If you’re an entrepreneur who’s ever wondered if there are any therapy benefits for entrepreneurs, read on.  In spite of the many demands of being an entrepreneur, many don’t believe therapy is “for them”.  This might stem from a concern that you “should” be able to figure out what you need if you’re figured out so much so far, or a marker that you aren’t successful enough if you need that extra support.  Additionally, many entrepreneurs are resilient to stress which is what has allowed them to be successful already, and so maybe you haven’t considered that therapy is for you. 

Can you be a successful entrepreneur and still struggle with mental well being?

There are a few hallmarks of entrepreneurship that challenge mental well being.  On one hand, there is often a positive experience of designing your own job.  On the other hand, the research on the topic confirms that entrepreneurs often experience less pay, longer hours, and higher levels of uncertainty, broader job descriptions than their employed counterparts. Some of the research on the subject divides “opportunity versus necessity” entrepreneurs, one of the criteria being whether entrepreneurship came about from a period of employment or unemployment. The amount of leisure time is reportedly minimal for both groups. In many cases, working longer hours can make an entrepreneur feel like their business is successful so it can make them feel good while also challenging their own work life balance.

What are the stressors of entrepreneurship?

• Family
• Financial Insecurity
• Stress and Pressure
• Work Conflict
• Customer Conflict
• Many competing priorities
• Employees (tend to increase distress)
• Being easily fatigued.
• Becoming “all consuming”, overidentifying with their work
• Job loss and the threat of job loss, even retirement (even higher than for employees)
• Isolation, lack of social support. 
• The market and economy
• When long hours signal that the business is going well and thriving
• Responsibility for families
• Allostatic load and stress over time
• Large investments of time and resources required.

What are the protective factors of entrepreneurship?

• How interesting the work is
• How varied the work is
• Whether there is opportunity for feedback, and to learn
• Being able to utilize a variety of skills.
• Higher autonomy compared to employees
• Many entrepreneurs have ADHD, and this is positively correlated to innovation, being proactive, and risk taking
• The traits of an entrepreneur that may lead to stress?
• Optimism (it may help in the short term but lead to disappointment in the longer term if hopes and expectations do not come to fruition)
• High in fear of failure
• High in neuroticism (may lead to lack of satisfaction)
• Mental resilience/recovery after a disaster (unrelated to financial performance)

While there are many interesting qualities that make ADHD a fit for entrepreneurship (and lead to ADHD and entrepreneurship being a common pairing), there are some challenges that come with it as well.  For example, it can be challenging to switch hats throughout the day between customer service, HR, marketer, and so on. It can lead to everything feeling like a priority and nothing getting done. For someone who loves and has a knack for developing an idea because it comes with a hit of dopamine, it can be draining and monotonous to see the idea through day after day. At times it may also feel like a calculated risk can easily turn into too large of a risk. 

Therapy Benefits for Entrepreneurs Extend Beyond Stress Management? 

Among the variety of treatment options that we use to offer therapy benefits for entrepreneurs, EMDR, parts work and DBT are three that can be used in their treatment.  While DBT can provide skills for you to implement as you see your symptoms come on, EMDR can help the brain to rely on more adaptive beliefs by activating its natural healing processes and even approaching the role in a more hopeful and adaptive way rather than approaching work from a perspective of struggle or an imposter.  Here are some additional techniques that can aid business owners in finding their balance and managing stress. 

• Time away from work
  • Because the availability of more work can sometimes feel like success to an entrepreneur, it can be really hard to want to schedule time off.  For this reason, it may take a dedicated effort ot plan this time off to refresh and recuperate.  You might find it helpful to schedule in your self-care and downtime so you don’t find yourself doing something that doesn’t make you feel refreshed (doom scrolling, binge watching, etc.)  For some, unstructured time off may feel better since time working may feel overly scheduled.  
• Physical Health and Physical Activity
  • Stress can feel inevitable to business owners.  For this reason,research supports investing in other help measures including incorporating physical exercise, being mindful of eating foods that contribute to overall energy and wellbeing. 
• Adaptive Supports for ADHD
  • For many business owners, ADHD is their superpower that leads to innovation, and measured risk taking.  In other areas it may not feel like a power, specifically when it comes to managing deadlines, determining priorities, and seeing tasks through after the initial rush of the project development.  Learning strategies to help with the hard-to-manage pieces can be a huge help and make sure they aren’t a hindrance, which can have major therapy benefits for entrepreneurs.
• Forming Genuine Connections
  • Finding people that understand what it’s like for you, or that want to be a support can be huge! It’s hard to explain these things so it can be huge to have a network of individuals you can share with who get it. Similarly, it can also be great to have a network that has other interests since entrepreneurs are known to over-identify with their work persona.

Lorain Moorehead: Counseling for Entrepreneurs in Arizona 

Therapy for business professionals in standard length sessions (60 minutes) or intensives: 120-180 minutes to accommodate your various treatment goals.  Lorain Moorehead in Scottsdale, AZ, has advanced clinical training in multiple evidence-based treatment approaches.We offer virtual appointments to individuals all over Arizona, and in person sessions in Scottsdale, AZ.  For any questions, to discover if we are a good fit or to learn more about therapy benefits for entrepreneurs please schedule your FREE 15 minute consultation.