Mental Health as a Business Owner
How to Keep Working When You’re Struggling with Anxiety, Depression, and Mental Health
For my dear entrepreneur friends struggling with mental health, I want you to know a few things. First and foremost, the best way to keep working when you’re struggling with your mental health is…*drumroll please* Don’t. I mean it!
Mental health moments require time and space. Grant yourself what you need, and then come back whenever you feel ready. Taking care of yourself should always come before taking care of your business.
Remember that your business is still going to be there if you take some time off. Whether that needs to be a couple of hours, days, or weeks, know that taking the time you need is more than okay! Everything will be waiting for you when you return.
As someone who struggles with anxiety and depression, I know that those tougher mental health moments can be sort of inevitable.
So if you ever find yourself in a place where you can prepare for them, setting up some simple systems will help keep the ball rolling in the background of your business.
Here’s a few of my tips for maintaining healthy business boundaries:
An OOO Responder
You can set up a quick out of office responder in the settings of your email. It can say something like,
“Hi! Thanks for reaching out.
I am out of the office as of {date} and will respond as soon as I can.
Talk to you soon, and I hope you have a great week!”
This allows you to automatically acknowledge potential clients and anybody trying to reach you, so that you can take the time you need with a little less guilt attached.
2. Pre-planned Content
This is a great business tool in general! Planning content ahead of time has allowed me to stay active on Instagram while I’m elsewhere. It's going to give you major peace of mind to know that something is still going out on your behalf. It also serves as a reminder that you don’t have to be everywhere at once in your business, or in life!
3. Workflows and Automations
Dubsado and Zapier are your best friends. Automations that reply to inquiries, move projects along, and take care of the little things just go such a long way and provide a huge amount of peace of mind when stepping away from the office.
If you’re not a systems and operations person and you have a little budget to spare, it’s also a great idea to outsource those backend automations to a pro!
But please remember that at the end of the day, the above are just suggestions that could make those mental health moments a little easier. If you find yourself in a place where you aren’t able to prepare for that time off in the way you would like to, that is also more than okay. You are the priority!
Finally, know that you are the most precious part of your business. You are its heart and soul! It doesn't always work right unless you are feeling alright, which is why you should come first, always. Period, end of discussion.
