Did you know that as an entrepreneur you’re…
- 2X more likely to experience depression
- 6X more likely to have ADHD
- 3X more likely to struggle with drugs or alcohol
😳
49% of entrepreneurs report having a mental health condition. And honestly? I’ve never met an entrepreneur who hasn’t battled anxiety on the regular.1
Why? This could be a chicken-or-egg thing, but here are a few familiar culprits:2
- Chronic uncertainty (will we make it through the 3rd quarter?)
- Financial pressure (Can we cover payroll this month?)
- Social isolation (especially for solopreneurs)
- Overidentification with the business → “If my business fails, I fail.”
And here’s the other kicker: even when business is good, it can actually be harder for the self-employed to feel joy.
Why?
- Success is a moving target (we constantly move the goal post)
- High achievers are often highly self-critical (often due to comparison)
- Health and happiness get deprioritized (I’m too busy to go to the gym)
- A constant cortisol drip kills pleasure
Dan Sullivan calls this living in the gap:
- We’re wired to think about the future, not the present
- Our ambitions are sky-high (and often unachievable)
- We rarely stop to notice how far we’ve come
I promise I’m not trying to bum you out! But here’s the good news: the rewards of self-employment are massive — freedom from BS, creative fulfillment, purpose, alignment with values, autonomy, personal growth…the list goes on.
The trick? Accepting the costs while actively protecting your mental health. Here are a few tricks I’ve used with my clients over the years.
- ✅ Stop measuring against others (or an ideal). Track your wins every night. If you only measure what’s missing, you’ll always feel behind.
- ✅ Practice mindfulness. Not woo-woo inner peace — just training your mind to stop flying blind.
- ✅ Limit tech exposure. Spend an hour a day working with analog tools — physical books, Post-Its, Sharpies.
- ✅ Move your body. 7–10K steps a day keeps the (psychiatric) doc away.
- ✅ Journal. Reflect, track wins, practice gratitude. Try pen and paper here.
Only 10–20% of the world’s workforce are entrepreneurs — for good reason. It’s hard. But if you feel called to it (or like me, can’t imagine working for anyone else), then learn to take good care of your head and heart.
Your craft and the game of business itself can be so much fun, but without a sense of peace and joy, what good is it? Prioritize your well being and you’ll not only do better work, but you’ll get to experience more enjoyment in life.
Have questions about how to create any of these practices in your life? Reply to this email and let me know what you’re working and I’ll see if I can help.
I read every email I get!
1 Freeman, M. A., et al. (2015). Are entrepreneurs “touched with fire”?
2 Harvard Business Review: The Psychological Price of Entrepreneurship