This show right here, the photography, the stained glass, and the writing, is pretty much a one-woman show. I do hire an accountant for my income taxes and recently hired an assistant to help with things like editing this blog and scheduling content (thank you, Kim!), but for the most part, I’m doing this solo which means that I have to be in a decent place mental health wise if I want my business to succeed.
Caveat; if my business doesn’t succeed, that doesn’t mean my mental health is poor (although I’d be pretty down as a result!) and when I’m excelling in my mental health, that doesn’t mean I will be successful in my business. I’m just saying that I need to be able to function to run this business and taking care of my mental health is a huge part of that.
This goes beyond self care, or at least beyond the self care of spa treatments and getaways to escape stress. I’m talking about gaining tools to help cope through the stress. Tools to help in relationships. Tools to gain confidence in interacting with the world as more than just a business person.
I found a therapist I love working with.
Every session I’m seeing progress and that normally doesn’t happen. In the past, I’ve been able to see the progress at the end, after my therapeutic journey has ended with a particular professional. That is valid too. However, this time going into therapy I had specific goals in mind. I searched the internet for someone who specializes in the areas I wanted to address, mainly trauma. I read through their bios and I found one that I suspected would have a basic understanding of my history and upbringing, and I was right. This means that when I explain things I can use shorthands and I don’t have to spend entire sessions going in-depth into the nuances of the shit I went through. I feel like I’m getting somewhere and that is great to see because I’m investing the money to get there.
I’m of the belief that everyone should try therapy at some point in their life.
I think it’s especially important for individuals running a business to regularly check-in on their mental health. For many of us, we pour so much of our entire selves into a business, especially if it's a creative one. We use our business as a creative outlet, as an agent to make the world a better place, as a source of joy and fulfillment. Of course our mental health is going to affect our business.
This is your sign that you should try therapy.
I won’t go into depth on the barriers that may keep people from therapy, but I do understand that it’s not feasible financially for everyone. In the past, I’ve used Aurora Family Therapy which offers services based on a sliding scale. While there is a long waitlist, today is a good day to start the process.
