Managing Your Mental Health In Business

Prioritising your own mental wellbeing is essential for you and your business to succeed.

Between financial stress, long hours, isolation, and blurred boundaries between the business and their personal life, business owners can be increasingly susceptible to mental health issues.

To support you on your business journey, we have compiled a list of tips to improve your mental wellbeing as a small business owner.

Create And Stick To Work-Life Boundaries

It is important that you create clear boundaries about when you will work on your business and when you will relax to avoid burnout. If you don’t keep your working hours under control, you can easily become used to working excessively long hours and will not have the time to do the other things that matter to you.

You may also find it helpful to take regular breaks and establish a time for when you will turn your business email and phone off for the day.

Encourage Mindfulness In Your Business

It may help to introduce and encourage mindfulness practices in your business. This is the process of maintaining an awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and environment in a particular moment. Mindfulness is effective in helping people manage stress, enhancing focus, and improving productivity.

An example of this may be to introduce time for meditation during the day, or simply encouraging your employees to take walks around the block throughout the day.

Live A Healthy Lifestyle

Leading a healthy lifestyle can have a direct impact on our mental health, so it is important to maintain good exercise, nutrition, and sleep. Exercise can help us to manage stress as it releases endorphins, which over time can help fight depression and ease anxiety.

It is also important to develop good sleeping habits and get plenty of sleep, as poor sleep is often associated with depression and low productivity.

Stay Connected To Your Support Network

Surrounding yourself with people who support you can help you cope with stress and reduce feelings of loneliness. You should make sure that you have someone to talk to about your business’ successes and worries, whether this be a partner, friend, or family member.

If not, try and expand your social circle to include likeminded people by joining a business association or a group relevant to your interests.

NewAccess for Small Business Owners

New Access for Small Business Owners is a service delivered by Beyond Blue that provides free and confidential mental health support to business owners.

Small business owners, including sole traders, can access up to six free sessions with a mental health coach that has a background in small business. They can help provide you with practical skills to manage stress and improve your mental health.

The service is offered over the phone or via video chat and is available until March 2022.

Other Mental Health Resources:

• Lifeline – Crisis support. Call 13 11 14
• Beyond Blue – Crisis support. Call 1300 22 4636
• Ahead for Business – Small business mental health advice
• Heads Up – Small business mental health advice
• National Debt Helpline – Free advice on how to manage debt. Call 1800 007 007