Tips for Protecting Your Mental Health as an Entrepreneur
There is that ongoing joke that most entrepreneurs would rather work 80 hours a week for themselves than 40 hours for someone else. As freelancers, most of us could probably resonate with that. However, this week we’re here to remind you that rest is important, crucial for our mental health and often leads to better ideas, work and productivity. Let’s dive into our FF mental health toolkit to protect our energy and give you space to rest.
Find Tools That Support You
One of the best things we’ve done for our mental health is create a solid morning routine filled with tools that support our well-being. I Oura Rings to help track my sleep and cycle, that way I know as soon as I wake up how to manage my energy levels for the day. If I’ve had a night of poor sleep or am in my menstrual phase, I know to pop all of our big tasks in the morning when my energy levels are usually higher, then pop easy ticks towards the end of the afternoon. In the morning I love to journal three things I’m grateful for and read content that makes me feel good and that I can gain value from. I love The Newsette wellness emails for this, they provide me with so much great value that I can carry into my wellness routine.
Stay Social!
It’s easy as entrepreneurs to get so engrossed in our work that we often forget to nurture the relationships in our lives. This unknowingly can lead to mental health issues like depression. To combat this, I love to literally schedule breaks into my weekly calendar. Once I’ve time-blocked them, I’ll reach out to friends to see if they’d like to go for a walk, catch lunch or have a phone call. Co-working or just setting up regular dates with other entrepreneurs is important as it allows you that time to vent and get frustrations off your chest to someone who understands what you’re going through.
Do an Energy Audit
Do an “energy audit”. Write out two columns: what fuels you, and what drains you. Actively manage and set boundaries around your schedule to make time for what fuels you. Is it self-care, exercise, time with friends or family, a new hobby, brainstorming, strategic planning, negotiating deals, or managing your people? What fuels you is what you do best. How can you outsource what eats up more effort, so that you can lead from your “zone of genius”?. The more time you spend doing what gives you energy, the less burnt out you will feel.
Wave Goodbye to Comparison
We’ve all spent too much time comparing ourselves to others’ entrepreneurial journeys that it will make you feel like our efforts are in vain, which can seriously affect your mental health. Comparison is only good to a certain extent. Up to the point where you want to strive for more and learn from others’ success. Remember everyone’s path is different, with external factors that influence their pursuit of business. I always take time to sit back, relish what I’ve accomplished so far, and remember that the only competition I have is with myself. I’ll get where I want in my own time!
Your self-worth isn’t determined by your business
As freelancers, the majority of us will have experienced burnout. My best tip is not to work every day. Make sure you have at least one day of the week to spend with friends and family or just doing nothing. I also have a morning routine such as meditation and breathwork to ground me and build that mental capacity “armour” so I’m ready to take on whatever comes. Remember: your self-worth isn’t tied to your business. You’re allowed to take a step back if you need to work on your mental health!
Get Outside
To be successful in business we have to look after our health. I know how intertwined our mental well-being and gut health are. That’s why I prioritise healthy eating and incorporate lots of fruits, veggies, fermented foods and good pre and probiotics (our fave is Seed).
To help me de-stress and clear my mind, I love going for a walk outside in nature (almost) every day after lunch or I will do a Form Pilates workout outside in the sunshine. It’s such a refreshing break and it gives me a chance to push myself physically and release those feel-good endorphins.
Alongside all of this, it’s important to lean on like-minded communities like Freelancing Females. If you’re ever struggling or need advice lean on community. Remember, if you’re doing it tough there are fantastic resources like BetterHelp to lean on trained professionals.