Navigating Entrepreneurship and Mental Health

In this Forbes article, author Bri Seeley, Entrepreneur coach talks about the mental health challenges faced by entrepreneurs. Mental health is one of the most underrated and overlooked elements for entrepreneurs.

Problem:

Entrepreneurs tend to ignore their own needs on behalf of the business, and that is most often the catalyst.

There is a lack of correlation between success and mental health. Notable deaths of successful entrepreneurs such as Alexander McQueen, Kate Spade, Anthony Bourdain, and Robin Williams over the past few years due to mental health have proven this point. These celebrity deaths were not of people who would be considered failures.

A study found that 72% of entrepreneurs are affected by mental health issues (compared to 48% of non-entrepreneurs). In addition, entrepreneurs were significantly more likely to report a lifetime history of depression (30%), ADHD (19%), substance use (12%), and a bipolar diagnosis (11%)

Reasons:

• The stress of leading a team.
• The onus of innovation.
• The task of supporting their clients.
• Taking difficult decisions daily.
• Having the sole responsibility of generating revenue.

Solutions:

• Talking to the community, friends, and family about their problems
•  Mental health-care practices like meditation, journaling, physical exercises, and breathwork regularly.
• Taking the help of Coaches, Healers, and Therapists to sort out problems and share concerns.
• Increased outsourcing and delegation of responsibilities.
• Self-Acceptance of one’s failures and weaknesses.

About the Author:

Bri Seeley is an Entrepreneur Coach and helps entrepreneurs scale their impact and profit with ease through business development and creative strategy using a bespoke approach. She has 14 years of experience in the field.

She was awarded the Silver Stevie Award for Coach of the year- Business and the Bronze Stevie Award for Woman of the Year – Business Services in 2020. She is a member of the Forbes Coaches Council and is also the author of a best-selling book- “Permission to Leap”.