Cooped up and lonely

After a completely non-scientific, multi-year study that consisted of me questioning other women, it turns out that this is the typical life cycle for women who work from home:

• The honeymoon phase (days 1-14): You wear your pajamas, work from multiple places within your home to find the best spot and figure out how to get a few chores done in between assignments.
• The balance phase (days 14-30): You think you've gotten this working from home thing covered and have all sorts of "rules" in place for yourself so that you work just as much as you did in an office setting (if not a little more).
• The despair phase (days 30-45): You start talking to your pet more often and if you live with someone, you attack them with conversation the moment they arrive because OMG you need more human interaction.
• The back to balance phase (days 45-60): You figure out how to get more human interaction in your day, you still talk to your pet too much and you may even wear your old work clothes for a while to give yourself a more professional air and separate "work" you from "home" you. This is also the make-it-or-break-it phase.
• The oh well phase (days 60 and beyond): You stop wearing a bra and resign yourself to a life of loneliness and yoga pants. If you've reached this phase, you are probably also looking for an office job again.

I can't imaging throwing motherhood into that mix, but for so many women this is a reality - especially for millennials. This Family Studies post takes a look at millennial motherhood and the isolation that many women feel. The post explains how younger mothers who work from home use technology to stay connected, but are missing out on the community support they would normally receive from family and friends. It turns out the pool of millennial mothers skews a little older (women in their 30s) as they put off childbearing to obtain advanced degrees/careers, and that women who have children sooner (in their early 20s) have a hard time finding like-minded women to socialize with.

What does life look like for those women, who work from home, order groceries online and also have a young one to look after? Very lonely.

What kind of support did you have when raising your children? Family? Friends in similar situations? Share with me in the comments.