Mental Health and Wellbeing
Mental Health and Wellbeing and Support for Business
Mental health and owning a small business
Depending on the type of small business that you have, these challenges may include:
- regularly putting in long hours and working intensely to meet the demands of your business or to get your business off the ground
- undertaking business-related activities such as responding to business emails and calls after hours – blurring the boundaries between work and home
- feeling isolated with not always having someone to share business worries with or with someone who can understand the demands of running a small business through experience
- managing ongoing cash flow and financial issues, including chasing invoices and feeling concerned over where the next job is coming from
- having multiple roles as well as managing the additional demands of administrative and government regulations – on top of everything else
- feeling responsible to yourself and to others such as family and employees who are being involved in the business to ensure it is successful.
While it can be tempting to focus all your time and attention on your business, it’s also essential that you take care of yourself. As an employing small business owner or sole trader, you can face a range of unique challenges that can affect your mental health and the mental health of your staff.
It’s important to be aware of some of the common signs and symptoms that can let you know that you may be struggling with your mental health.
Some of the early warning signs are:
- finding it difficult to concentrate on tasks
- feeling tired and fatigued
- being unusually tearful or emotional
- getting angry easily or frustrated with tasks or people
- drinking alcohol to cope
- finding it hard to make decisions
- avoiding social situations.
One way to consider where you are at with your mental health is to complete the Anxiety and depression checklist. This is a simple checklist that can help to direct you to supports and resources based on your experiences in the past four weeks.
Mental health and working for someone else
Respecting mental illnesses like other physical ailments is key to a healthy workplace. Mentally healthy teams are more productive, have fewer absences, and have a better quality of life.
Is this a statement you agree or disagree with?
I want to share a personal story with you but first, let me share some statistics.
According to Safe Work Australia:
Work-related mental health conditions (also known as psychological injuries) have become a major concern in Australian workplaces due to the negative impact on individual employees, and the costs associated with the long periods away from work that are typical of these claims.
Each year:
- 7,200 Australians are compensated for work-related mental health conditions, equating to around 6% of workers’ compensation claims, and
- approximately $543 million is paid in workers’ compensation for work-related mental health conditions.
- Lowered self-esteem and self-worth.
- Suicide.
- Self-abuse or domestic violence.
- Loss of family and friends.
That is a staggering amount of human and financial resources to be lost each year. That equates to approximately $75,416 per person per year. That is more than most people earn!
Positive Steps
Life can be difficult in a lot of ways for many business owners. These might include imposter syndrome, lack of self-worth and self-esteem, challenges with depression and other mental illnesses and financial issues. Not to mention challenges in their personal life – family, partnerships, parents, or siblings. Some are even challenged with sexual identity.
Keep in mind that these are only challenges, humps in the road, little hills, or high mountains to climb but not the end of the world!
And remember, there is no such thing as being a failure or having failed. These are learning experiences that we need to embrace so that we can move on to something bigger and better. If you have learned something and have not wasted the opportunity, then you have not failed. It’s a learning curve.
A lot of our beliefs in self and our reactions stems from our childhood. Scientific research tells us that our programming is done in the first seven years of life.
If the programming is mostly negative, then we as adults will continue to subconsciously believe what we have been programmed to believe as a child.
According to business.gov.au
Risks to mental health can be managed through the same process as you use for physical risks:
- identify the hazards
- assess the risks
- control the risks
- continually review the control measures to make sure they are working
As with physical risks, you should involve and consult your workers throughout this process. Your workers are a great source of information on the risks in their work and options to manage these.
To identify the hazards:
- have regular conversations with your workers to find out how they are
- understand causes of stress in the workplace and manage them
- lookout for signs of stress in your workers
Stress is the physical, mental, and emotional reactions you have when the demands of your job exceed your ability or resources to cope. Stress itself is not an injury but if prolonged or severe can cause psychological and physical injury.
So, look after yourself, promote good mental health by creating a mentally healthy workplace, and promote mental health initiatives.
