Entrepreneurship and Mental Health: A Caribbean Tech Entrepreneur’s Perspective

by Kenia Afreeka Mattis 

Becoming an entrepreneur is you calling your future into a room and saying “listen buddy, there’s gonna be some drastic changes around here.” Rarely does your future simply acquiesce with a “yes sire.” For years, you get used to hearing “aww hellll no.”

But still you push ahead, sometimes into unchartered waters where you feel out of your depth. And for many entrepreneurs with unsure footing even meeting people is a stressful game of poker, played thus:

“So, uh what do you do?”

“I run a startup.”

“Oh cool, how’s business?”

Gulp + Game Face…

Too late. Your interlocutor already sees your eyes dart down. She graciously nods and smiles a reassuring smile, but it eats away at your self-esteem. You feel like she just asked how YOU are. And you’re not doing too good.

Hitting your head daily against new and interesting problems is enough to wear anyone down. Yet there are dangers we rarely address: equating a failed venture with failure of self; losing motivation and with it, life’s purpose; the circular paralysis of fear; silently crumbling into depression.

Just this week an entrepreneur I know declared herself depressed. Another friend is considering throwing in the towel on his 2 year old venture and he’s had to counsel himself through many cycles of anxiety. Another close friend now thinks his company no longer reflects or represents him, and he’s lost his creative fire as he sinks into a quiet, lonely melancholy.

Why don’t we talk about this more?

Entrepreneurship is risky business, great for Narcissists (grandiose charmers with an inflated sense of self), persons with ADHD (driven risk takers) and Aspergers (super focused geniuses). Michael Freeman reports that 72% entrepreneurs show symptoms of lifetime mental health conditions which naturally magnify the traits needed to succeed. Maybe it’s not so obvious because the success stories celebrate personalities that wouldn’t thrive in the workplace anyway.

So for those of us who’ve hopped off the corporate ladder into the unforgiving deep end of the startup world, entrepreneurship can be painful business. Turns out I wasn’t even built for it, say Myers-Briggs, my zodiac sign and Chinese horoscope. I heard in a Ted video that those born in the year of the Pig are least likely to care about being financially successful. Great. Oh and my zodiac sign is Gemini, and we twins are most comfortable creating and communicating, not commanding and driving. Also according to 16personalities.com, I’m a Diplomat, more specifically a Mediator with personality type INFP-T. This pretty much means I’m supposed to be a creative writer or musician on an island somewhere (so funny story I actually was, but that’s another story).

In 2014 the required rate of personal and professional growth in my new business had taken its toll and I started breaking out into exotic skin conditions I’d never experienced before; Eczema, psoriasis, discolourations, acne. Doctors and naturopaths agreed I suffered from a sudden hormonal imbalance, producing way too much testosterone. My body was admitting what my mind would not: I was stressed and anxiety-ridden. Some of us are naturally talented advisors, writers or coaches, but not entrepreneurs. Yet we are where we are. So how do we cope?

Balance, my new favourite word.

Self-awareness is a helluva thing. Balance is exactly what our mind and body crave, but the startup lifestyle demands excesses in work hours, fast food and heapings of confidence to make up for the faith not even your family has in you. If you ask me, you have to be slightly crazy to become a successful entrepreneur, but you need not go crazy if you recalibrate DAILY.

A founder often needs to be an all rounder – a gold medalling business Heptathlete in every function from product development to marketing to finance. But we can’t be the best at everything, and there will be moments when you are not motivated to be the person the business demands. Don’t equate that with not being good enough. If you can’t be that person, it’s your job to find the person who can best play that role, so you can be the awesome person you are best at being.

Emotional Mastery

I think the Triad 0f Physiology, Focus & Language holds the key to unlocking sanity in entrepreneurship. By mastering these three things we can, at the brink of a meltdown, course correct our emotions and in minutes send a shot of optimism to our brain. The trick is to make it a habit; a tool you can draw for whenever you’re low on hope, motivation and energy. And according to Clinical Psychologist Dr. Rose Johnson, it’s deceptively simple. You got this.

Physiology

Move your body. Laugh. Breathe. Even changing your posture affects your mood. There’s a reason exercise is so important. There’s a close connection between your body’s position and your state of mind. Align and balance your body.

Focus

Forget Failure. Focus on growth. The next step. Potential for improvement. Your Why. The future you want to create. When they lost purpose, some entrepreneurs I know found focus on faith. Align and balance your mind.

Language

Tell yourself something nice. “I’m pretty good at this and getting better!” Ask the right questions. “How can I do this better next time?” Motivate yourself. “I got this.” Write a journal. Read it over time and see how you talk about yourself, and witness how many of your worst fears you survived. Align and balance your perception with reality.

Physical and mental health are intertwined and ignoring both can wreck your dream journey. Take care of you daily with meditation and exercise. Then, your strengthened mind and body will bulldoze those daily challenges like a badass.

How do you deal? I’d love to hear your stories. Please share and let’s encourage each other. @keniamattis

Kenia Afreeka Mattis  Storytelling for social change with ListenMi.com. Startup Winner of the 2016 Global Entrepreneurship Summit ‘Spark the Fire’ Pitch Competition. VP @Jaftaonline.