Mental health among entrepreneurs: The benefits of consciousness

Abstract

High enterprise failure rates, the need to pivot, and fleeting runways are contributing to mental health issues among entrepreneurs. To treat a myriad of mental health conditions, western medical practitioners are acknowledging the effectiveness of consciousness and mindfulness tools, like yoga and meditation that have been practiced by indigenous people and eastern cultures for millennia. Some entrepreneurs are starting to use consciousness practices as not only a tool to balance the mind-body connection, but they are also using them to optimize performance. Implications for practice are discussed.

Rational Egoism Virtue-Based Ethical Beliefs and Subjective Happiness: An Empirical Investigation

“…Due to the cognitive limitations mentioned earlier, humans (including rational egoists) might be unaware of over-working themselves and failing to maintain a healthy work-life balance. This might be a function of our cognitive limitations, our society, and, in particular, within the entrepreneurial communities where over-working is normalized and revered (Overall, 2020b). To this end, over-working might have a diminishing relationship with subjective happiness; thus, countering any previous positive relationship between rational egoism and subjective happiness.…”

“…Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the costs of mental health to the global economy were calculated at $2.5 trillion annually (The Lancet Global Health, 2020). In Canada, the costs of mental health to the Canadian economy were calculated at $20 billion annually with $6 billion directly affecting organizations through productivity losses (Overall, 2020b). Since the emergence of the pandemic, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) (2020) has reported increases in mental health issues among the population involving anxiety, depression, and addiction.…”

“…If individuals focus too much attention on work and ignore the other areas of their life, such as their mind-body connection and maintaining a healthy work-life balance, they could become less happy. It is possible, but not always the case that highly productive individuals work longer hours (Cassar and Meier, 2018) and take on additional responsibilities (Erro-Garcés and Ramírez-Ávila, 2020), which has been shown to increase psychological pressures on the employee (Overall, 2016;2020b). However, it should be pointed out that working longer hours does not necessarily equate to heightened levels of productivity.…”

“…To counter this, rational egoists may wish to maintain a healthy mind-body connection by integrating mindfulness practices, such as meditation, into their routine. This has been shown to be helpful in not only reducing the symptoms of negative mental health, but it has also been shown to aid in optimizing performance by maintaining healthy balance (Overall, 2020b). Given the importance of maintaining a healthy mind-body connection, managers may wish to actively promote the use of mindfulness practices among their labor force.…”

Pemberdayaan Kemitraan Petani untuk Ketahanan Pangan Melalui Model Pertanian Berkelanjutan di Era Digital

“…Untuk itu diperlukan dorongan agar menghasilkan sesuatu yang kreatif dan inovatif yang dijadikan dasar, kiat dan sumber daya untuk mencari peluang. Jiwa entrepreneur yang telah terbangun dapat memunculkan mental yang mandiri dan optimis (Overall, 2020). Pembuatan WA group dimulai dengan menghubungi para pengusaha kuliner di sekitar desa Sukanagalih.…”