Mental Health and Wellness of Founders & Entrepreneurs

Nobody ever said starting a business was simple. However, it's time to be open about how harsh it really is — and the cost that so many founders and entrepreneurs pay in secret. In every way imaginable, being an entrepreneur is taxing.

Inconsistent income, developing a brand, building an online presence, assembling a trustworthy team, raising funds, and the difficulties of growth and quality are just a few of the challenges that start-ups face on a regular basis.

One of the most undervalued and ignored factors in entrepreneurship is Mental Health. It can be the key to success when utilized with your perseverance, vision, and growth mindset.

According to a study at UC Berkeley, 72% of entrepreneurs are affected by mental health issues.

Entrepreneurs who succeed become heroes in our society. The Elon Musks and Mark Zuckerbergs are heroes to us. We rejoice in the amazing work done by these big names in the start-up fraternity. However, a lot of those people struggle with mental health concerns silently. They battle through periods of anxiety, nearly incapacitating despair, and moments when it seemed like everything might fall apart, and they felt like giving up.

Mental health issues were hardly discussed a few years ago, but times are changing, and more entrepreneurs are opening up about their mental health.

A serial entrepreneur and Sequoia India investor, Rachit Gupta, recently wrote in a personal blog, “In 2017, I had just shut down my second startup. Nearly broke, burnt out, with no plans. Mentally, I was depressed, with a complete lack of self-confidence and self-worth. I took career failure very, very personally. It wasn’t my first bout of depression, but it was the most severe.”

Namita Thapar (Emcure Pharmaceuticals), one of the sharks from Shark Tank India, opened up about her struggles with body image issues, emotional eating, feeling lonely, body shaming, etc., and it is a breath of fresh air when influential people like her talk about these things and contribute to creating awareness about mental health.

Piyush Kumar, co-founder and CEO of sports tech startup Rooter, started going to therapy in May 2020, and his advice to fellow entrepreneurs is to start taking mental health seriously.

Not everyone who struggles with several things makes it out and shines with their success. In 2013, Jody Sherman (Founder of Ecomom) died by suicide, and his death shook the entire start up-community.

A while back, VG Siddhartha (CCD founder) died by suicide. These are only a few names mentioned here, but there have been so many more we don't even know the names of.

What Can You as a Founder/Entrepreneur do to take care of Your Mental health?

1. Invest in your mental health

Entrepreneurs talk about investments and returns on a daily basis. If you start investing in your mental health by going to therapy, you can’t even imagine the returns that investment in yourself will give you. To put it in a few words, it will increase your valuation and your venture’s valuation through the roof.

2. Create or become a part of the start-up community

3. Eat Well

Maintaining a diet high in healthy foods will help you experience fewer mood swings, a happier outlook overall, and better concentration. Studies have even revealed that eating a healthy diet can lessen the effects of anxiety and depressive symptoms.

4. Sleep Well

Sleep and mental health share a very close relationship. If you have a mental health issue, it can affect your sleep, and poor sleep can negatively impact your mental health. Adults need 7-9 hours of sleep on average, so you can see whatever seems to work the best for you and sleep well

5. Exercise regularly

Exercise helps in boosting mental health by lowering anxiety, depression, building self-esteem, and increasing cognitive abilities. Regular exercise will produce endorphins (feel-good hormones) and help you feel better about yourself.

Studies show low or moderate-intensity exercise is enough to make a difference in terms of your mood and thinking patterns. You can start by going for walks, cycling, swimming, etc. If you have an access to a gym, you can do strenuous exercising as well. Remember, it does not matter which method you choose, the point is to stay active and that can be done by walking daily as well.

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Kratika Gupta | Counselling Psychologist | India