10 Ways Start-up Founders Can Stay Mentally Active
“Running a start-up is like chewing glass and staring into the abyss. After a while, you stop staring, but the glass chewing never ends”. -Elon Musk
I worked with a start-up recently and witnessed how daunting being a leader/ startup founder could be. Everything basically revolves around you and this goes to reiterate the fact that founders are more prone to depression, anxiety disorders, and a wide range of mental health disorders.
The fact remains that the discussion around start-up founders and mental health is one that is rarely discussed and this is due to the pressure they’re often confronted with. Also, the picture painted by the media about founders and CEOs is that of affluence and wealth.
Start-up founders face challenges and concerns such as raising funds, pre-seed funding, pre-seed rounds, payment of workers, and getting investors totally forgetting the most important part of the dealing ‘their mental health.
The foregoing depicts the standard everyday life of a typical start-up founder. The fear of ‘’you brought this on yourself’’ and the fear of not wanting to be seen as a failure further deepens their disregard for their mental health.
According to a study by Micheal Freeman at UC Berkeley, it was discovered that 72% of entrepreneurs self-reported mental health concerns.
It was also discovered that Entrepreneurs significantly experience greater prevalence and diversity of mental health differences than the comparison participants. And that founders are significantly likely to have a lifetime history of the following mental health conditions;
1. Depression
2. ADHD
3. Substance use conditions
4. Bipolarity
It was also recorded that a whooping Twenty-seven percent of the entrepreneurs also reported a lifetime history of anxiety.
In the light of the foregoing;
Here are 10 ways in which a founder can stay mentally healthy
- Join a community of fellow founders
You don’t have to carry the weight of the world alone on your shoulders, some people have gone through and have overcome your present challenges and, they can be of help to you. By sharing their personal stories and struggles, can provide emotional support which provides a safe haven that ultimately gives you a sense of inclusion.
2. Make mental wellness available to your employees
According to Bubonya et al (2017), employees with “emotional issues” show six times higher diminished productivity than employees with perfect mental health.
Apart from making mental health a priority at your place of work, there’s also a need to make mental health accessible to all your employees including yourself.
3. De-stigmatize mental health
De-stigmatizing mental health at the workplace means there’s enough vulnerability, mutual understanding, and regard for the mental wellness and well-being of all your employees.
Also, there’s the need to de-stigmatize mental health conversations and provide the right resources and support to your employees. It is time we start seeing the role of a start-up founder/CEO as a legitimate career and like a regular career choice, it is possible to fail at a career and when this happens, it is perfectly okay to try another career choice.
4. Keep friends that are not related to business
The role of a founder is a lonely role, whilst you may have support from friends and fellow founders, there’s the need to have an influx of friends with whom you can unwind and have fun without necessarily bringing anything business related into the moment.
5. Sleep
Sleep is essential and one of the major causes of sleeplessness is stress and mental health disorders. What sleep does to your brain is it helps you unwind and calm your nerves. For the sake of your mental vitality, get some more sleep.
6. Exercise and do something fun
It is often said that a healthy mind is a healthy body and likewise, a healthy body is a healthy mind.
Most of the time, we experience a feeling of mixed emotions after having undergone a stressful activity. Exercise can be a great way to ease stress and undue tension. Whenever you need an emotional boost after a long day, a few physical activities can help. Physical activity helps your brain release chemicals that make you feel happier, more relaxed, and less stressed.
7. Eat well.
It has been discovered that diet has a lot to do with mental health wellness. In view of this, in order to maintain a healthy and sane mind, you should feed well and take your diet seriously.
8. Be vulnerable enough to get help
The understanding that the best of us go through mental challenges at some point will make you seek help. Be vulnerable enough to get yourself a therapist. Vulnerability isn’t a sign of weakness rather, it is a sign of strength.
9. You’re not alone
In a report by the National Institute of Mental health, it was reported that 72% of entrepreneurs are directly or indirectly affected by mental health issues compared to just 48% of non-entrepreneurs.
These stats go to show that you’re not alone and there are many founders going through the same challenges as you.
10 Focus on your goals,
You’ve come too far to stop now, at times when you feel like throwing in the towel, remember the initial force and drive and find strength. If no one has told you before, you’re doing well and the universe is proud of you.
Please seek help from a professional therapist if you need to.
