Being Self-employed Seriously Harms Mental Health

Today I want to talk to you about a topic that touches me personally, since I am autonomous and I suffer it firsthand. I would like to banish some myths and false beliefs about the freedom and how positive it is to be self-employed in Spain.

Most people think that being self-employed is a plum In short, you can choose when you take your vacation without having to talk to anyone, you earn more than when you work as an employee (or so people believe) and you can even work from home if you want.

However, the reality of the self-employed is very different. It is true that you choose when to take vacations, but those vacations are normally subject to those of the clients, that is, if the client takes vacations that will probably harm you and you can choose to take vacations when your clients do so that it affects you as little as possible. possible to the economy. Therefore, choosing vacations when you want is relative. In addition to the handicap that the self-employed person’s vacations are never paid while those of an employed worker are paid while he takes vacations.

As for the myth that being self-employed you earn much more than if you work for another person or company, it is totally false. It is true that as a freelancer you can often decide the rate that applies, but that does not always happen. When you have the freedom to choose the rate, you can estimate the price that you consider appropriate, but if the client does not agree, you do not have a client and as a consequence you will have to lower the price.

Not to mention the competition, which may have a lower price and therefore not get customers because they go to those other companies with lower prices.

Furthermore, the self-employed person must search for clients, does not charge the same every month but it has to be constantly active to get clients and be able to invoice since your salary depends on what you work. Thus, the self-employed person always has to be productive If one day it’s not enough, that day you may not get paid and lose a client.

On the other hand, of what the self-employed earn is not net you have to subtract an endless number of taxes We have to pay VAT and Personal Income Tax, manager expenses, self-employed fees that are paid every month and every quarter you have to do bureaucratic paperwork that involves expenses, inconveniences and the occasional fine for not having done some paperwork correctly. Therefore, what it is said that the self-employed earn, many times it is without discounting all this. There is also the fact that clients can stop being clients at any time and you may not be paid even if you have done your job.

Then there is the issue of casualties. It is said jokingly that the self-employed person’s blood would have to be analyzed to find out why he never gets sick. This is the reflection of the pressure that the self-employed person has. If you don’t work, you don’t get paid Thus, each day that he does not go to work is subtracted from his monthly salary. This means that many times you go to work when you are sick because you cannot afford not to get paid that month. And to make matters worse, the self-employed person does not have the right to mutual insurance for work accident unless he pays for it himself, so if he gets sick he has to go to his family doctor.

If we talk about the price, in this area we also lose. Every month we quote but we have less rights that a self-employed worker unemployment benefits, maternity leave and/or retirement.

As for the fact that the self-employed person can decide to work from home, well, that depends on the profession he or she performs. There are jobs where you can choose this option and jobs where it is not possible. But even if it is possible, this does not only imply benefits, since working from home represents an added difficulty in disconnecting since the work environment is not differentiated in any way from leisure, personal life and work life and that can lead to health problems. physical and psychological.

What are the consequences of being self-employed for mental health?

• Stress and overload of responsibilities: Normally the self-employed person ends up doing tasks for which they do not have sufficient training. You have to learn some economics and business management (almost always self-taught) since ignorance of the law does not exempt you from your responsibility and many times you work beyond your possibilities and have free time for when lean times come. The person has to make an estimate of the billing periods in which there is more income and from there continually look for clients in addition to saving for the weaker months. This implies emotional exhaustion and constant stress. It is as if you are continually threatened with losing your job and you are always looking for a job because you are left without income.
• Sleeping problems: Stress causes sleep problems such as insomnia, nightmares, lack of quality sleep, nighttime awakenings, etc. This causes the person not to perform as they should during their work hours, and to this is added the worry about not doing the tasks well, which can have an impact on billing and therefore, stress is accentuated. The self-employed person finds himself in a quagmire that is difficult to resolve.
• Somatizations: Stress can also cause anxiety and somatizations such as alopecia, rosacea, psoriasis, irritable colon or digestive problems that are often reduced or minimized when the person relaxes.
• Social and/or family problems: Dedication to work means that you spend less time with family and friends. This can lead to relationship problems, relationship problems with children (or difficulty reconciling work and family life) and social problems. You don’t go out or spend leisure time because it is considered wasted time, time that is not productive and you can lose relationships.
• Feeling of incompetence and low self-esteem: The feeling of loneliness of the self-employed person who often works without anyone to support or guide him makes him feel like a less than competent person. If the person is very demanding of themselves, it can cause a feeling of incompetence and uselessness and this causes self-esteem to be reduced. It must be taken into account that work is a very important area for most people and if it does not work as desired, it can affect self-concept.

So, Not all that glitters is gold and the life of the self-employed is much harder than you think. If you are considering the jump, it is important to take all this into account.

Encarni Muñoz Silva

Health psychologist, member number 16918