How do you ensure your well-being? At times, work can be overly stressful, for salaried employees and the self-employed alike. In problematic situations, employees are backed up by labour laws and have access to occupational health services, but self-employed people cannot rely on these supports. They have to organise their work and life in a way that does not stress them too much. It is important that self-employed people make enough money to earn a decent living, that the work is meaningful enough and that they can take the necessary breaks from working without losing their subsistence or customers. Otherwise, they risk burning out.
Salaried workers, especially at the beginning of their careers, get support from their colleagues and managers, but self-employed people need to solve their everyday work problems themselves or lean on their potential networks.
Overwhelm and burnouts are becoming increasingly common in working life and in other areas of our society. Students are also facing increasing pressures to advance their studies and to graduate quickly. Entering the job market makes many people feel insecure, even scared. If you do not know the practices of working life and your industry well enough, looking for work can feel very difficult. Furthermore, it often feels like you already should have extensive experience when applying for your first job. Failed attempts at finding work may weigh heavily on your mind. It seems like many young professionals are already carrying a burden when they enter working life.
Self-employed people should get occupational health services for themselves. Kela compensates part of the expenses, and the rest is tax-deductible. Of course, private occupational health services are aimed at bigger companies, but you should still take a look at the price level and contents of the services. Another option is to use municipal health care services, which is what many self-employed people do. Planning and arranging your health care in one way or another is absolutely crucial because, as a self-employed person, your health is your most important asset.
Many self-employed people feel stressed about securing sufficient subsistence for themselves and, potentially, for their family. For self-employed people at the start of their career, it may be difficult to perceive the big picture that is comprised of acquiring and getting assignments, setting your prices, managing your schedules, ensuring high work quality, maintaining a customer base and taking breaks. You can seek answers to these questions from education or different networks. Later on, your experience will help you overcome challenges.
In order to ensure your well-being, it is paramount that you consider your pricing so that it covers the essential expenses from insurances, pension contributions, occupational health care and the necessary time off. You should include these expenses in the prices of your products or services from the very beginning.
Two words describe self-employed people’s work: freedom and insecurity. Freedom is a complex and relative concept, and we will not discuss it further here. As for insecurity, they say that some people tolerate it better than others. It may be a question of personal characteristics, but, more likely, it is about having backup plans in case you cannot achieve your primary goals.
You should take your physical and mental health seriously from early on – don’t burn the candle at both ends and even in the middle. You can do a lot to improve your health and well-being, but it requires effort.
https://www.kela.fi/web/en/health-care-self-employed-persons