Becoming an entrepreneur requires that you take a deep dive into your psyche. It requires that you look at all the things you’ve been hiding from yourself. For instance, you think money is evil, or that you’ll only be successful when you have 1 million Instagram followers. It also requires that you put a magnifying glass over your life and see where you can improve. Maybe eating pizza 6 times a week isn’t the best option for your mind and body to get you to your goals.
The thing is, on top of what’s mentioned above, the adjustment to entrepreneurship can be tricky. Isolation, many more hours than the regular 40 hour work week, and the obsession of making your passion into a business can result in breakdowns and burnout. In order to avoid this, your mental health should be one of your top priorities going into 2021. That, and the world we know, has changed.
Mental Health isn’t what you think it is (or maybe it is)
Here’s the thing, mental health and mental wellness isn’t about medication and speaking to psychologists (although it can definitely help!). It’s about living a fulfilled life, whatever that looks like for you because one size DOES NOT fit all.
You should know something:
You are but a mere snowflake
How is this? Well, your life is made up of ALL these things:
- Your situations, your traumas, and your life experiences
- Beliefs, protection mechanisms, and fight tactics
- Likes and dislikes
No two people are the same. Currently, we are the smartest population of people on this planet that has ever ruled, generally speaking. Look, certain individuals have done questionable things, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t have other knowledge in their heads. There is knowledge that can’t be learned from a book.
Somehow we haven’t realized that we can give everyone the same pill and expect the same results. It just ain’t happening. That’s why this sucks and is a tricky game.
Now add to the fact that you’re becoming an entrepreneur
Look at you, strutting yourself, holding it all together. But really, underneath you are STRUGGLING. Struggling between the balance of working all day everyday on your dreams, and taking care of your family, and then, lastly, taking care of yourself.
Ever heard that really old airplane cliche? Put your oxygen mask first. They suggest it because it’s actually the most accurate saying to get your stuff together.
It’s important to note that those becoming an entrepreneur face an added amount of challenges when it comes to working online, especially when it comes to mental health:
- They are more likely to be stressed and anxious because of uncertainty.
- Insurance is expensive and therapy isn’t added unless you have “premium” insurance, so they are less likely to budget for and attend therapy.
- They are less likely to schedule self-care or schedule time when they aren’t working.
- They face isolation. Entrepreneurs normally work from home, so spending time with other people doesn’t happen as often as they’d like. Especially right now as the COVID-19 has us trapped inside our homes, entrepreneurs can’t even attend small business meetings or chamber of commerce meetings.
- 49% of entrepreneurs have one or more mental health conditions.
All of these things can happen when you do not take care of your mental health.
Here are the 3 MOST effective treatments to lose that lust for control (that just so happen to be FREE as well)
BREATHE
Take 1 minute with me right now. We are going to meditate. No weird background music, just these words.
Now, before you roll your eyes and skip ahead, you should know this is NOT a joke. Navy seals are trained with this exercise. When they are under severe pressure and their adrenaline is through the roof, THIS IS WHAT THEY DO.
Stop what you’re doing and sit down with your feet fully on the floor, sitting up straight. You’re going to close your eyes and breathe in.
While you’re settling in, you want to place your hands on your knees (palms down for grounding). Then check to make sure your spine is straight, shoulders back. Breathe in, breathe out.
You want to make sure you’re comfortable but staying as close as possible to the position described priorly.
Breathe in for 4 seconds
Breathe out for 4 seconds
Breathe in for 4 seconds
Breathe out for 4 seconds
Just pay attention to your breath. Do this four times.
WRITE IT DOWN
Self-awareness is the KEY to overcoming all those self-sabotaging behaviors that are holding you back from becoming the business owner you dream of being. If you don’t have self-awareness, you’re most likely going to suffer through this.
The best way to start the process is to write down things. The way you live in your head versus when you write things down is so different. You’re able to put into words exactly how you’re thinking and that some powerful stuff (also will help with copywriting if you’re doing that too).
Where should you start? Journaling is a great way to ask yourself questions and write down your answers. Or you can rage on paper or onto writing software, letting out all your pain. It doesn’t have to be perfect. You can write nonsense even. Start with something easy, then add more intense questions. How can you journal?
- Ask yourself where you want to be in 5 years.
- Design your perfect day.
- Write down a situation that happened and name your feelings about it.
- Check in with yourself. Write down how you feel, what you need, and what you’ve accomplished.
You can do all these journal prompts and so many more. Pinterest is a great place to find them. You can even find journal prompts to help you on your journey of becoming an entrepreneur.
MOVE YOUR BODY
Our emotions are a type of energy that you can either let out or store. If you store the energy, it can cause your mental health to be extremely toxic. This stored energy can create triggers. Scientists are starting to see this link. If you’d like more facts:
- Emotional energy when stored in your body can cause toxicity. This means that body parts can hurt or even have problems working correctly.
- You can release this emotional energy and heal your body.
- Emotional energy can be caught in a spot by a traumatic experience.
So, how can we let this emotional energy out?
- Run
- Dance
- Scream
- Yoga
- Swimming
No matter if you are becoming an entrepreneur or are an entrepreneur, you probably spend a lot of the day sitting. Don’t forget to take breaks to move your body!
These are just a few of the ways to let out all that emotional energy and get to a better place where you aren’t yelling at your family. Coping and self-care will save your mental health and your business. Becoming an entrepreneur isn’t easy, but if you learn to cope as you do, you’ll prosper.