Thanks to a recent house move I've met numerous lone workers over the last few weeks, all stretched to point of breaking as they move from one to job to the next, raking in the money, yes, but occasionally at considerable personal cost.
Working alone can be difficult. There is no one with whom you can banter or swap stories, no one to talk to about what you did during the day. There is no one to hear you complain about the difficult customer you ended up spending hours with, no one to sympathise with about the late finish you had.
Maybe you have a partner who you can off load onto later in the evening, but maybe you don't. Worse, maybe you don't want to 'dump' your stuff on them so you keep quiet instead and let your mind churn away whilst you sit slumped on the sofa. (Maybe it's not even your sofa or your bed - you may be sleeping in your van or cab for the whole week ...).
Whatever your day's been like, and wherever you are, it could be that you're also exhausted and not in the mood to engage in small talk be that with a partner, work mate, colleague, customer or friend. You may be more likely to snap in conversation or express your frustration which may then be seen as anger ...
It's OK. It'll be the weekend soon so time to do all the chores that have built up during the week and hopefully fit some relaxation time too. Perhaps you’ll even get time to go to a match or go out for a drink ... before starting again next week ...
For some, anticipating another week 'of the same' is not something to look forward to. It can be daunting, stress-inducing: to be dreaded rather than relished.
With this in mind, try looking around you as you go out, not judging the person whose eyes you might light on, but showing at least a degree of kindness and compassion.
It's World Suicide Prevention Day on 10th September. In England and Wales, 2019 figures recently issued by the ONS (Office for National Statistics) show 5,691 suicides to have been registered for that year. The key suicide risk group in England and Wales is amongst men aged 45-49. Suicide is the biggest killer of the under 35s, and it's not just men. The figures are stark. If you are aware of someone who seems down or not their normal selves, seek help or encourage them to seek help from organisations such as Papyrus or the Samaritans, or suggest they get in touch with their GP and/or a counsellor to help them through the dark phase they've found themselves in. Change CAN happen: making connections and having conversations are key to this taking place.