In our work as executive coaches we see that anxiety, stress and depression are common struggles that people experience as they build their businesses, step into their power, and move into creating success.  We have also seen that taking care of your psyche as you move forward is critically important to having the kind of impact you want in life.

There are five key strategies to support your mental health:

1.  Redefine failure

  • There will be failure and if you believe failure in your efforts indicates failure for you as a person, you will beat yourself up mercilessly. 
  • Failure is predictable – you cannot grow yourself or your business without failing.
  • Failure is critical to learning – think about toddlers learning to walk.  They fall down a lot before they fall down less, and all that falling down helps their brain develop the skills to stop falling down.
  • Failure grows you! 

2. Take breaks

  • Pushing harder is sometimes the answer but not always. 
  • Pause and assess if what you are doing is what you need to do to move forward effectively.
  • Take breaks throughout the day, the week, and the year – the data is very clear that breaks increase productivity.

3. Stay connected with the people you love and who love you

  • When the mirrors in your life reflect challenge and failure, you need people around who reflect love and respect.
  • Being around people you love and who love you fuels your creativity and your resilience.

4. Separate your net worth from your self worth

  • It’s tempting to believe that the amount of money you have is an indicator of your worth – it’s not.
  • Spend time each day giving your best to the world so that you remember all that you have to offer.

5. Practice Gratitude

  • One of the quickest ways to get back to your center is to look at your life and identify the things and people that you are grateful for.
  • Create a regular practice of gratitude – each morning as you wake up, each day as you drive to work, each day as you drive home from work, and each evening as you settle into bed think of 5 things that you are grateful for in your life.

We invite you to spend some time this week taking care of your psyche – you matter!