Building a business is one of the hardest and most rewarding things you could ever decide to do. There is something to be said about the people who trade in the 40-hour work week to work 100 hours a week in their business, leaving the safety and security of a full-time stable job to begin stressing about whether or not they will be able to make enough money to cover their basic needs from month to month.
When you do finally find your footing, people may see the glitz and glam on social media, but make no mistake, they have no idea of the toll it takes on every business owner’s mental health. The early mornings and late nights – you may even start to pack on some weight due to bad eating or lack of time for exercise; you lose friends because you no longer have the time to hang out like you once did.
Entrepreneurship is a lonely road, especially in your beginning phases.
This week, I wanted to bring in a psychologist and high-performance coach to help the entrepreneurs out here with some practical tips for getting their mental health on track. This is critical, because the business cannot function or grow if you are not in a good space mentally and firing on all cylinders.
I am ecstatic to introduce Ms Chelsea Cree to you, and I have asked her to give us her tips to support your mental health on your journey as an entrepreneur.
Here are her five tips:
1. Prioritise your self-care: You are your most valuable asset. Make self-care a non-negotiable part of your routine.
When you don't take care of yourself, you will become more prone to feel stressed, anxious, depression, and your career will suffer.
Prioritise those activities that nourish your mind, body and soul.
Self-care can take many forms. This includes exercise, getting enough sleep, practising mindfulness or meditation, engaging in hobbies you enjoy, setting boundaries, spending time with loved ones or taking regular breaks.
Remember, you cannot pour from an empty cup.
2. Develop your emotional intelligence: If you want to be successful in your career as an entrepreneur, it is very, very important to learn how to control your emotions so that your emotions don't control you and don't control your business by extension.
Entrepreneurship is often an experience with high levels of stress and pressure, but until you are connected to your emotions, you will be unable to cope with the stress in a healthy way. Improving your emotional intelligence will equip you with the ability to manage and regulate your emotions in stressful situations, as it will allow you to understand your emotions, strengths, weaknesses, and triggers and avoid the pitfalls of emotional instability.
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3. Regulate your nervous system: Mindset can't remedy the mental, emotional, and behavioural issues that you may struggle with as a result of a stressed-out nervous system.
It is common for us as entrepreneurs to experience periods of high stress and anxiety, but when these feelings become chr
