Mental health issues for entrepreneurs can often go unnoticed. Recent studies have indicated that the majority of people in business are sleep-deprived and overworked, and this has led to widespread concerns around the wellbeing of entrepreneurs. While it is important to work hard, it's also important to remember that your state of mental wellbeing contributes to how effective you feel in your work. In the face of challenges, maintaining a sense of calm, remembering why you started and how far you’ve come will all help you to keep moving forward and strengthen your resilience.
Whether you’re just starting out as a new business owner, or have a well-established business already, poor mental health can be a hurdle to accomplishing your dreams. Needless to say, when you prioritise your mental health, not only are you able to improve peace of mind, but your efficiency also increases multifold.
In this special guest blog, Jessica Fender shares five of the many ways you can build resilience and nurture your mental health as an entrepreneur.
1. Treat challenges as learning opportunities
Who doesn't make mistakes? We’ve all done things we regret, it’s important to find a balance of not dwelling on past issues and learning from our experiences, so we can apply those lessons to future situations. When things don’t go as planned, it can still teach you a great deal.
Experiences also allow you to develop a heightened capability of reading situations, and as such, analysing a better approach. The challenges we face are opportunities to learn and grow, and serves as a reminder that each obstacle you overcome strengthens your resilience.
2. Take a note of how you feel
It is important to consider your feelings as valid. Ignoring how you feel or bottling up your emotions can contribute to poor mental health, so if you feel stressed, overwhelmed or anxious, start my taking note of how you feel without judgement. Pause for a moment, breathe, and acknowledge what the root cause could be. Stress, anxiety and uncertainty are common experiences for entrepreneurs who often have a lot of pressure on their shoulders, so be kind to yourself.
The first step towards prioritising your emotional and mental wellbeing is to take your feelings into consideration. Whether you feel positive or challenging emotions, taking note of this enables you to keep a track of the causes - what aids your wellbeing, and what doesn’t. If needed, you could consider seeking professional help from a therapist, someone who can offer you an outside perspective and guide you through evaluating and managing your emotions.
3. Make connections
Networking and connecting with people can open a wide range of opportunities for you, and can reduce pressure in stressful situations. According to the American Psychological Association, relationships that foster trust, role models healthy habits, and provide encouragement can assist to enhance a person's resilience.
The life of an entrepreneur can at times feel lonely and uncertain. This can also contribute to burnout, and therefore it’s important to reach out for support when needed to prevent issues from escalating. Not only do valuable, trusted connections in your life help you to bounce back from challenges, they also provide you with social support in the process; a vital component of what nurtures our happiness as human beings.
4. Learn to nurture acceptance
Learning to accept things as they are isn’t easy, and considering acceptance as a practice to nurture can be a helpful way to think about it. Even if you encounter challenges or struggle to perform at your best, this also presents an opportunity to reflect on how far you've come. Sometimes we have to change direction with our plans, and we won’t always understand why things unfold as they do, and at these times it’s important to focus on what’s in our control.
When you actively focus your attention on what has gone well or what you’ve managed to overcome, you’ll find you start to approach similar situations in a more proactive way. The reality is many entrepreneurs face challenges on a regular basis, and so building resilience and confidence in business takes time as well as establishing your brand.
5. It’s an ongoing practise
Anything is possible to achieve through practise. Though it takes time and perseverance to get back on track after a setback along the entrepreneur journey, practising mindset tools, strategies and tapping into a support network can undoubtedly help you to achieve your goals. When you focus on developing your skills, this can improve your sense of self-awareness as well as boost the success of your business. Believing in yourself and your capabilities is a key step towards maintaining and nurturing your mental wellbeing.
It’s easy to focus on what the business needs, as opposed to what nurtures your confidence, happiness and wellbeing as an entrepreneur, and the reality is the two go hand in hand. Keep your curiosity and determination alive, and regulate your energy levels and confidence by surrounding yourself with like minded individuals; be a support system for one another, and this can help to see you through challenges.
Always come back to balance
A vitally important and valuable aspect of nurturing a successful business is to maintain a healthy work-life alignment. Business responsibilities come with the need to prioritise and nurture your emotional wellbeing, and your mental health. When you feel well in yourself, you’ll naturally feel more productive and effective in your business.
With the above tips in mind, I hope this helps you to achieve a balance that works for you. Focus on yourself, believe in your capabilities, and be open to opportunities for growth.
Jessica Fender is a marketer with a deep passion for all things digital marketing-related. Jessica enjoys writing, both for online outlets and academic assignments involving research papers, case studies, and essays. Jessica reads, exercises, and tends to visit local nature resorts in her spare time.