Leapers.
This year’s Leapers annual report on the mental health of freelancers identified a number of key challenges, risks and gaps in support - but what does it mean for you, as a freelancer?
Whilst you can read the full report, we wanted to highlight some of the key data, and explain what implications it has for you as a freelancer, or if you’re planning on working in self-employment.
The overall headline is simple: Freelancing doesn’t come with built-in support systems - you need to put them in place for yourself, else risk facing poorer mental health which is likely to impact your business and income.
But beyond that, there are some key themes which are worth understanding.
Let’s dive in.
1. Uncertain income can impact your confidence and wellbeing
in 2025, 45% of our group saw their incomes decline, had 53% had significant gaps in their income, or periods of time without paid work.
No-one would be surprised to hear that freelancing can mean irregular income, but this uncertainty can also come with mental health risks.
People without financial stability can see their wellbeing decline, especially if they’re having to dip into their savings or use credit cards to pay their bills.
ACTION: Get on top of your finances, to understand your current financial position. Work up a personal budget, so you know how much you need to make each month, and work towards building up some cash reserves, to smooth out periods without work. Consider resources like https://building-up-business.org or https://unlockyournumbers.xero.com/
2. If you’re new to freelancing, you’ll need to invest in learning and support
In 2025, 58% of people new to freelancing felt they lacked resources to get started, and 49% didn’t feel they had adequate support for their mental health at work.
There’s a steep learning curve when you start a business, and whilst there are many excellent resources available, it can be incredibly hard to find good quality ones, or even know what questions you need to be asking. Without resources, your confidence will drop, and you risk making mistakes which could impact your wellbeing.
And if something does go wrong, it’s important to know where you can turn for additional support - around wellbeing, finances, contracts, legal advice and more. There’s a huge amount of support out there, you just need to know where it is.
ACTION: Look towards platforms which provide resources for new freelancers. Organisations like IPSE, SimplyBusiness, Freelancing.Support and CreativeLivesInProgress all have brilliant and often free resources to help you navigate the first few years. Seek out industry bodies in your line of work which offer support, such as charities and trusts, for example NABS in the advertising sector, The Film & TV Charity in television, and the Association of Illustrators for illustration freelancers. There are many more. Create yourself a list of resources for when you need them.
3. Isolation is a risk, if you’re not actively building up meaningful connections in work
The likelihood of struggling with feelings of isolation can be up to 2-3 times higher than those in employment.
Whilst many freelancers love working remotely, for some who solely work from home, and who are not actively working with others - there is an increased risk of facing frequent loneliness.
It can be easy to feel like you’re doing everything on your own, as often you’re the only person to whom all of your business decisions fall upon. So it’s perhaps unsurprising that it can feel like a lonely experience at times.
Even if you have a strong social circle, you might be lacking meaningful connections in the context of work - people you can talk to about your experience of freelancing, people who understand this way of working, who can empathise and share their insights.
ACTION: Seek out community spaces which focus on supporting fellow freelancers. These might be online or offline, but those with a freelance-first mission will enable you to connect with others who are sharing similar experiences. We have a long list of amazing freelance communities here: https://www.leapers.co/community
4. Taking care of yourself means good foundations.
49% of our group took less than 14 days or less off work last year, and where people are less able to take time off work, their mental health declines.
Whilst it is often easier said that done, taking regular breaks from your work, focusing on good sleep, diet and exercise are all crucial for positive mental health.
Even if you can’t afford to take a proper period of time off, little modifications to your routine can help - like giving yourself a long weekend or shorter days for a week, to rest a little, will often work really effectively.
Simple things like hydration, screen breaks, not always working from home, and time outdoors can dramatically improve your physical and emotional wellbeing.
ACTION: Prioritise your physical wellbeing to support your mental wellbeing. Make sure you’re carving out time in your day to eat, hydrate, get time outdoors, and try and find ways to “put work away” end the end of your day. Find more tangible wellbeing guides tailored for freelancers over at Leapers.co/resources
5. Protect yourself against poor client behaviours
70% of our group faced all too common poor behaviours from clients, including late payments and ghosting, or simply poor communication - and this has an impact on both productivity and wellbeing.
No matter how much effort you put in, many influencing factors on our wellbeing are often outside of our control, especially when it comes to things like economic factors or client behaviours. However, there are often boundaries and processes we can put in place to reduce or mitigate the risk of their impact.
ACTION: Put things in place to protect yourself against poor client behaviours - especially things like contracts, policies around late payments, and techniques to combat ghosting. Lean into your communities to ask for input around questionable behaviour, so you’re not feeling gaslit. Get up to speed on tackling late payments, with resources from the Small Business Commissioner or With Jack, and consider insurance for covering legal costs.
And remember to put yourself on your todo list, and make wellbeing part of your business plan.
48% of freelancers in our group were unable to work at some point during 2025 due to poor mental health, and 92% found their ability to work effected.
Putting things in place to take care of your own wellbeing is a critical part of building a sustainable business - because if you can’t work, you don’t have a business.
Everyone’s experience is unique, so there’s no single answer to taking care of your own needs. But starting with the ABC of wellbeing is a good place.
Active Awareness - check in with yourself each week, spend 15 minutes to reflect on your week, and ask “how am I feeling this week?” and “what led to me feeling like that?”. You’ll build up a picture of the things which impact your wellbeing, and see changes over time - creating an early warning sign.
Boundaries and Behaviours - as you learn what impacts your wellbeing, put small changes in place to protect yourself, such as structure around working hours, time off, not accepting client calls out of hours, etc. Build up a sustainable way of working well. Use the key actions above as a starting point.
Community and Connection - working for yourself doesn’t mean working by yourself. Invest in building your own support networks and community. Join online and offline groups, and spend time making meaningful connections with others.
There are lots of things you could do, but starting with the ABC with just 15 minutes a week to ask “How am I doing?” and another 15 minutes building your social connections up, will go a long long way.
Over the next 12 months, we’ll go into more detail across these key themes, related issues that consistently impact the wellbeing of freelancers, and implications for hirers, community owners, platforms and policy makers.
The full report is available here: https://leapers.co/research/2025/report
With huge thanks to With Jack for supporting this year’s research, without whose support, the work would not have been possible.
