Breaking the Mental Health Stigma in Entrepreneurship
i’ve been broken from top to bottom
literally broken from top to bottom
i’ve broken bones in my feet leg
hand elbow and shoulder
and i have to say that the days and
weeks after these breaks were some of
the most wonderful times i’ve
experienced
of how beautiful people can really be
it was like living in london in the time
of mary poppins
with the sight of crutches or a cast i
would have people coming up to me
to ask what happened how i was feeling
do i need help could they sign my cast
and i even got a seat on the train
when the injury is visible we instantly
get a reaction
and people step forward to show care and
compassion
unfortunately not all injuries
and pain are visible a few years ago
i was working for a fast growth startup
working for reporter the ceo and founder
after intense period i left
feeling tired and mentally crushed after
my time there
and contemplating what to do next on
friday afternoon
i started to shiver and sweat in my
bedroom
this was friday the 14th september 2018.
this was me having a breakdown i felt
emotionally and physically drained
i felt anxious depressed
tearful and irritable i was experiencing
something i’d never felt before
i called my wife upstairs and i couldn’t
stop shaking and crying in her arms
i felt totally broken i felt worthless
i felt like i’d let my wife down
i definitely didn’t feel like the
superhero my son thought i was
so this was how i ended up being broken
from top to bottom
my body and now my mind
it’s easy to take mental health for
granted
with physical health is tangible
visible and evident a bruise
a broken arm a heart murmur
but mental health well if we aren’t
talking about it
sharing or aware of the signs it can
easily slip under the radar
there was no bandage or strap interrupt
around my head
after my breakdown and with the stigma
attached to mental health
i suffered enormous silence only my wife
knew exactly what i was going through
because i didn’t want to show anyone the
vulnerability that i was going through
this pain was not visible i definitely
was not getting a seat on the train this
time
i felt a profound sense of shame i felt
embarrassed
i felt the weight of stigma somehow
when it comes to mental illness our
ignorance suppresses all empathy
oh you’re feeling depressed paul to
shake it off dude it’s all in your head
people will tell you now can you imagine
people saying that to me when i broke my
leg oh
just walk it off paul it’s all in your
leg
this doesn’t feel right i thought so
tacitly i became passionate about mental
health
inspired by listening to famous people
like prince harry
alistair campbell and ruby wax talking
openly about their own mental health
challenges
i decided to dedicate my life to helping
others
i turned my passion into my profession
i founded healthy returns the mental
health collective supporting fans and
entrepreneurs
who were struggling with their own
mental health
i now tell people every day that where
there is hope
there is life and where there is life
there is hope what i see is that we are
experts at surrendering to the demands
of the external world
and living up to the expectations of
others
we keep showing up and we keep getting
on with it
we keep showing up and we keep getting
on with it
and on with it and on with it
until until suddenly one day
much to everyone’s surprise including
our own
we break i broke
and this can take many forms we can no
longer get out of bed
we fall into deep depression we develop
social anxiety
we refuse to eat we retreat
we feel worthless and sometimes we feel
suicidal
according to the world health
organization one in four people in their
life are affected by mental health
problems
while these statistics are very
troubling for founders and entrepreneurs
they’re downright terrifying 72 percent
of them are affected by mental health
issues
according to the national institute of
mental health 72 percent
in a bit to grow their business too
quickly founders tend to neglect to take
care of their mental health
now we know that great farmers are great
storytellers
they have the ability to tell stories
that inform
engage persuade and inspire
however it is clear these great
storytellers are not telling us the full
story
they’re not telling us about the most
important chapter in that story book
but how they are really feeling inside
sadly founders often won’t talk about
their mental health
for fear of being judged by others their
partners
their investors their customers and
their employees
given the impact they have on our
economical world
it’s important that founders operate a
state of maximum emotional health
these founders and their businesses are
essential for economic growth
and future prosperity by creating jobs
boosting productivity enabling
competition
and introducing new technologies
products and services
unfortunately the current narrative
around entrepreneurship
doesn’t leave much room for
vulnerability it’s characterized by
machoism
the most successful companies are the
ones that work the hardest
grow the fastest and raise the most
money
the startup press also follows the money
with one headline after another
announcing who has raised what
founders that don’t adhere to this
formula as seen as simply not trying
we’ve seen from the start the human
sacrifice of driving value
and business success comes with a huge
psychological price
according to a famous study by michael
freeman
founders are two times more likely to
suffer from depression
six times more likely to suffer from
adhd
three times more light suffering
substance abuse
ten times more life so from bipolar
disorder
and two times more likely to have a
suicidal thought
all of these factors are actually
working to undermine a profounder’s
performance
and they will often contribute to
founder burnout
to co-found a conflict to a toxic
company culture to increased employee
turnover
an inability to hire top talent an
inability to show up for important
meetings and poor decision making in
general
we need to change the way we think and
act about mental health
promoting a culture of openness so
founders feel comfortable to ask for
help when they need it
so we can be there to support them to
become stronger
more resilient founders it is vital we
set a culture that is supportive of
self-care
if everyone from the receptionist the
founder
is willing to seek help and take care of
themselves
it creates a company-wide habit that
enables everyone to thrive
a healthy culture will pay for itself
many many times over
with happier more productive people
who are willing to sacrifice the company
when sacrifice is called for
we must be more vocal about the
importance of sharing mental health
struggles
normalizing the concept of seeking help
when we need it
and ultimately making mental health the
mainstream part of the staltup culture
rather than the niche we need to empower
founders to embrace
mental health issues today to thrive
tomorrow
in today’s highly pressured environment
we need a new approach
the startup culture may revolve around
innovations and new technologies
but behind every groundbreaking idea are
the humans
the heroes the founders who drag them up
we need to dedicate as many resources to
them
as we do to the products and services
we need to equip our founders become
more responsive
more resilient and self-aware
self-awareness is key to taking care of
your mental health
for founders being self-aware forces you
to slow down
and observe yourself like an outsider
when you become self-aware you become
conscious of your problems and emotions
start to understand who you really are
inside
as founders we get so caught up in our
actions
our tasks and our teams that forget to
take a step back
and dig a little deeper into who we
really are
we forget to ask ourselves important
questions
like how are you really feeling today
paul
why are you feeling anxious about what
you’re about to do today
are you ready to deal with your problems
i know from experience it’s hard to
admit the problem
so we need to break the stigma of
talking about mental health and start a
world
and the quicker we do it the better
now can you imagine what the world would
be like if everyone was mentally and
emotionally healthier
if there was less depression and less
isolation
if people knew how to overcome failure
better
if they felt better about themselves and
more empowered
if they were stronger and more resilient
i can because that’s the world i want to
live in
our goal as good kind people
and living in a caring loving society
must be to amplify the conversation
and to promote a culture of openness
about mental health
in order to preserve a founder’s talent
as a creator
an innovator a dreamer
an inspirer to help them overcome their
mental health challenges
to optimize their performance and to
deliver healthy returns
we have two hands want to help ourself
and want to help others we rise by
lifting others up
be brave be kind
be there we live in one world together
it’s more important ever to be a friend
to all
thank you and god bless
you