Many of us have felt the signs: We lose our cool at work and with our colleagues. The joy we once felt building our companies has vanished over time. Sleepless nights are followed by feeling exhausted in the office or on the road and a struggle to stay focused during the day. A huge life change, whether the happiness of welcoming a new child to the family or heartbreak over the end of a relationship, can jolt us into feeling constantly overwhelmed.
Entrepreneurship can be a lonely and stressful journey. Thankfully, for those of us who may periodically struggle in managing our mental health while we’re also trying to balance the pressures of running a business and supporting a family, we now benefit from more open discussions and the sharing of helpful tactics on platforms like LinkedIn.
Entrepreneurs by nature are proactive, so let’s be proactive about our well-being
As entrepreneurs, we are wired to “crush it.” There is strength, however, in admitting that at times we feel crushed instead.
If you are enduring anything like these experiences, it is time to check in on your mental health and well-being. Do not wait until what you first dismissed as the aches and pains of growing your business become overwhelming; dismissing the signs can risk allowing them to spiral into harming the relationships you have with your employees in the office and your loved ones at home.
When it comes to our work and mental health, first let me share the positive: We know entrepreneurs are very well versed in aligning their businesses with their skills and values. The results often include meaningful professional lives, personal satisfaction, and joy.
With such rewards, however, come great risks. The autonomy and meaningfulness that follows going from a vision to launching a company come with challenges. The intense workload, demands on our time, and the constant weight of responsibility and accountability can first trigger small stressors but left unchecked could morph into what feels like a huge burden.
Entrepreneurs have struggled with mental health for years; thankfully, awareness is rising
Discussion of the mental health risks that entrepreneurs can face is not new. Several years before the global pandemic, a UC-San Francisco researcher found that entrepreneurs were twice as likely to experience depression, three times as likely to turn to substance abuse, and six times more likely to develop Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
The good news is that discussion of entrepreneurs and their mental health is not limited to medical journals. More global organizations like the World Economic Forum and business publications like Forbes are bringing mental health out of the shadows and into the light as they continue to raise awareness. And in professional communities like EO, more of us are learning the power of being open, real, and vulnerable in trusted circles with each other. More of our peers are writing about their struggles now, too.
Mental health challenges are real; just ask our peers
In the days leading up to World Mental Health Awareness Day in October, I posted about this topic on LinkedIn, asking fellow entrepreneurs for signs they’ve learned to watch for in navigating and protecting their own mental well-being. True to form, my EO peers courageously shared some personal perspectives that, with their permission, I wanted to pass along.
“The most challenging times for my mental health in my business are when significant events in my life (e.g. family changes) overlap with significant business events,” replied entrepreneur John Harrington (EO Oklahoma City). “A clear red flag for me is when I start to ‘lose my cool’ and treat others rudely. If I am mad at everyone, then I need to step back, breathe, and reflect.”
Added Shivani Gupta (EO Queensland), “Whenever there is a major change/inflection point that you don’t feel equipped to deal with, (that) can cause issues with mental health. The main signs for me have been sleepless nights and lack of joy.”
I agree. The times of greatest pressure and risk to mental health for entrepreneurs tend to be when pressures in our personal lives and businesses crest at the same time. And while each of us processes stress, worry, and fear differently, we need to be self-aware and watch for the warning signs when it comes to our mental health. Our families and most trusted peers can help us see past our blind spots and be on guard against flare ups, as well.
Other EO members shared some perspectives on the first steps needed to address such challenges and how we can learn from them.
Kim Whitaker’s (EO Cape Town) suggestions are valuable for many of us. “For me, emotions are expressed in the body primarily — so keeping fit and healthy is my first step to mental health and clarity. I exercise in nature, which calms my mind. Breathing through stressful situations. Being mindful of when I’m being triggered … these are all techniques I’ve learnt over the years at EO.”
It’s important to remember that we do not assume these times are entirely negative. Allowing oneself to reflect and grow from such experience is important, replied entrepreneur Linh Podetti (EO Sydney), noting that when it comes to challenges to our mental health, “a huge part of it is mindset. I try to take every experience as a learning experience.”
In my own entrepreneurial journey, I have learned that when the pressure of work starts getting to me, it often brings a wave of anxiety that leads me into a downward spiral. I begin zeroing in on everything that’s not going right, imagining worst-case scenarios at every turn. At my worst, I find myself feeling isolated and alone, sometimes placing blame on others, and struggling with chronic sleeplessness.
These signals have become reminders to step back and address my well-being. Recognizing that anxiety inflates threats and undermines resilience has been essential to seeing through stress and fatigue before I reach burnout. When I recognize these signs, I prioritize journaling to bring clarity, seek support from trusted peers to remind me I’m not alone, and delegate tasks so I can focus on what’s most important.
Depending on where you live worldwide, HelpGuide.org offers a quick way to look up websites and phone numbers to help you or someone close to you embark on a path toward healing your mental health and well-being. And if you’re lucky enough to have a circle of peers whom you trust to be fully yourself with, as I have in EO, it can be a great help to confide what you’re feeling or experiencing to someone who can relate to what you’re going through.
That’s the beauty of meaningful peer connection.
Contributed by Jamie Pujara, EO’s Global Board Chair and a member of EO Kenya.