From Startups to Self-Care: Why Young Founders Must Prioritize Mental Health Insights from a young Emirati entrepreneur.

As a young entrepreneur, I find that mental health is playing a huge role when it comes to achieving new milestones or business goals.

It is important to understand yourself to benefit from your strength and understand your emotional weaknesses. Mental health affects the way we think, feel, and act in everyday life, which is why it's an important concern for leading a balanced life. It could be due to many factors involving the emotional, physical and social aspects. If we think about it, it's more than just a mental wellbeing, it's thriving, not just surviving and by taking care of our mental health, we enhance our ability to face challenges and preserve a positive action and connect with others.

On the other hand, disregarding mental health can lead to tough issues like anxiety, depression, or burnout making even small tasks feel overwhelming- and this won't be shown immediately, but over time.

One of the most important things about mental health is that it deserves attention just like other physical health. Many people think that mental health is not as important as physical health, but both physical and mental well being are greatly related. A clear example for me is when I can notice that stressed people may have physical problems such as high blood pressure, while regular exercises can boost people's mood and reduce symptoms of anxiety.

As an entrepreneur, it is my belief that by keeping a holistic approach that address both the body and mind you and I can face challenges more effectively.

While stress is one of the most common factors that affects mental health directly, some stress is actually normal and can even be beneficial to be experienced. However, long-term stress can lead to a serious toll on emotional and physical wellbeing. It is important to detect the real causes of stress and find a healthy way to manage them. A powerful technique can be taking deep breaths. Mindfulness and journaling can help reduce stress levels too and create a sense of calmness. I have experienced that the most suitable way to be calm is to write what I feel; this way I can identify the exact feeling and know what I should do to get over it.

The key element in mental health is self-awareness- being aware of your emotions and how they influence your behavior is a vital skill. Self-awareness allows you to recognize when you're feeling sad or angry, giving you the opportunity to act before those feelings get complicated to solve. As an entrepreneur, I've learned to pause, breathe, and identify causes for such feelings when challenges arise, ensuring I stay focused and calm.

As humans, we have a supportive network of friends and family that can make a significant difference in how we handle challenges. Speaking to someone you trust about your feelings can provide relief and a better perspective. Being able to convey your fears or concerns to someone is truly effective and could hold the key to your success and get you back to confidence.

You can also pay attention to your lifestyle's impact on mental wellbeing. Sometimes your bad nutritional and sleeping habits can make it harder to regulate emotions and think clearly.

Professional support is also necessary to address mental health challenges when things get out of our control. Therapists and physiologists are trained to help individuals work through their emotions and develop strategies for coping. Therapy isn't just for crises; it also can be a tool for more personal growth and self-discovery for more serious mental health conditions.

It is important to break the ice that surrounds mental health to create a change within our society. Many people are afraid to speak about their struggles or ask for help due to fear of judgment or misunderstanding about their situation. I found that the more we talk about a situation, the more we encourage others to do so and to step forward into solving their situation.

Education is a truly powerful tool that can bring the problem to the table and help people understand what the problem is and what is the solution that we can implement. Everyone in the community can contribute to create a change- schools, organizations and individuals can help in providing resources and raising awareness.

Mental health is a journey not a destination, and everyone has ups and downs. It's normal to face difficulties along the way, but what really matters is how we respond to that challenge, practicing self-compassion, setting realistic goals and celebrating small victories to keep us on track.

Whenever there is care taken to keep good mental health, there will be a positive ripple effect to benefit everyone's personal and professional lives. It would also expand the opportunities and empower people at the root of our communities.