Mental health issues among women

Building a company from the ground up is not for the faint of heart. Every entrepreneur faces unique struggles individually, but some challenges are common to all, such as cash flow management, economic inflation, and business scalability, among others. On top of that, there are unique pain points for women entrepreneurs. Apart from looking after their businesses, they also take care of their family and their homes. These demands were magnified during the pandemic. It tested our resolve as a woman—a wife, a mother, a daughter—all while keeping our businesses afloat.

For women in business, the concept of women empowerment comes as an added layer. Empowered women are expected to always be strong and self-reliant. The pandemic showed us that true women empowerment should include prioritizing one’s overall well-being. Essentially, it involves making self-care a priority.

As a woman in business myself and as a mental health counselor for crisis and trauma management, the following are suggested self-care lifestyle tips women entrepreneurs can follow:

Start and end your day with a “quiet time” in prayer. Take a moment to be meditative, by clearing your head. For believers, this is a time for acknowledging the presence of God in your life by connecting with Him through prayer and reading His Word. Let Him take the lead at the start of the day, and thank Him for a productive day at the end of the day. Remember, you are never alone.

Start your journal, declutter your mind. Find your oasis at home or in your office, and set a time during the day to write down your thoughts. Be honest, no filters, and no need to edit, just write what comes to mind.

Take a deep breath. When pressures of the day are too much, stop for a while, pace yourself and practice the pause, and do deep breathing exercises to stabilize your mind and let you think. So, when overwhelmed, pause and do slow, deep breathing. Try it now!

Get enough sleep. Not having enough sleep greatly affects our health and level of thinking. If eight hours of sleep is impossible, aim for at least five hours every night.

Seek help. When you have specific mental health concerns, let a professional help you process your emotions and understand your feelings better. Let them journey with you to understand your thoughts better.

Be intentional in your “me time.” Add a non-negotiable “me time” in weekly schedules. What you do on your “me time” should not have anything related to work. Watch a movie, start gardening, get a massage, or simply go to a café alone. Don’t feel guilty.

Create a bucket list. Create your bucket list that you will look forward to achieving, and make it visual. Have a scrapbook or mood board in your bedroom, and fill it with anything that makes you feel happy. A visual bucket list reminds you that there’s more to life than your business, and can remind you of your why.As women entrepreneurs, we want to leave a lasting legacy in our business and in the lives of those we care about. We must start to take care of our greatest asset and invest more in the best investment—our well-being. And all the empowered women say, “It’s called self-care, look it up!”

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Thea Rimando-Sy of Dieu Illimetè Food Inc. is an entrepreneur, a business consultant, and a mental health resource speaker and counselor. She is also a member of the Network for Enterprising Women (NEW), an association for seasoned and budding women entrepreneurs in the Philippines. NEW is a member organization of the Philippine Women’s Economic Network (PhilWEN).

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Women Who Lead is an initiative of PhilWEN.