilled to be amongst people. I’ve noticed, that when you are nice, people are mostly nice back. It reminds me of a poem called “Butter”… Some people are sadly, taken aback at the kindness of strangers, but I do not quiet myself to please them. I will soften myself if I sense I make someone tense because I don’t want to scare them to please myself.

In the poem author Tony Hoagland says “If I can’t improve the world by scorching it with truth, if I can’t conquer it by twisting its arm behind its back, then give me some adjectives like lipstick and gloss, give me some language like mint and honey for the heart”. What can be wrong with that, or butter, quite frankly.

When I’m at home working, I talk to myself (and I amuse myself). I talk to my dog, like he’s a human, and I hum. I remember asking my ex-husband if he ever hummed because my mother did too. He said no. Did you know humming is calming? It stimulates the Vagus Nerve, which runs from the brain to the belly and controls involuntary body functions. Its activation has been proven to calm all of the nerves.

You do not have to feel alone, when you are alone. You simply need to tune in… to yourself.