Hey everyone! Happy Monday! Happy November 11th! and most importantly, Happy Veterans Day! Here on 11/11 @11:11am, I'm bringing you a list of 11 ways to run your business while dealing with mental/emotional/personality illnesses/disorders. I hope after reading this list, you take what you need from it and apply it to your life/business.
- Alexis Downing, owner
trigger warning - this blog post is about mental health. please read at your own risk
1. Seek help personally
speak to your physician
try one-on-one therapy
try group therapy [sometimes it's good to know you're not the only one]
maybe consider consulting an energy practitioner along with psychotherapy
why this may help: psychotherapy can help eliminate or control troubling symptoms, so a person can function better and can increase well-being and healing.
2. Seek help professionally
it may be in your best interest to hire a team and allot some of your responsibilities.
if you sell products, have an assistant package and ship them for you.
if you provide a service, have an assistant book and schedule appointments and/or run your website.
hire a social media manager to post to your business pages.
hire a video editor to edit and post your vlogs.
why this may help: delegating some of your business responsibilities can alleviate a lot of your stress-triggers.
3. Find a business-accountability partner
find a friend or family member with a business as well to keep each other focus and goal-driven.
meet up/call each other maybe once a week or monthly and encourage each other to stay on track.
another option is networking and meeting fellow entrepreneurs to become accountability partners with, whether it's one other person or a group
why this may help: having daily/weekly/monthly check-ins can keep you disciplined. Plus, it's also good to have someone help you hold yourself accountable for hitting certain goals.
4. Set and accomplish just 1-2 goals every single day
break a large task up into a few days, or create small tasks to do everyday
example:
Monday - take photos/record video
Tuesday - edit photos/video
Wednesday - begin draft for blog
Thursday - finish draft for blog
Friday - edit draft for blog [check references/citations if used]
Saturday - place finalized photos/video in blog
Sunday - proofread one last time, then post blog and begin to market it on social media [or have assistant/social media manager do that]
why this may help: the last thing you want to feel is overwhelmed since it can be triggering. Sometimes it's easier to hit small daily goals versus trying to do 5-6 tasks in one day.
5. Participate in fun forms of exercise before OR after working on your business
go hiking
go for a walk
dance
join workout classes at the gym [you never know who you might meet there = possible networking opportunities]
join sports team [another possible networking opportunity]
why this may help: exercising has been known to release endorphins [happy chemicals], build confidence and gives you a short break away from reality. I also believe working out should also be fun to keep people motivated and interested. Also, you may gain clarity/come up with new ideas for your business while working out.
6. Make a content calendar, bulk-create and set an automatic upload schedule
make a list of content you would like to create [or new products you would like to sell] for the entire month then create 3-4 videos or write 3-4 blogs or take photos with 3-4 different outfits all in a day or two
edit them throughout the week
schedule them to be automatically posted
why this may help: look at it this way, if you normally post a new video/photo/blog every week, then create and edit 3-5 videos/photos/blogs in 1-2 days, then place them on a pre-set schedule. This will allow you to have a months worth of content already created, edited and ready to upload. That will absolutely relieve you of some stress should you ever need a short mental break.
7. Practice self care before AND after working on your business
indulge in self care as little as 10-60mins prior to handling your business. preferably right after waking up.
self-care includes, but definitely not limited to:
- meditate
- speak daily positive affirmations
- take an herbal bath
- drink herbal tea
- go 'phone-less' and/or go without social media for at least 60mins after waking up
- listen to 'feel good' music
- watch/listen to motivational videos/speeches
- working out
- relaxing doing ab-so-lute-ly nothing
also, consider a weekly day off [make it known that you do not ship products/provide services on the weekend or just Sundays or after 9pm, etc]
why this may help: although technically, if you're self-employed, you're a boss every day all day; however, professional boundaries are just as important as personal boundaries. Take off your "boss hat" for a day, or 2, or after a certain time at night, to give yourself a break. You can wait until tomorrow's sunrise to answer those emails, go to bed!
8. Honestly, [and this might not be the best business advice but...], it's ok to take a break and step back
self-employed: put up a landing page, post on social media and send out a mass email expressing your upcoming 'vacation', fulfill any product/service obligations [or give a full refund] and go on your mental/emotional 'retreat'. [Another option: hire an assistant to run the business while you're temporarily away]
business-owner: set up a way so that managers/team leads can run your business as you go on your 'retreat'
why this may help: even though it might not be good business to stop selling products or providing services, I'd rather you lose some revenue than lose yourself 💚
9. Know, then do, what works best for YOU and your business
self-awareness is vital in everyday life, so of course it could positively affect your business. Use that to your advantage:
- if social crowds trigger you, focus on marketing and networking mostly online.
- if you're hesitant about promoting yourself as the owner ...don't. There are plenty of business-owners that hire others to run and/or be 'the face' of their companies.
- writing gives you anxiety? create vlogs [video logs]
- nervous about filming yourself? write [type] blogs
- don't want to do either? record a podcast
why this may help: succeed the way you want to succeed, not the way society/your family/your friends expect you to succeed. Do what works for you even [and especially] if it's unconventional. If it works, it works.
10. DON'T deny or dismiss your mental/personality/social illness/disorder
knowing what the problem is and getting the help you need, can help you prevent the symptoms of mental illness from getting worse and affecting your life/business.
why this WON'T help: you can ignore your possible 'issues' all you want, but they'll find a way to sneak up and bite you on the mental booty. Mental health is theeeee most important aspect of your life. Please take it seriously. Forget the business part of this blog, save your life 💚
11. Just. Keep. Going. No. Matter. What.
just went through an anxiety episode? Stage of depression? Battle with some sort of social disorder? That's ok, we're human, mental illness-relapses happen a lot more often than you think. Just start from where you left off and keep going.
haven't posted on your business page in weeks? Start posting today.
haven't restocked your online store? Get to it! Your customers are waiting ...
are you a photographer and haven't taken a photo in months? Go outside and do it. I don't care if it's of the cracks in the sidewalk. Just do it already.
don't feel bad for being down, as long as you continue to get back up.
why this WILL help: we cannot/should not allow our *unstable mental health to negatively affect not only how we live our lives, but our finances/**legacies
*unstable
adjective
1. prone to change, fail, or give way; not stable. 2. prone to psychiatric problems or sudden changes of mood.
**legacy
noun an amount of money or property left to someone in a will.
Don't know where to go for help? Start here.
SAMHSA’s National Helpline – 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
Crisis Text Line "free, 24/7 support for those in crisis. Text 741741 from anywhere in the US to text with a trained Crisis Counselor."
MENTAL HEALTH DELEGATE HOTLINE - 215-685-6440 [based in Philadelphia, Pa]
HOMELESS OUTREACH HOTLINE - 215-232-1984 [based in Philadelphia, Pa]
The NAMI HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10am–6pm, ET. 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or info@nami.org
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline "The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals." 1-800-273-8255
credit:
google dictionary
psychiatry.com
health.clevelandclinic.org