Mental health is an important issue for everyone, but it can be especially challenging for small business owners. The demands of running a business can be overwhelming, and it can be difficult to find time for self-care. As a result, small business owners are at an increased risk of developing mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, and burnout. This presentation contains a number of things that small business owners can do to deal with mental health issues. Hope you find them useful.

1. HOW TO DEAL WITH
MENTAL HEALTH IN
YOUR SMALL
BUSINESS
Dr. Chinonso Chee Ndubuisi

2. About Health and Beyond
We are a health education establishment
working with individuals and companies on
wellness. Our mission is to help individuals live
well with realistic, balanced, and scientifically-
backed health solutions. We offer health
education, including mental health coaching
services that guide individuals to sprout,
blossom, and thrive in their health goals.

3. Outline
• You are in charge of your mental health.
• Why businesses fail even before they start.
• Superwoman/man syndrome.
• Overcoming anxiety and stress in business.
• Burnout: how will you know?
• Don’t go it alone!
• The power of social media - Do not carry last!
• Low self-esteem - your number one setback.
• How to manage depression from not generating
enough income.
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4. What do you know about this man?
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5. Running a business in Nigeria is hard!
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Harsh economy
Difficulty in getting startup capital
Poor road and power infrastructure
High taxes
Unfriendly business policies
Insecurity
Others?

6. You are in charge of your mental health
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What do you understand by “MENTAL HEALTH”?
Have you visited a psychologist or psychiatrist
before?
Who or what determines the state of your
mental health?
When a prospect reaches out to you, and after
you have delivered a great pitch, he/she says “I
will get back to you,” but never does, how do you
react?

7. What should John do?
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 John is a First-Class graduate of Chemical Engineering.
 He had high hopes of getting a job in an oil company in
Nigeria, but for over three years now, he has not been
able to secure one.
 Several times, John has considered starting a furniture
business, but he is worried about what people would
say – especially on social media.
 “First Class graduate, now a carpenter.” He pictures all
sorts of demeaning posts on social media, when his
course mates discover his venture.
 As a result, John is scared of being mocked for starting
out. However, there are scary bills to be paid.
 What should John do?

8. Why businesses fail even before they start
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While trying to succeed, many business
owners neglect their mental and physical
health.
They burn out quickly, which has a negative
impact on the business.
Stress is accepted as a normal occurrence in
Nigeria. You may be considered lazy if you are
not overworking yourself. However, stress is
dangerous.

9. Why businesses fail even before they start
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Several entrepreneurs have given up on
their dreams because they are anxious or
afraid of failing.
Health equals wealth. If you want to be
successful in business, you must look after
your mental health.
You cannot operate optimally unless your
mind is balanced.

10. Superwoman/Superman syndrome
• A psychological state in which a person believes they
must do everything, creating unrealistic expectations for
themselves.
• Here are some signs of Superwoman/man syndrome:
• There’s always an unmet need to achieve and
accomplish more.
• You constantly want to help everyone, even
strangers.
• You often want to take on entire workloads that are
meant to be split.
• It feels like you can’t possibly fail.
• Others’ needs come before your own.
• You feel useless if you can’t help someone.
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11. Effects of Superwoman/man syndrome
• Bouts of irritability
• Inability to sleep or excessive sleep
• Memory issues
• Muscle tension
• Anxiety
• Sweating when not physically active
• Inability to concentrate
• General aches and pains
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12. Overcoming anxiety and stress in business
1. Transparency is Key: Accept that you are struggling. Voice your concerns and personal
challenges with friends, family, a trusted professional, or even your team.
2. Take It Day by Day: You only need enough courage for the first step, not for the whole
ladder. Sometimes the best thing one can do is stop and reflect before one re-engages.
3. Have a Game Plan: Plan for the worst and hope for the best. Being prepared for any and
every eventuality cannot be overemphasized.
4. Network: Connect with other entrepreneurs and business owners e.g through social media
platforms such as LinkedIn or Facebook groups. This can help you tap into how others feel and
what they are doing to combat the common challenges.
5. Manage Expectations: Overpromising and balancing on a tightrope will only worsen already
heightened feelings of stress and anxiety. Clients understand setbacks and shortfalls as long as
they are respected with honesty, positivity, and constant communication.
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13. Overcoming anxiety and stress in business
6. Baby Steps: Breaking big ideas down into smaller steps allows you multiple small victories
to celebrate along the way. Any step forward, no matter how big or small, is a step in the right
direction.
7. Know Your Strengths: Know your own and your team's strengths, and use them to
complete a common task or chart a new course of action.
8. Take Time Out: Today's problems will be replaced by new ones tomorrow. Overcoming
them is more of a marathon than a race. Knowing your triggers can help you separate yourself
from specific anxieties. For example, if possible, avoid taking business calls after work hours.
9. Ask for Help: There are always ways to reduce the load we carry as business owners if only
we put pride aside and reach out for help when we need it.
10. Destigmatising Mental Health: Be open to discussing mental health with your team and
to seeing a psychologist or psychiatrist if necessary.
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14. Burnout: how will you know?
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• You feel overwhelmed by day-to-day
activities
• You’re starting to resent people and feel
disconnected from others
• You find yourself getting easily irritated
with people
• You feel extremely tired all the time
• You feel like you’re losing joy and
motivation
• You’re experiencing physical symptoms

