Nowadays, we are witnessing how many individuals are entering the world of entrepreneurship.
However, along with the excitement and freedom, owning your own business comes with many challenges, which might take a toll on your general wellbeing and even contribute to mental health problems or stress-related diseases. Looking after your mental health at these times is extremely important.
Whether you are considering opening your own organisation, working as a freelancer or have been running your own company for several years now, it is crucial to prioritise your mental health and general wellbeing. Here we have discussed eight tips to help you in looking after your mental health while growing your business.
Take care of your body
Mental health is deeply tied to the physical body, so it is vital to take care of your body by prioritising regular physical activity, eating whole foods, drinking enough water, getting at least eight hours of quality night’s sleep and taking charge of your health by visiting a doctor for required screening tests. A broken or unhealthy body can have a significant adverse effect on your mind, which in turn can easily impact your professional life.
Create firm boundaries
Setting healthy boundaries between work and personal life is essential to avoid burnout, particularly during this time when many of us tend to work from home and may find it harder to achieve balance.Â
Determine a specific range of hours in which you commit to working and when that time is done, consider turning off your work phone, email notifications or any other communication channels that you use for business. This time should be yours, it is important for looking after your mental health that you have time to help you relax.
Prioritise daily self-care
As a busy entrepreneur, you probably don’t have time to get acupuncture, go to a spa or take part in many of your typical self-care treatments. But since self-care is now more important than ever, you need to remind yourself occasionally to take some time out of your busy schedule and focus on your mental health.
Self-care is different for everyone and takes different forms. It might involve making a fancy cup of coffee, drawing, gardening, doing your own makeup, having a long soak in a relaxing bubble bath or even just walking around the neighbourhood. Whatever you like to do, one thing rings true: setting said some time for self-care is an essential ritual in your daily routine.
Follow non work-related hobbies
Making time for hobbies that are not related to your career can help you unplug, improve your happiness, give you breathing space and even focus more on work when the right time comes. Simply look at Bill Gates, who is an avid bridge player, Peter Thiel, who enjoys hiking and surfing, Marc Benioff, who dedicates time for zen meditation or Marissa Mayer, who is an obsessive baker.Â
If you find it difficult to find a hobby, think about the activity that you have always wanted to do or the one that made you happy when you were a kid. Photography, yoga, drawing or painting are all great examples to start with.
Engage in meditation
Daily meditation practice for a couple of minutes to hours a day is proven to offer various health benefits like reduced stress and controlled anxiety levels. It’s no surprise that everyone from Jeff Weiner and Russell Simmons to Padmasree Warrior and ay Dalio takes time to do it every day.
To reap its potential benefits, you can use guided apps like Headspace, Calm or Insight Timer. Since meditation is like any other skill, you need to practice to get good at it. You can start with 10 minutes a day and then increase your meditation session to 20 minutes or even more.
Try out CBD products
This natural supplement should be in the arsenal of every entrepreneur when it comes to looking after mental health, whether you need to improve your mental or physical health. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a prominent, active compound that is known to provide its potential benefits through the interaction with receptors found all over the human body. As a result, taking CBD oil for anxiety can help to enhance your general wellness by reducing stress levels, promoting better sleep as well as relieving pain and chronic aches!
Plus, CBD is a very versatile product, meaning you can take it in many formats and by using different methods. For instance, you can simply chew a few CBD oil gummies, take oral CBD spray, drink CBD tea or even inhale CBD through CBD vape oil. No matter what type of CBD infused product you will choose, make sure to opt for the best CBD oil from proven brands to experience safe and effective treatment.
Set time for social activity
Sometimes it may be easy to forget that you actually have a life outside of your business. Even though it’s great to connect with other entrepreneurs, don’t forget about the friends you already have.
Your family members, loved ones, friends from your hometown, old school friends and past coworkers know you better than anyone else. So make sure to reach out to those you trust, talk to them or even spend some quality time with them. They can help to bring a new perspective to feelings and issues that you may not even have thought about.
Most importantly, spend time with people who challenge and inspire you and/or support you. Try to set aside time for these people and stick to it, as this will help you get out of your bubble and give you something to look forward to each week.
Don’t forget to live in the present
It is not a secret that entrepreneurs live most of their working lives in the future – they plan to acquire new customers, build new growth strategies and do everything to future-proof their business. When you are trying to develop a vision statement for your business to path the company’s future, it can be difficult to fully immerse yourself in the present moment.
Therefore, consider taking some time each day to live in the present, whether it be spending quality time with your family members, loved ones and close friends or appreciating ‘me time’ to relax and energise yourself.
