As entrepreneurs, people tend to overcome various hurdles in their path to success. Amid the struggle, one thing that keeps one going and helps one grow over time is one's mental outlook and strength.
But the thing about an entrepreneur's hustle is that it is never put to an end, which is also essential for growth. It also affects mental health.
The long battle with perfectionism leads many entrepreneurs to have eating disorders, depression and anxiety. Many entrepreneurs acknowledge the effect on their work and their health early, while some are unable to recognise them.
Acknowledging that one is the prey of mental health problems due to their constant struggle and failures is the first step towards healing and being successful in overcoming mental health issues.
There can be various reasons that can make one vulnerable to mental health issues, including stress from work, isolation, correlating entrepreneur and brand identity,uncertainty and the fear of facing reality.
Operating in a state of optimum emotional and relational health, entrepreneurs should follow these hacks to boost their health:
Cracking Down the Thinking Pattern: One's thinking pattern defines one, and questioning the pattern helps one be aware of one's feelings and mental health. One usually follows a pattern when it comes to negative thoughts of failure.
Once people let these thoughts root their mind, it leads to distorting the severity of any situation they are in. The real challenge is to acknowledge when one is over thinking the matters and question the thoughts to take back control.
Practising Focus: One thing that yoga teaches is to focus on breathing, the inner self and not the matters that people cannot control, and practising deep breathing exercises that can help build inner focus and confidence.
Use Aromatherapy: The smell of sense plays an important role in affecting the psychological state of a person. Aromatherapy has been known as an impactful hack when it comes to lowering stress levels, as it tends to activate certain receptors in the brain, potentially lowering anxiety. The therapy can be adapted to the working space or space one chooses for self-care time, and the aromas can be felt in the form of oils, incense or candles in different soothing scents.
Write Down Thoughts: Many people have lost the habit of writing down things in the digital age. While one tends to write on social media timelines, the action of writing a diary makes one pin down the feelings they are experiencing. Writing down the feelings will eventually help one recognise their thought process, as mentioned above, and prevent attacks from happening.
Recognise the general triggers: There are various triggers that can lead one to have anxiety attacks. Some triggers are easy to identify, while some are hidden or a result of a long-term problem. Smoking, drinking alcohol, and caffeine are the obvious triggers, while financial problems and work-related problems may take some time to figure out and may need extra support through therapy or with friends. The other triggers that one should be aware of are a stressful job or work environment, travelling, trauma, chronic illness, etc.
Adopting CBT or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: This therapy helps people learn different ways of thinking about and reacting to stress or anxiety-causing situations. With this therapy, the therapist can help one recognise their negative thoughts and assist them to recover from them before they go into the spiral.
Having a Healthy Diet: While eating disorders can result from poor mental health, certain foods in the diet can also increase stress levels. Taking Supplements and including certain nutrients in the diet can help reduce stress levels naturally.
Lemon balm, omega-3 fatty acids, ashwagandha, green tea, kava, and dark chocolate may not immediately affect stress levels, but they do tend to show results in three to four months. If one is taking other medications, it is essential that they discuss these herbal remedies with their doctor.
Taking Medication Regularly: There is no shame in recognising mental health disorders and discussing them with an expert to receive prescribed medications just like one gets for one's physical health. In case the anxiety is severe, and the mental health practitioner believes one would benefit from medication, one can discuss the treatment plan with the doctor along with discussing their concerns.
These hacks are essential and supportive, but in case the problems becomes severe, visit an expert psychologist will guide one through the process of overcoming the hurdles and win the battle against mental health disorders.
He/she will help the entrepreneurs to streamline the process of identifying the triggers and maintain long-term strategies through behavioural therapy, medications, and more.