A lot of us are struggling with mental health especially with all that is going on right now and all the uncertainty it brings.
For entrepreneurs (and a lot of creatives) it's especially bad, there was a study done by Michael Freeman in 2015 that came out with the following results. Founders are:
2x more likely to suffer from depression
6x more likely to suffer from ADHD
3x more likely to suffer from substance abuse
10x more likely to suffer from bi-polar disorder
2x more likely to have psychiatric hospitalization
2x more likely to have suicidal thoughts
And when you look into what running a business is it makes a lot of sense. It's difficult and it's stressful with high rates of failure and a lot of uncertainty and rejection to deal with along the way. That said it is very rewarding and I wouldn't change it. We just need to do a much better job taking care of ourselves.
As a lot of you know I had a bad panic attack about 3 years ago that has caused a bunch of lingering anxiety issues that I never had to deal with before. It's been difficult but forced me to make positive changes for the better.
In this talk I go deep into my story as well as Chuck Swoboda's (Former CEO of Cree Lighting) story who went through something even more extreme, talk about the relationship with entrepreneurship and anxiety and what we can do to make it better.
For anyone dealing with mental health issues please watch and if you know someone who could benefit pass this along.