Prioritizing Mental Health as a Business Owner

As a business owner, you wear many hats. Sometimes you’re your own social media manager, other times you’re taking inventory, or perhaps you’re working on your website. Whatever task you might find yourself doing, I can almost guarantee that it is more than one person should be doing, and often more than any one person can bear to do alone. 

We’re living in a time where “success” tips are blasted at us from almost every angle. “Do this to make 6 figures,” or “here’s the secret to building your business to 5-hour work weeks.” And while some of these “success” campaigns may or may not work, I’m here to tell you that no matter what you do (or don’t do) for your business, if you don’t prioritize your mental health YOU WILL FAIL.

There’s only so long that you can pour from an empty cup. Your business won’t sustain itself if you are constantly running yourself ragged. So, before you move on to any of the tasks that you surely have to do today, take a few minutes to read on about simple things you can do to improve your mental health while continuing to build your business. 

Set Realistic Expectations

If you’re a highly motivated person like myself, a good rule of thumb is to aim for twice the amount of time that you think it should take you to achieve a goal. By setting realistic expectations for yourself, you allow yourself the opportunity to succeed, and sometimes even feel extra proud of yourself when you finish ahead of schedule. 

As Les Brown once said: “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” The whole point of having goals is to strive for something greater, to fuel motivation, and to improve ourselves as humans. It's necessary, however, to realize that we might not reach every goal we set for ourselves. We may even need to reframe some of our goals if they are holding us back in other areas of our lives. And that’s okay. 

Find Your Balance

Remember that you are more than just a business owner. You are a person. No one should expect you to be available 24 hours a day or be able to attend to every customer/client need at the drop of a hat. That’s just not realistic, and if you find yourself working with or for people like that, drop them. 

Yes, you heard me right. Sometimes it’s better to close one door so that another one can open. Sometimes the best thing you can do for your business is to prioritize yourself. Taking some time away from your busy to-do list might feel like an irresponsible thing to do, but in all reality it could be one of the most productive things you can do, and ultimately might lead to higher productivity rates. 

Invest in Yourself

It’s easy to make plans about what we are going to do with our profits as they begin to come pouring in. But I want to emphasize how important it is to invest in yourself first. This might look like taking a vacation to get back some of your sanity. It might look like an upgrade to your computer set-up. Or it may even involve outsourcing some work so that you can get more of your time back or focus on other priorities. 

Your investment will be unique to your situation and your personal and business needs. However, before buying your family a new flat screen TV, consider how you can use this momentum to set yourself up for further success. Consider everything as a long-term investment, and know that the best investment you can make is in yourself!

You Got This

Life can be overwhelming. And if you’re anything like me, you may have found yourself conflicted from time to time, caught between expressing how you truly feel to the world and being the “professional” you were taught to be in your previous work life before becoming a business owner.  

My best advice to you is to throw out any old mental manual you might have floating around. Throw out the “shoulds” and find ways to enjoy the juggle that is your life now as a business owner. Take time to slow down and don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself when things get a little wonky. Trust me, we’ve all been there. 

So, no matter where you are on this journey of entrepreneurship, remember that I’m here rooting for you and advocating for your mental health. Because without our health, whether mental or physical, we truly have nothing. Let’s remember what’s important, and help to lift each other up!