Here’s How to Take Care of Mental Health as a Female Entrepreneur
Mental health is a trendy topic for a reason; we all struggle once in a while and if the issue isn’t addressed in time, it might turn into a long-term problem that can be impossible to solve without professional help. Knowing how to take care of your mental health is even more important when you’re a female entrepreneur as you might have to work more hours than people who are employed. Luckily, no matter how busy you are, there’s always a way to manage your well-being. In this article, you’ll find out how to do it.
Are female entrepreneurs more likely to suffer from mental health issues?
While the most common stereotype about being an entrepreneur is that you get to have more freedom, such benefits come with time, and running your business is far from easy. When you don’t have set working hours, you might end up doing overtime, especially since your project is like your baby that you want to grow and be successful. Doing it all on your own might also mean that not everyone believes in you, including yourself, and you might struggle to not be perfectionistic. Female entrepreneurs can often be overworked and find it difficult to maintain a life-work balance. And as if this weren’t enough, it’s a ‘men’s world’ and women still aren’t taken as seriously as their male counterparts. If people around you ridicule you and see your business as just a hobby, your self-esteem might depend on whether you accomplish something or not and it’s not healthy. This is why you should make sure that you take adequate care of your mental health. You can implement these simple tips into your routine today:
1. Hype yourself up
Just like in the case of any other goal, developing your business is a journey. One way to embrace it is to accept that there will always be ups and downs and that an optimistic viewpoint is what can get you through the darkest moments. Just like the saying ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’ goes, it’s impossible to succeed straight away. And even if you meet all the objectives, you’d set for yourself, it doesn’t mean that there won’t be some bumps further down the road.
So instead of focusing too much on the end goal, remember to work on your attitude. In other words, hype yourself up! Even simply telling yourself that you can do it can shift your mood and motivate you to keep going. Another important thing is to celebrate every win, no matter how insignificant it might seem.
Remember that every goal can be broken down into smaller segments so even one tiny step in the right direction can count as success. A good way to remember to recognize your accomplishments is by writing them on a board or a paper and sticking it to the wall, where you can look at them every day. Perfection doesn’t exist and appreciating your efforts goes a long way. If you want to be happy about responding to a work email or even just getting out of bed, more power to you.
2. Remember the importance of taking a break
One of the biggest challenges you’ll face as a female entrepreneur is uncertainty. You might worry whether your business will work out and whether you’re doing enough to make it happen. As a result, you might push yourself to do more, faster and better even at the expense of your health. But overworking yourself will only impede your progress and prevent you from enjoying life outside work. So instead of focusing on working harder, remember that it’s important to take a break and recharge your batteries once in a while. Ideally, you should stay away from your laptop and move around every 45 minutes, which might be challenging to remember but you can always set an alarm clock to help you with that. A good idea is also to make breaks purposeful – make sure that you drink a lot of water and stretch your body or do anything else you can think of that benefits your health. You can even practice meditation to help you ease the stress and be more grounded in the present.
3. Ask for help
As your business grows and becomes successful, the number of tasks you have to do each day increases. Even though you might enjoy being busy and derive motivation from your accomplishments, sometimes enough is enough. If you find yourself unable to stop thinking about work, have no time for friends or family and had to ditch your interests, it’s a sign that you could do with extra help. You can either consider getting your partner involved or hiring someone to help with admin tasks such as answering emails or marketing. There’s no shame in asking for help and if you look at the most successful businesses, you’ll learn that no CEO does everything on their own.
4. Learn to say no
Knowing when and how to say no can be tricky when you’re a female entrepreneur. On one hand, you want every opportunity you can get to make sure that your business grows, especially if you’re new to it, on the other hand, there aren’t enough hours in a day to commit to so many new partnerships and taking on new clients. While it might be easier than it sounds, you have to learn how to listen to your gut. Following Marie Kondo’s technique, you can ask yourself; does it spark joy? And if it does, is it beneficial for my business?
Setting boundaries is a very necessary skill that can help you maintain a work-life balance and make sure your business grows. If you always say yes to everyone, you’re risking becoming burnt out, which can put you off work for a long time and even make you lose passion for your business. Remember that you’re not meant to do it all in life – your only job is to go after something that fulfils you and do something that makes you happy, and no matter how successful your business is, you still need time for yourself.
