To sustain your entrepreneurship journey for the long haul you need to focus on your mental health. There are a ton of individuals out there that want to be an entrepreneur without understanding the demands of that lifestyle on their mental health. At a very fundamental level being an entrepreneur is being a problem solver, an innovator, and of service to people and the community that surrounds you. It also encompasses the ability to organize yourself, people, and being accustomed to continuous changes and shifts as the market expands and contracts while employees leave and join. It does not stop there, to be an entrepreneur is to be a calculated risk-taker willing to take chances while competitors are more comfortable watching out for any misstep that they can take advantage of.
If you are still reading this blog by now it means either you are an entrepreneur or crazy enough to become one, regardless I speak from experience and research with every tip working as a practical solution for me. I want to make it clear that what worked for me might not work for you but rest assured these tips will give you the underlying guidelines to safeguard your mental health through your entrepreneurship journey.
Below are your 3 tips for maintaining your mental health as an entrepreneur:
1. Meditate Meditate Meditate and...Meditate:
It all starts with your mind, whether you are trying to problem-solve, innovate, fit your product or service in a niche market, or take risks it all starts in your mind. My first tip to maintain your mental health as an entrepreneur is to meditate. You need to be able to have a clear mind to draw solutions from when playing the role of any of the above-mentioned characters for your customers. You need to learn how to be completely focused in the moment immersed in your business's needs and wants not distracted by past mistakes or future unknowns, one of the best ways to be in the moment is to actively find a specific time during your day where all you focus on is the present moment with no distractions. I practice guided meditations through an app called Headspace as soon as I wake up in the morning, Here is how I do it:
1. Wake up at 6 A.M. find a quiet space and sit straight on a chair.
2. Turn my app on and choose a daily guided meditation special.
3. Set the timer on the app for 20 mins and start the meditation experience.
There are many different ways where you can meditate throughout the day and it does not have to be 20 minutes, it can range from 5 to 20 mins and it does not have to be guided or on an app. The key here is to find a specific time where you can turn your mind off and empty it from all distractions in the process focusing only on what matters throwing out any feelings of anxiety or stress. Less anxiety and stress means better mental health for your entrepreneurship journey.
2. Being Grateful is SO IMPORTANT:
Being grateful is so important for your mental health especially if you are an entrepreneur. A lot of what our culture is centered on is about what you don't have and you should go after what you don't have with every ounce of hard work and dedication that you can muster but how does that translate when it comes to mental health and being an entrepreneur?
It translates to fatigue, de-motivation, a feeling of disappointment, and eventually the inevitable failure. Every entrepreneur needs to appreciate what they currently have and put more weight on what they have at this moment as opposed to what they might or might not gain in the future. This does not mean not having ambition, this does not mean not having set goals and business objectives but this does mean cultivating the practice of noticing what you already have to be enough giving it importance and significance for you and your team.
There were so many times in my life that I wished that I had taken the time to appreciate what I had when I had it instead of putting it on the side like it did not matter. It would have allowed me to be more focused on what is important now in my entrepreneurship journey and given me the time to truly enjoy what I have at this moment. Here is what I do:
1. I pray once a day in the morning right after my meditation where at the end of the prayer I list off the things that I am grateful for at the present moment.
2. I enjoy every meal and drink that I have to the fullest knowing that this is the result of the hard work my team and I.
3. I take 5 minute walks around the block and appreciate the outdoors by enjoying the weather, the people, and the different sounds around me.
3. Build boundaries that are as THICK and CLEAR as the GREAT WALL OF CHINA:
As an entrepreneur that went through or is still going through the pandemic safeguarding your mental health is quite the task. Ever since remote working started as the pandemic grew many people who have a 9 to 5 job report finding it difficult to tune their minds off from work after the job is done for the day so you can imagine how that can be a tougher separation for an entrepreneur to make especially if they are working from home. This is where boundaries come in, there need to be clear boundaries as to when you will work and when you won't work, of course, there will always be the exception but make it a habit to say "no".
Make it known when you will work and when you will not making it less of a surprise when you say "no" to a request. Saying "yes" to every opportunity will always put you in an unfavorable position where you will not be able to deliver your best work but instead deliver multiple projects that are mediocre rather than a single project that is stellar. Personally, I have regretted every time I accepted projects more than I should have since all it will cause me to do is worry about the amount of work that I need to get done as opposed to actually getting the work done.
After saying "no" to what you don't need and finishing up what you have said "yes" to, you can review your schedule and prioritize what needs to get done while accepting new projects into your business. Another way to make our boundaries thicker is by having an activity that you will do that creates a break between your work life and your personal life especially if you work remotely. Here is what I do:
1. Go for a 3 to 5K run right after I close my laptop for the day.
2. Have a board game set up with my significant other or family members.
3. Enjoy reading a book that has nothing to do with work.
Finally:
These are my 3 top tips for maintaining your mental health as an entrepreneur as you go through your entrepreneurship journey. Some of those tips might work for you while others might not, I would recommend experimentation and seeing what practically works for you. Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts about what I had shared, I really enjoy debating ideas and thoughts so any response would be appreciated.