This is Why Your Mental Health is Crucial for the Success of Your Business

Mental HealthNovember 15, 2019

An entrepreneur’s life is full of challenges, and overcoming them requires perseverance and constant struggle. Many studies have been conducted in the past to analyze the factors which contribute to an increased level of stress in entrepreneurs.

According to one study, 49% of people who start any business face mental health challenges of varying types, and surprisingly, 72% of these people were entrepreneurs who had faced mental health issues only after starting their new venture.

There is no doubt that business-related problems are inevitable considering the fact that market dynamics are ever changing. This is true especially when a business’s operating risk is high, as the person responsible for running the business has to deal with the constant stress of overcoming bottlenecks. An entrepreneur’s success with a business venture depends a lot on his or her mental health, as all the decisions which need to be made require critical analyses of the market’s dynamics.

Since an entrepreneur’s mental health is crucial to the success of any business, hence there is a need to develop a framework which may help them overcome their mental health challenges. Below are just a few proven strategies which can help entrepreneurs in lowering their stress levels and improving their mental health.

Running a business is not easy, and hence entrepreneurs are almost always under a lot of stress. Ensuring optimal mental health is essential for entrepreneurs to make rational decisions on a daily basis.

Improving Mental Health Through Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is a very practical solution if and when depression and stress levels have reached acute levels. It may take a considerable period of time for psychotherapy to cure mental health issues, but it is effective in mitigating the impact of clinical depression and acute stress. It uses psychological methods to treat the symptoms, such as mandating personal interactions on a regular basis which helps an individual change his or her behavior.

There are different psychotherapy techniques, but the best one which works for entrepreneurs involves conducting one-one personal sessions. Through psychotherapy, entrepreneurs can potentially learn the harmful patterns of their thoughts and reconstruct them in a better way with the help of a trained psychologist or psychiatrist.

Regular Meditation

Experts believe that meditation can bring a tremendous improvement in the mental health of entrepreneurs. In fact, data has also shown that meditation has the potential to improve sleep, reduce stress levels, and bring an emotional balance in the brain. Improved emotional stability can allow entrepreneurs to deal with everyday stresses with effortless ease, which otherwise have the potential to increase the symptoms of depression rather easily.

Meditation is a great way to rid your mind of all the random thoughts which creep in throughout the day, offering you clarity and hence allowing you to make better decisions.

Practicing meditation can also improve clarity in the thought process of entrepreneurs, and can also help them in their decision-making process. For improved mental health, entrepreneurs should meditate on a daily basis, and each session could be as short as 15 minutes and as long as an hour, depending upon how much time they are able to manage out of their otherwise hectic routine.

According to one study, meditation helps in rewiring the thought process of the brain and has the potential to change the structure of the brain within a short period of 8 weeks, if done on regular basis.

Do Vipassana

Vipassana is a type of mindful meditation and is best only for those entrepreneurs who are under constant stress and are willing to go away for a few days on a relaxing retreat. It is usually practiced at a location that is far away from home, preferably another city or country, for a period of seven to ten days.

Under the Vipassana method, meditation is done on a daily basis for ten to twelve hours. Its aim is usually to eliminate the depressive symptoms which a person may be feeling. As a result, people feel more motivated and enthusiastic at the end of every session.

There are many Vipassana centers around the world. You can choose the one which is either nearest to you or located in a location you want to visit.

Breathing Techniques

Apart from these proven strategies, there are other hacks which may work for entrepreneurs and help them in reducing their anxiety levels. For example, there are breathing techniques which can provide a quick fix for entrepreneurs to reduce stress in any situation.

To do a breathing exercise, you need to first start by inhaling air slowly into your lungs while counting up to 4. Then you need to hold your breath and count up to 7, after which you need to exhale slowly while counting up to 8. According to experts, this technique helps in eliminating stressful thoughts and also in relaxing the nervous system at least for a short period of time.