Remote work has, in recent years, become an increasingly present reality in the daily lives of many people. What began as a temporary solution during the pandemic has, for many companies, turned into a regular practice. Despite its advantages—such as flexible hours, no need for commuting, and the possibility of better balancing professional and personal life—it is important to recognize its more silent effects on mental health. Social isolation, often associated with remote work, goes beyond the absence of socializing. It is a deeper form of separation that touches on how we feel seen, acknowledged, and connected to others, to the world, and to ourselves.
In a remote work context, human contact changes. Spontaneous conversations, informal gestures, the simple act of sharing a coffee or a quiet moment beside someone—these gradually disappear. Screens become the intermediaries for everything, even for presence itself. And no matter how efficient digital platforms are, or how constantly they evolve to reduce the gap between the virtual and the real, there is a dimension of human connection that cannot be transmitted through video or audio. Being physically present with someone allows us to pick up on essential nuances of communication, such as body language, tone of voice, and eye contact. These interactions strengthen the sense of belonging, support, and recognition. That is why many people report feeling increasingly lonely, even while being frequently in touch through digital means. The lack of direct contact seems to drain the sense of belonging, create doubts about one’s value within the workgroup, and make it harder to distinguish between professional and personal time.
On the other hand, working from home significantly changes our relationship with space and time. Without the commute to the workplace, without the natural breaks that used to punctuate the day, the boundary between being available and being at rest becomes blurred. The absence of a clear distinction prevents the necessary mental separation that helps us structure our identity and our social roles. This lack of definition can lead to a collapse of the symbolic function of the home, turning it into a hybrid space where external demands prevail. Some feel they must always be connected, always productive, as if performance depended solely on willpower. This constant pressure can cause anxiety, accumulated fatigue, concentration difficulties, and feelings of guilt for not “making better use of the time.” Often, the silence and solitude of working alone make it harder to regulate one’s own pace, leading to emotional overload. In clinical practice, we observe that this new work context can reactivate old vulnerabilities—emotional challenges that were previously offset by routines, face-to-face relationships, and daily rituals. Isolation and excessive internal demands are often experienced in silence, with the feeling that one “should” be able to handle everything.
It is also important to recognize that the impact of remote work on mental health is not the same for everyone. Those with a greater need for social contact—such as more extroverted people—tend to feel the absence of in-person interactions more intensely. Individuals already facing emotional challenges, such as anxiety or depression, may find these difficulties worsened by the lack of routines and daily socializing. Those living alone, for instance, may feel more vulnerable to isolation. People who struggle to separate work time from rest time run the risk of burning out faster. In such situations, distinct reactions are common: some people continually postpone tasks (procrastination) as a way to cope with the anxiety caused by unlimited, breakless time; others, by contrast, enter an accelerated, almost compulsive work rhythm, as if constant productivity were the only way to maintain some control amid the chaos. Additionally, inadequate home environments—such as lack of privacy or a chaotic setting—contribute to increased stress and exhaustion. For many people, work is not only a source of income but also an important space for socialization and recognition, and losing it can be deeply felt.
In fact, many of the challenges associated with remote work existed even before the pandemic, although they were limited to specific groups such as freelancers, self-employed professionals, or workers in technological fields. With the sudden and forced generalization of remote work during the pandemic, these difficulties ceased to be the exception and became a common reality for a large part of the working population, reinforcing the importance of caring for emotional health in these contexts.
Remote work, in itself, is neither good nor bad. It can be a valuable opportunity for autonomy and balance, but it can also become a subtle trap of isolation and overload. Perhaps the most important question is not the “work model” itself, but rather how each person experiences it, how they relate to their own limits and needs, and what space exists—inside and outside of work—for emotional care. We live in times of high demands: productivity, constant adaptation, and endless availability. The real challenge today is to discover how to work without giving up our humanity.