What is mental health? - Understanding what mental health is, and understanding mental health at work for freelancers.

Everyone has mental health.

Just like physical health - mental health is a measure of how well we’re feeling, how well we’re able to cope with the every day challenges of life, and how much we’re able to enjoy the things we love.

Your mental health is affected by many things, and can change over time - sometimes your mental health can be great, other times it can be poorer.

And again, just like physical health - you need to take proactive steps to improving or maintaining positive mental health.

Mental health and physical health are absolutely interlinked - so poorer physical wellbeing (i.e. if you’re getting less sleep, exercising less, eating less well) can often lead to poorer mental health.

Mental health and “mental illness” are not the same thing - everyone has mental health, not everyone has a mental health condition. There are many diagnosed mental health conditions, and sometimes, poor mental health can lead to mental health conditions.

Mental health at work

81% of workers have reported that workplace stress negatively affects their mental health - showing the scale of the impact which our work has on our mental health.

Employers have a responsibility to their employees to ensure their mental health is looked after, not least because it’s shown that positive mental health of employees leads to positive business outcomes.

So businesses have invested in ways to support their employees - through wellbeing initiatives, assistance programmes, and in the best cases - identifying the things which have a negative impact on their people, and attempting to resolve them, such as poor management, discrimination, low job security, and lack of control over work.

Mental health at work for the self-employed

When you’re self-employed, mental health at work can often be overlooked.

There is no HR team, supportive manager or colleagues, no employee assistance programme or wellbeing initiatives.

In fact, we’re rather left to ourselves to navigate self-employment, and prioritising our own mental health often gets forgotten.

Our research shows that 54% of freelancers did not consider the potential impact of self-employment on their mental health before making the transition, and only 29% have put active effort into ensuring that their mental health is a priority.

Over two-thirds of freelancers feel they lack adequate mental health support at work, 64% of freelancers say that poor mental health has affected their ability to work at some point.

That’s why mental health at work matters for freelancers - because if you’re unable to work, you don’t have a sustainable business.

Factors of mental health for the self-employed

Negative factors

Our research shows that the key factors negatively influencing mental health at work for the self-employed include:

• Irregular Income and Financial Anxiety - the lack of stability of income, dealing with tax, poor cashflow, and worrying about financial futures all can contribute to poorer mental health
• Isolation and Lack of Connection - many freelancers report feeling isolated and not having meaningful connections within and outside of work, which can cause poorer mental health
• Workload and Setting Boundaries - being unable to manage varying workloads (both too much or too little) and not able to create clear separation between work and not work, such as taking time off, can impact mental health
• Lack of support structures - a lack of professional, emotional and personal support structure, which was perhaps once provided by peers and employment, can lead to poorer mental health
• Client behaviours - bad behaviours such as poor communication, legal challenges, ghosting, late payments, unclear requirements and even bullying and discrimination have a significant impact on mental health

Positive factors

Positively though, there are many reported benefits of self-employment, such as:

• Flexibility and Autonomy: One of the most cited benefits of freelancing is the ability to control one’s schedule. 43% of new freelancers report that the ability to improve their mental health was a key motivation for going independent.
• Work-Life Integration: Freelancers have the ability to better integrate their work with their personal lives. This integration can lead to a more holistic approach to life, where work doesn’t feel like a separate, burdensome entity but rather an integrated part of daily living.
• Alignment with Personal Values: Freelancers can choose projects that align with their personal values and passions. This alignment can make work feel more meaningful and fulfilling, leading to greater job satisfaction and overall happiness​
• Personal and Professional Growth: Freelancing often requires individuals to develop a wide range of skills, from marketing and client management to financial planning and self-discipline. This continuous personal and professional growth can enhance confidence and provide a sense of accomplishment and mastery.​