7 Ways to Ensure Better Mental Health as an Entrepreneur in 2021

Entrepreneurship could seem some kind of a fantasy for those who are not, and they could perceive the tag as a kind of fulfillment from building something good. While this is true, there is a price they pay for building something from the ground up.

That “price” is mostly a mental and psychological one. According to Springer surveys, 30 percent of entrepreneurs have experienced depression of some sort. Almost the same percentage of respondents revealed that they dealt with ADHD; while many had felt anxiety regularly.

Mental health issues do have damaging side effects – some maladies could end up being detrimental to the overall business. Depression, for instance, hurts decision-making; bogging down individuals with pessimism, and crippled mentally to process information efficiently.

Entrepreneurs constantly feel undervalued in different scenarios and need a lot of character and mental strength to continue doing their work even in the face of adversity. Employees seek a reliable leader and role model whom they could follow and with mental stress, these leaders feel the heat to perform but often fail.

Here are some ways to ensure better mental health as an entrepreneur in 2021.

1. Take clear note of all kinds of negative feelings.

Entrepreneurs experience more stress comparatively compared to the working populace owing to the high degree of uncertainty, financial concerns, and loneliness. Every day presents entrepreneurs with different challenges and the lifestyle is quite demanding and risky. Finding solutions to every problem could prove to be highly overwhelming with a huge impact on the individual’s mental capacity and well-being.

To manage these negative feelings, people need to accept them and not restrict them forcefully. Let the feelings be expressed in some ways to let them wash over you, and address the causes.

2. Identify the contributors to the mental stress.

It benefits people if they can identify the factors contributing to their stress. Running a business is a huge hassle – especially if the company is in the early stages. It can prove to be energy-sapping and there are recurring situations of stress that could result from financial uncertainty or just future business prospects.

Identifying the stress factors can help individuals cope with stress better, in the long run. They can certainly reduce the burden effectively while focusing on their passion for their work as well as their life.

3. Disconnect business’ value from self-identity and worth.

Entrepreneurs seldom define themselves with their business venture success or their achievements. In these scenarios, once they start losing their business, they start losing themselves. They end up spending more and more time resolving business issues, and always focusing on getting things done. They neglect work-life balance, friends, family, and have literally no life outside of work. It is high time that entrepreneurs devote time to practice self-love, and do more with life, rather than focus on the balance sheet and then align the same to their self-worth.

4. Try playing online games.

Many new-age entrepreneurs can be quite competitive, a streak that they harbor by being competitive in playing online games consistently. As an entrepreneur, you could play solitaire on the laptop or play multiplayer chess with a friend online. These games keep their competitive streak alive, and hence manage stress better. Online games offer great potential to rack brains and figure out intensive mathematical and physics puzzles with proper skill and sharp business acumen.

5. Hire help for getting things done.

Entrepreneurs sometimes pile up on responsibilities all by themselves, without trying to allocate some tasks to competent professionals. To manage stress conditions, they are better off hiring outside help. Some firms employ a handful of employees on a shoestring budget or hire freelancers to do temporary tasks. Sourcing the right people to handle different tasks based on their expertise is the right way to go, and will help budding entrepreneurs manage stress effectively.

For managing accounts, they could hire experienced accountants and the right coding professionals for making an application or website. Let the people who are good at their job handle the responsibilities one by one, while entrepreneurs focus on the bigger picture.

6. View downtime as a means to sharpen senses and increase productivity.

Even though it makes sense to put in long, productive working hours, entrepreneurs need to understand that they need ample downtime regularly. Getting good rest and sleep is key to enhancing productivity at work. With the downtime, one can stay motivated while at work, and look forward to weekend breaks and meetings with friends regularly.

One should not burn out with incessant work, or else, the mental faculties are bound to fail in due course of time. It is essential to nurture mental health with a peaceful attitude and positive thoughts. Or you could play solitaire on your laptop when you feel like it, and that certainly will cheer you up.

7. Improve mental resilience with meditation.

Shifting focus from material happiness to satisfaction and contentment, entrepreneurs can build mental resilience and business structures that work on a scale that they can manage without unnecessary hardships. A good business leader learns to stay positive by meditating a lot, and by being peaceful and hopeful in the face of adversity. They know that all negative situations will pass in due course of time and that they should do their job that is in their control.