As an entrepreneur, it can be all too easy to put your mental and emotional well-being on the back burner. After all, you likely have many pressing priorities, including recruitment and hiring, client outreach, lead generation. In fact, many entrepreneurs find the hustle so hard to walk away from that they end up working far beyond the average employee. According to Forbes, 29% of American business owners work more than 50 hours a week and a whopping 86% work on weekends.
It’s important to remember that you are your business’ most important asset. As a result, it’s vital that you take proper care of it to avoid burnout. Here are four tips to get you started on your journey to improved mental wellness.
1. Establish a Solid Morning Routine
Creating and sticking to an organized morning routine is an excellent way to both increase productivity and boost your mental well-being. There are a few important reasons why a morning routine is beneficial. For one, it helps you start the day on the right foot, which sets a positive tone for the rest of the day. By kickstarting your day on a high note, you’ll put yourself in an excellent headspace to tackle the rest of your day.
2. Share the Load
Just because you’re an entrepreneur doesn’t mean you have to bear the entirety of your business on your own. If you haven’t already, consider outsourcing some of your business operations to take a bit of work off your plate and onto someone else’s. This will help lower your stress levels and give you a much-needed opportunity to disconnect and get refreshed. Delegating doesn’t mean you are lazy or any less dedicated – on the contrary, it means that you’re making a smart decision for both yourself and your business.
If you need help with your bookkeeping, you can hire a professional bookkeeper and hand over your records. Think your marketing strategy needs a facelift? Hire a specialized marketing agency to fill the gaps for you.
3. Take Note of Negative Feelings
Negative emotions come in many forms for entrepreneurs, including feelings of loneliness, frustration, anxiety, or inadequacy. It’s important to know that these feelings are completely normal, but you’ll want to do everything in your power to mitigate them to improve your mental well-being. In an effort to rid yourself of these unpleasant emotions, try writing them down in a journal. Doing so will act as a form of catharsis and will help rid these negative emotions from your mindset. As a result, you will feel more centered and capable of tackling your stressors.
4. Jot Down What You’re Grateful For
You can also take note of what you’re most grateful for in a gratitude journal. Gratitude can help you mitigate feelings of stress or sadness in a number of ways: it teaches you to find support in others, to adopt healthier coping mechanisms and to control your reactions to negative circumstances or stimuli. According to The Huffington Post, some helpful practices when keeping a gratitude journal include:·
- Planning to write in it for at least 15 minutes every session (ideally right before bed). If you need to, set an alarm in your phone to remind yourself to write in it.
- Keep your gratitude journal by your bed or any other place where you’ll see it and feel prompted to use it.
- Aim to write five to 10 things you’re grateful for that day.
- Remember that the frequency at which you write in your gratitude journal is up to you; whether it’s every single day or every other day, try your best to remain consistent.
5. Get Enough Exercise
Exercising regularly isn’t just important for your physical health, but it’s a key ingredient in maintaining your mental wellness, especially as an entrepreneur. As hard as it may be to tear yourself away from your desk, you need and deserve breaks, and working out can be the perfect way to take a break. Not only does it clear your mind and allow you to shift your focus for a while, but according to Forbes, it can also make you more productive and efficient. As an entrepreneur, you’ll want all the productivity and efficiency you can get.
You might think that it’s more important to prioritise your business over your mental well-being, but in reality, the two go hand-in-hand. By looking after your mental wellness, you’re inherently looking after your business, as you’re investing in the most essential component of your company: you. Get your mental well-being back on track and your business will soar to new heights.