DEAR COMMUTER-ANXIOUS IN ALEXANDRIA:  Life is unpredictable.  It throws us curve balls all the time. Just as it’s important to have an emergency preparedness kit for weather events, having a plan for sudden life changes can make any transition easier to bare.

Research local child and elder care facilities for cost, location, hours of operation, typical waitlisting times and customer satisfaction then rank them in order of preference.  Update your list periodically, say every 3 to 6 months.  If you have relatives or friends that could help, try to get a commitment from them and determine in what areas they’d be willing to help, like drop off or pick up duties or watching them for you on days that the daycare isn’t available. I also highly recommend that you contact your local Office of Community Services or Council on Aging to see if they administer the Senior Companion Program. Senior Companions serve one-on-one with the frail elderly and other homebound persons who have difficulty completing everyday tasks. They assist with grocery shopping, bill paying, and transportation to medical appointments, and they alert doctors and family members to potential problems. Senior Companions also provide short periods of relief to primary caregivers.

Long commutes can be taxing on your vehicle, your pocket book and your nerves.  Carpooling with a nearby coworker or with other people within your community that work in the same vicinity as you, can cut down on some of those frustrations.  There are several carpooling networks available that involve fees, such as Carpe, Liftee, and VPool that may also be an option for you.  Or, if mass transportation is available and your side gig is a remote job with flexible hours, you can use the time spent on your commute doing that job.

Try talking to your boss to see if a hybrid schedule is a possibility.  Your employer may be willing to allow you to work remotely a few days a week if you have special circumstances that would make returning to the office full-time difficult.

Sometimes, a career change is the only feasible solution. Check job recruiting sites regularly. There may be jobs available that are only remote or there may be on-site jobs that are much closer to where you live. If you are passionate about your side gig, explore options of making it your full-time job.

Having a healthy emergency fund is key to successfully navigating sudden or unexpected financial “hiccups” that come with remote work. If you don’t already have an emergency fund in place, set up a special account and start putting away a portion of each pay check. Knowing that you will be able to survive a career change financially, whether it is returning to work at an office or changing jobs, can greatly reduce your anxiety levels.