The dark side of entrepreneurship

There’s a dark side of entrepreneurship that no one really talks about.

Did you know… 👇

72% of entrepreneurs are (directly or indirectly) affected by mental health issues, compared to 48% of the general population. [Forbes]

Approximately half of all CEOs get less than six hours of sleep every night, and founders during the early stages of a startup get even less. [Entrepreneur]

…but don’t fret! Entrepreneur also says you can stop insomia by not checking email after 7 p.m. K. 😅

Entrepreneurs often share character traits that make them more vulnerable to emotional swings.

"People who are on the energetic, motivated, and creative side are both more likely to be entrepreneurial and more likely to have strong emotional states," says psychiatrist and former entrepreneur Michael A. Freeman, who is researching mental health and entrepreneurship. (Yo, this is ME to a T.)

"Entrepreneurs have struggled silently. There's a sense that they can't talk about it, that it's a weakness." [Inc.]

If you’re anything like me, you put a TON of pressure on yourself. And even when you know you’re not 100% mentally or physically—you don’t give yourself a break.

You don’t want to let people down. You don’t want to miss that deadline, cancel that meeting. You pride yourself on following through and doing the things you say you’ll do. You always show up for others, even if that sometimes means you don’t show up for yourself.

So you push through. “Just keep swimming,” as Dory would say.

While that’s a nice sentiment, it’s not always possible.

This week, I got sick for the second time in six weeks. Apparently my immune system is shot from a couple years of masking and staying inside.

And I am in a busy, busy, busy season right now. As in, I need every extra minute to get the work on my plate done. Getting sick was not on my agenda.

I could feel myself starting to spiral. Asking, “What if…?” and picturing all of the very worst-case scenarios.

I had no choice but to cancel a TON of meetings. I paused a couple of projects I was working on. I pushed some deadlines. I straight up deleted some tasks on my to-do list. I said “no” to a lot of people that asked me for things. (They did so very nicely, I might add—making it even harder to say no.)

And guess what?

The world didn’t end.

I might have made a few people upset. Ultimately, if that’s the worst thing that happened… 🤷‍♀️

If you’re reading all of this, I hope your main takeaway is that you deserve a break.

We are all living high-stress and high-pressure lives. 

Who gives a shit if someone judges you for taking care of yourself.

You cannot sacrifice your own mental and physical health to meet the needs of others.

Take a break. Before your body forces you to take one.