I don't know about you guys, but I can say for certainty that mental health needs to be taken seriously.
It's only recently, in the last few years or so, have I noticed more awareness around these issues. It could be because more people are speaking about it, it could be because I have more family members being affected by it, it could be because I am "adulting" more, but it certainly isn't something to shy away from.
Gone are the days where people said "it's all in your head" and it considered a genuine problem. Before, any mental issues had a stigma attached to it; you had to go see a doctor and take medication. Now, however, it is more socially acceptable to talk about your issues and to seek help without being labeled.
This is something I've learned recently, especially since starting my own business.
I'll tell you. The world is run by money. Everyone wants it, only a few have it, and we strive to get it.
This causes us stress.
We buy a house, a car, travel for hours, and for what? To get home, tired, to prepare for tomorrow and sleep? We might as well just get a hotel room and buy sandwiches from the nearby shop.
Or are we building for our future? Great, but when do you get to start living that future? When we're too old to work and even move?
Or should we let ourselves go at the weekend, having a good time, and regretting it the next morning?
I'm bringing up these points to highlight the futility of it all.
I'm seeing more and more people do themselves more harm by thinking this way and acting on it. They end up making themselves ill, or wasting their time and having regrets.
Work less.
Wouldn't that be ideal.
But we should take rest days; days off where we try and relax. A mini-holiday where we can unplug and unwind. We don't need to go anywhere or spend loads of money, but instead have some time off where we can focus on hobbies, passions, anything that we enjoy and doesn't cause stress.
Working in the service industry, I've found that everyone wants exactly what they want when they want it. It doesn't matter if they don't tell you what, or when, or if it's a massive project to be done five days ago, you are there to please them; after all, "the customer is always right".
But you're no good to someone when you're exhausted and stressed. And you're only human.
As long as you do your best without killing yourself, trying to be patient (or find a healthy outlet when not), your customers will need to accept that; if not, then you're better off without their business.
And trust me, this is a scary lesson for me. As with all small businesses and start-ups, it's "ride or die".
Take some time for yourself. It doesn't have to be a huge change to your life, it could be just a fifteen-minute break to break up the routine of the day. It could be a change to the diet, or even going for a twenty-minute jog.
I plan to follow this up with an article on "toxic clients", and a few others around running a business.
