Mental Health and Running a Business

I talk a lot about mindset with my followers and my clients, because good business acumen is half of the story, and our mental health is the other.

Entrepreneurs have it particularly tough. So if you’re running a business and wondering why your mental health seems to be lacking, you’re not alone! Anxiety, stress, sleep problems, and other mental health issues are all much more common among entrepreneurs than the rest of the population.

It makes sense. A lot of the things that make us good business people also leave us vulnerable to mental unwellness.

There’s a lot of pressure, right? You’ve got to keep your ducks in a row and project confidence, even when you feel like you’re out of your depth. Even when feeling out of your depth is kinda part of the journey.

Put your mental health first

In starting a business, we’re generally doing all of the things that mental health experts tell us to avoid: working long hours, taking on lots of responsibility, maybe even neglecting our own physical and emotional needs.

I mean it when I say: it really, truly doesn’t have to be this way. I don’t think anyone among us started a business with the intention of adding more stress and chaos to our lives.

The Business Brain Cheat-Sheet

There’s a lot of advice out there, but sometimes it just doesn’t feel specific to how we operate as business owners.

And when it comes to things like burnout, overwhelm, and failures—big, small, or anticipated—the same is true for our wellbeing as it is for our business legals: prevention is so much better than cure.

And just like your legals, we can’t anticipate every single thing that could happen, but we can make a very educated guess, and protect ourselves from the things we can anticipate.

So here are my top four mental health meanies, and how to prevent them from getting in your way:

Mental Health Meanies	The Good Business Antidote
Guilt and anxiety You know, the unwelcome cousins that show up seemingly unannounced every time you try to do something for yourself or start thinking about the future.	Good planning and clarity When you have a plan, you have your armour on. And when you understand why you’ve plotted these particular paths, you’ll rest easier.
Ego No, not me, you might think. Other business owners struggle, but not me. I’m supposed to be good at this. #not helpful	Being anchored to your “why” We’ve talked about how failure happens and how to deal with it. It’s inevitable, and as Denzel Washington said: if you’re not failing, you’re not even trying. But keeping your “why”, your larger vision, front of mind helps you see failure differently: a detour on your journey, rather than a barrier.
Team A lot of the time, your team is there to support you and take a load off. But the wrong person in the wrong place can cause havoc, and add a whole lot more to your plate in the long-term.	Cutting through the noise You can make the right choices when it comes to your team by cutting through the noise and focusing on what’s right for the business. Yes, it’s about people—but it’s about the right people doing the right things to move you forward.
"Shoulds" “I should be working right now” “I should be able to handle this” “I shouldn't have struggled with that” “I should be doing better by now”	Fact: You don’t HAVE to build a million dollar business I mean, you can. But it’s not a requirement for running a thriving, successful business. It’s just added pressure that you don’t need. Unless a million dollar business IS your vision, there’s no need to internalise this message. There are plenty of small businesses out there with healthy, happy, and wealthy owners that never reach the million dollar mark. Focus on what matters to you.

Mental Health Meanies

The Good Business Antidote

Guilt and anxiety

You know, the unwelcome cousins that show up seemingly unannounced every time you try to do something for yourself or start thinking about the future.

Good planning and clarity

When you have a plan, you have your armour on. And when you understand why you’ve plotted these particular paths, you’ll rest easier.

Ego

No, not me, you might think. Other business owners struggle, but not me. I’m supposed to be good at this.

#not helpful

Being anchored to your “why”

We’ve talked about how failure happens and how to deal with it. It’s inevitable, and as Denzel Washington said: if you’re not failing, you’re not even trying.

But keeping your “why”, your larger vision, front of mind helps you see failure differently: a detour on your journey, rather than a barrier.

Team

A lot of the time, your team is there to support you and take a load off. But the wrong person in the wrong place can cause havoc, and add a whole lot more to your plate in the long-term.

Cutting through the noise

You can make the right choices when it comes to your team by cutting through the noise and focusing on what’s right for the business.

Yes, it’s about people—but it’s about the right people doing the right things to move you forward.

"Shoulds"

“I should be working right now”
“I should be able to handle this”
“I shouldn't have struggled with that”
“I should be doing better by now”

Fact: You don’t HAVE to build a million dollar business

I mean, you can. But it’s not a requirement for running a thriving, successful business. It’s just added pressure that you don’t need.

Unless a million dollar business IS your vision, there’s no need to internalise this message. There are plenty of small businesses out there with healthy, happy, and wealthy owners that never reach the million dollar mark. Focus on what matters to you.

…And give yourself a break!

I want to leave you with this: doing your best isn’t the same as doing the most, folks. There’s a lot to think about and stay across in business, and focusing on productivity rather than keeping as busy as possible is a good way to be kinder to yourself and your business.

If you want a catch-all guide to building a small business the healthy way, check out Building Your Small Business | The Beginners Handbook.

If you’d like to dive deeper, my masterclasses were made for you— check them out here.

You might also like to read more in our resource Building Your Small Business | The Beginners Handbook.

Or if you are looking for some guidance—book in for a free chat.

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