The holiday season—a time of reflection, rejoicing, togetherness, and stress. Not only do we want to share extra time with the people we love and explore the many additional activities available this time of year, but for retailers, creatives, and entrepreneurs, this is often one of the busiest times of year for their business endeavors, too. Balancing personal time and productivity becomes much more challenging, increasing our stress load.
Stressed? Try Coworking! Set up a tour of Cohere Coworking today!
Fortunately, belonging to a coworking community like Cohere Coworking can help ease many stressors. This is because we have the five core principles of coworking working for us. Let’s explore exactly how these core principles—sustainability, openness, community, collaboration, and accessibility—can shrink our stress levels.
Sustainability
The core value of sustainability, as it relates to coworking, means utilizing resources in a way that minimizes environmental impact. Engaging in sustainable practices gives people the knowledge that they are making a positive contribution to society, increasing positive feelings about their place in the world. In addition, it can lead to cost savings, reducing financial stress.
Openness
Openness is a critical component of a successful coworking space. Members are encouraged to be themselves and share their struggles, successes, and ideas. When people feel comfortable sharing their ideas and asking for recommendations or advice from the people around them it encourages confidence, innovation, and productivity, increasing opportunities for both business and personal growth.
Community
Isolation and a lack of community triggered by working from home can deepen feelings of loneliness, depression, and anxiety. Coworking communities, especially friendship-based communities like Cohere, offer the opportunity to interact and share experiences with a diverse group of professionals.
A sense of community helps people to feel safe, accepted for who they are, and supported. The sense of connection and belonging that members get by belonging to a coworking community is a powerful antidote to stress.
Collaboration
The core value of collaboration helps to reduce stress by making it easier to solve problems, explore opportunities for networking and professional development, and share ideas. The trust and rapport engendered by a supportive coworking community helps to expand an individual’s personal and professional network and increase confidence.
In addition to the everyday opportunities to collaborate with other members of the community, coworking spaces often host workshops, discussions, and other events. These provide additional occasions to collaborate with community members and other professionals.
Accessibility
Many remote workers, creatives, and entrepreneurs working from home can experience a sense of isolation and become frustrated with a lack of emotional and professional support. Belonging to an accessible, inclusive, and welcoming environment like a coworking community can reduce stress by alleviating these feelings.
When people have access to the support and resources they need to help their careers flourish, they are better able to make wise, growth-oriented decisions. This also helps to increase self-confidence, further reducing anxiety and stress.
We all experience stressors in our lives and these stressors are frequently compounded by the frenzy that surrounds the winter holidays, but we don’t have to do it alone. Becoming a member of a coworking community that embraces the core values of coworking can help counter many of the stressors related to remote work and entrepreneurship.
Book a tour of Cohere Coworking and discover a community of support certain to enrich your life and business!
Penny Leigh Sebring is a Cohere member, experienced freelance writer, neophyte speculative fiction author, and gatherer of information and imaginary friends.