Mental Health Update

Aug 23

Welcome back to the Rainbow Reflections newsletter.

I hope you're doing well and taking care of yourself. As we continue navigating the ups and downs of life and business, I wanted to take a moment to share a personal update on my own mental health journey and offer some tips that have been helping me maintain balance. We often prioritize everything and everyone else, especially as business owners, but it's so important to remember that we need to take care of ourselves first.

Mental Health Update

Recently, I tried to wean off my depression and anxiety medication, and it didn’t go as planned. I was off it for about two weeks, and it was a wild ride—and not in a good way. I’m back to my normal dose now and processing the experience. I’m sharing this for a few reasons:

It's Okay to Be on Meds: I know it's okay to be on medication, and it doesn’t make me, or anyone else, any less of a person. However, it can be difficult to reconcile that understanding with the discomfort of not being able to control your mental headspace. It’s a challenging experience, but one that I’m learning to navigate.
Sharing for Support: I’ve personally benefited from others sharing their mental health experiences online—it’s what got me to pursue the help I needed back when I got on meds. I’m sharing my story for that same reason. If you are struggling I hope you know that you are not alone. You are not wrong for getting on meds or pursuing therapy. And you deserve the support necessary to feel your best in your mind, body and spirit.
Entrepreneurial Mental Health: I don’t often see entrepreneurs sharing candid experiences about their mental health online. Like I said above, yes I have a little, bit it's few and far between. Given capitalism’s grip on our lives, especially in entrepreneurship, I believe it’s important to share that there are ways to navigate our current systems that keep mental health top of mind.

Mental Health Tips in Entrepreneurship

Here are some strategies I’ve been leaning on recently to keep myself grounded and focused, even when things have felt overwhelming:

Give Yourself Grace: Not every moment in business and life is going to be perfect, and that's okay. We need to honor ourselves at all times and in all ways, recognizing that perfection isn’t the goal—authenticity is. We don’t always have to be on the hamster wheel—it’s simply not sustainable as humans to operate like that all the time, and it’s okay to step off when needed.
Manage Expectations: When you're struggling, it’s important not to overwhelm yourself with unrealistic expectations. Focus on what truly needs to be done, and don’t pressure yourself to do it all.
For me, I put a main focus on client work because it’s not something I can just ignore. I have integrity in my work and will make sure it all gets done for my clients.
Where I allow things to slide is in the backend of my business. I create an order of priority, letting go of the tasks with the least value and putting them off for the future when I’m feeling better mentally. Recently, my highest priority for backend tasks have been networking and marketing to avoid client dry spells, so I still do those. However, any new projects, ideas, or systems reviews have gotten pushed to the future. In the last few weeks I have focused on the things that move the needle in my business and let go of what doesn't for the time being.
Lean in on Planning and Organization: Having a plan and staying organized can reduce mental load. When your schedule is planned out, you don’t have to waste energy deciding what to do next—you can simply focus on execution. I’ve been stacking all my client work earlier in the week because I always feel the most productive at the beginning of the week. From there I’ve planned more backend business tasks for later in the week that aren’t dire if I don’t get to them. This way, if I need to take time off to rest and deal with my mental health, I can do so without feeling overwhelmed.
Practice Gentle Accountability: Gentle accountability means holding yourself to your goals with compassion rather than strict discipline. It’s about celebrating small victories and giving yourself credit for progress, no matter how incremental. I like to use task rewards, as shared in Atomic Habits by James Clear.
Of course, some tasks just have to get done, no matter how much we’d like to avoid them. So if there’s a particularly hard task I need to tackle on a given day, I’ll make sure to schedule in a little treat (like going out for a yummy lunch) or a more fun task (like getting my nails done) after completing it. This way, the difficult task doesn’t feel completely awful, and it helps me stay on top of my mental health for the day.
Allow Yourself Breaks: If something isn't working for you right now, it's okay to step back and take a break. It’s essential to give yourself space when needed to recharge and return to your work refreshed.
When I'm not feeling my best I allow myself to take breaks between tasks during the day. I usually focus on completing three main tasks in a day, and realistically, it never takes the full day to get those done. Instead of sitting at my computer all day doing busy work, which I tend to do when I’m feeling good, I actively force myself to get off the computer and rest between tasks. I’ll either lie in bed or sit on the couch and just do nothing—something Tricia Hersey discusses in Rest is Resistance. It’s not quite meditating, but it’s not quite not meditating either; it’s just giving my brain a chance to decompress.
For me, this often involves spending time petting my cat, which really boosts my mood and gives me the motivation to get back to work without feeling stressed. This is something I need to bring into my workday even when I'm feeling great. Breaks and rest really do help me show up more meaningfully in my work and all the tasks I do on a daily basis.

Conclusion

Remember, it’s okay to not have everything figured out all the time. Prioritize your mental health and give yourself the space to rest, recharge, and return stronger. As always, I’m here if you need support or just want to share how you’re doing.

Take care of yourselves and stay reflective.

Wishing you Rainbows,