15. Don’t go it alone! Ask questions
• Asking questions will enable you to discover what other business owners are doing
to succeed.
• You can also ask questions about dealing with failure, staying focused when times
are difficult, etc.
• Ask questions such as:
• What motivates you to keep going?
• How do you manage stress?
• How are you taking care of your mental health?
• How do you prevent burnout?
• What does your typical workday look like?
• How do you manage your work-life balance?
• What are your values and ideals?
• How do you deal with self-doubt and doubt from others?

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FABRIKAM RESIDENCES
Don’t go it alone! Find out how others in your
niche are doing it
• Learning from the experiences of others can help us
identify potential pitfalls, ensure we have accurate
information and provide us with strategies and knowledge
we might not have otherwise.
• We benefit from learning from others because it helps us
make better decisions for ourselves.
• Learning from other people's mistakes and successes is
more efficient than figuring things out on our own.
• When we are surrounded by others in our niche, we can
use what we know to solve problems in unique ways.
• It also enables us to process information and solve
problems in new ways.

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Social media is a fast-paced industry. Do not carry last!
• Businesses that recognize the power of social media will
accelerate their progress and embrace a new way of
doing business, while those who resist the advances risk
becoming obsolete.
• Businesses can use social media to form more
meaningful relationships and learn more about potential
customers.
• A business can use social media to build a fan base and
receive feedback from its target audience.
• Through social media, businesses have the potential to
generate new traffic streams that will lead people to
their products and solidify their consumer identity.

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Why you should be up-to-date with social
media
• Attract a bigger audience: Because everyone
across the globe uses social media, social
media marketing enables you to attract
customers from different parts of the world.
• Creates word of mouth: Social media helps
in spreading the word about a business
quickly and effectively.
• Reducing marketing and promotional costs:
Social media marketing applies the concept
of targeted marketing and advertising.

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Low self-esteem - your number one setback
• Have you ever attempted a business
collaboration but never received a positive
response?
How did you perceive yourself at the time?
• Do you ever tell yourself any of the following?
• Why did I ever start this business?
• Maybe I’m just not cut out for this kind of
thing.
• Other entrepreneurs don’t seem to be going
through the same things I’m going through.
• I am such a failure in business and life.
If yes, you are dealing with a LOW SELF-ESTEEM.

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How to overcome a low self-esteem
• Identify the qualities and skills most closely linked to your
idea of success.
• Identify your current strengths and establish plans for
improvement.
• Identify and redirect unhealthy competition and
comparisons.
• Forgive yourself for past mistakes and poor decisions.
• Hold yourself completely accountable for your actions,
decisions, and outcomes.
• Develop a pattern of self-talk that validates your worth
and abilities.
• Focus on what you can control, not what you can’t.

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How to manage depression from not generating enough income
• Worrying about your income can increase anxiety
and depression.
• Depression symptoms can include:
• low self-esteem
• changes or disruptions in sleep
• less interest in things you used to enjoy
• fatigue
• feelings of hopelessness
• changes in diet (loss of appetite or overeating)
• increased anxiety
• irritability
• suicidal thoughts

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How to manage depression from not generating enough
income
• Talk to someone: bottling things up will only make your financial stress worse.
• Consider seeking support for depression: see a counselor, psychologist, or therapist.
• Take inventory of your finances: it is the first step to devising a plan to solve your money
problems.
• Make a plan—and stick to it:
• Identify the reason for the low income.
• Devise a solution or strategy to increase your income.
• Put your plan into action.
• Monitor your progress.
• Don’t get derailed by setbacks.

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THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!