5. Create a solid self-care routine
There’s no point in sugar-coating anything; being an entrepreneur is tough and there will be moments that might make you question both your path and sanity. If you want to make sure that you take care of your mental health, even when things are going well, you should create a self-care routine that you can practice daily and rely on during difficult times.
Self-care might look different to different people, but the general idea is that it’s supposed to nourish your body and soul. For example, you can do something you enjoy doing every day that also makes you feel relaxed, such as having a bath, going for a walk, listening to your favorite music, or spending time with your loved ones. You should also pay attention to your physical health as it can impact your well-being: make sure you’re hydrated, get enough sleep, and include exercise in your daily routine.
6. Connect with like-minded people to focus on your self-care
Being a female entrepreneur can be isolating – with this line of work come many struggles that friends who work 9-5 can’t relate to, such as working overtime, loss of faith, daily rejection and losing money. This is why you should make connections with other entrepreneurs. Talking to people who understand what it takes to run a successful business can give you mental support and help you through difficult times.
Additionally, networking is a great way to learn more about entrepreneurship. If you’re new to being an entrepreneur, it’s important for you to seek advice that can prevent you from committing the most common mistakes and give you faith that what you’re doing is the right route for you. If you don’t know anyone who is an entrepreneur, there are plenty of support groups on social media. In most cases, all it takes to join is one click.
7. Remember to take baby steps
If you want to develop a new habit, you have to engage in the activity regularly, which can be a lot to take in. This is why you should take baby steps. Start by including one new habit in your schedule per week and build upon it. For example, you can try not to check your emails an hour before bed and then make it into 2 hours, then 3 hours and so on.
Once you’ve made it your new habit, you can then work on other areas you struggle with it. For example, you might choose to reduce your working hours, make sure you drink 8 cups of water per day or have breaks every hour and so on. The good thing about being an entrepreneur is that the longer you’re growing your business, the easier it will be for you to realize that every change is gradual, and that persistence is the key to success.
8. Practice gratitude to take care of your mental health
Practicing gratitude allows you to appreciate your life for what it is and makes you happier in the long run. When you’re an entrepreneur, your mood might often depend on whether you’re accomplishing something or not. At first, this kind of mindset might keep you going but with time, you might realize that you’re only happy when you’re busy and it’s not the way it’s supposed to be. If you’re afraid of being alone with your thoughts and struggle to relax, it’s a sign that it’s time to learn how to be more grateful.
If you’re put off by the idea because it seems like just another position on your to-do list, you can always start by listing things you’re grateful for in your head. Before you fall asleep, simply consider what makes you grateful to be alive; is it your health? Your partner? Or maybe your pet? It can be something as little as the weather and as big as winning a competition. The goal is to shift your mindset and learn how to be more positive. When you invite positivity into your life, you’re less likely to worry about meeting deadlines and more likely to feel excited about the future. And the more excited you are, the more likely it is that your business will reach its full potential.
9. Change the way you talk to yourself
Words can be extremely powerful; if you frequently put yourself down for failing or approach a problem with a negative attitude, your mood will decrease and your stress levels will rise whenever you have to do something challenging, and that won’t help your business. From now on, try to change the way you talk to yourself. For example, instead of telling yourself that you’re stupid when you make a mistake, turn the self-talk into something neutral such as, ‘Everyone makes mistakes once in a while’. Additionally, treat yourself like you’d treat your best friend. No one has it all figured out and nobody’s business succeeds straight away so don’t let your deprecating thoughts make you believe you aren’t good enough.
10. Take a vacation
Everyone deserves a vacation once in a while, especially female entrepreneurs. If you feel like you can’t go away because you have to take care of your business, it means that you definitely should. The more you overwork yourself, the more likely it is that you won’t progress. Sometimes it’s important to take a step back so that you can move forward again.
Whether you’re planning on having a break somewhere abroad or simply staying at home, remember to limit the time spent on the Internet and try to reconnect with the parts of your life that you might have been neglecting; catch up with your friends, spend some time with your family and go back to doing your hobbies. When you come back, you should feel more inspired and have more energy to grow your business.
