Owning a business may sound adventurous, cool, and rewarding but it comes with a heap of responsibilities. The responsibility for the growth, stability, and everyday operation of your business. All this can be daunting and extremely stressful.
The entrepreneurial journey is a roller-coaster ride. Especially during the early stages, from market research to product building from managing people to finding investors wearing multiple hats is a nerve-racking experience.
Research shows that entrepreneurs are more vulnerable to mental health challenges than any other workers. They have 30% more likely to suffer from depression
As the corporate world is getting overly competitive, it demands more entrepreneurs’ time. They have way less time for friends and family. Hence, entrepreneurship can often be lonely and isolating resulting in symptoms of anxiety and depression. This is where therapy comes into play.
What is Therapy?
Often known as psychotherapy or counseling, is a way of coping with problematic thoughts and stress by talking and sharing your feeling with a therapist to improve your mental health.
The stigma around therapy and mental health still prevails and this prevents people to reach out to a therapist. The lack of understanding and misleading media is to blame.
Therapy is now a necessity for entrepreneurs due to the following reasons:
1. Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle
In this modern world of stress and constant media bombardment, anyone is overwhelmed but the problem becomes even worst for entrepreneurs. Running a business is easier said than done and the hectic lifestyle is enough to wear themselves to a shadow. But therapy can be a big help.
With so much to handle self-care and mental health becomes the last priority. The sleepless nights and the heavy workloads can cause you to burn out and deteriorate your health. If you are an entrepreneur and starting a venture, you are probably biting more than you can chew and there might not be any options either. But therapy can do a great deal of help in maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
2. Stay Focused
Being an entrepreneur it is easy to get caught in a negative mental loop. A negative mental loop is when you are stuck thinking about the troubles of the past and can not get over them. This can lead to distraction and unwanted negative emotions and consumes a lot of your time and energy. Therapy can help you get out of it and focus on your goals.
Dealing with the ups and downs of entrepreneurship is not easy. When something does wrong in business, fear of failure, nervousness, and anxiety kicks in. It is very important to maintain your composure and therapists will help you do exactly that.
3. Find Solutions
A therapist is like a friend. You can and should share every problem with them. Regardless of business or personal problems, sharing it will make you relieved. Sometimes you get a whole new perspective on your problem and figure out the solutions yourself.
They listen to you without being judgemental, identify your problem and help you solve those problems one step at a time.
4. Let Out Your Emotions
More often than not, you want to talk about your problems but there is no one that you trust. So you bottle it up. This leads to strain on your mental and physical health. Trying to suppress their emotions, some get into substance abuse. Hence, entrepreneurs are 12% more likely to get into substance abuse. Therapists create a safe and sound space so that you can pour your feeling and become vulnerable.
5. Personal And Professional Growth
Many entrepreneurs believe that finding a therapist is the best decision they made for their personal as well as business growth. Entrepreneurs are lost in the maze and struggle to find a way out. A therapist can help find lost pieces of yourself and pull yourself together.
The emotional challenges that come along with starting a business are inevitable and every entrepreneur goes through it a therapist can help you cope with the hardships.
Bottom Line
Stepping into the world of entrepreneurship can be rewarding and at the same time scary and stressful. Thus, entrepreneurs are more prone to depression, anxiety, and substance abuse than any other professionals. Therapy is a great way to make your entrepreneurial journey less stressful and find a better balance in life.
This is why entrepreneurs need therapy.