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Franziska Kroll

How do you take care of your mental health as a founder?

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Hello everyone, I am the culture manager at Collato, and mental health is a topic very dear to my heart. Thankfully we talk about mental health a lot more in our society now, but still, we mainly focus on employees. In early start-ups, it's usually the founders that have to make that a priority for their team, as we should not simply push mental health to the realm of self-care. So I wondered, who helps look after your (or your founder's) health? And how do you, as founders, make sure you don't burn out?

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Gary Zurnamer
This goes against the popular hustle culture message but take some downtime on the weekend. Stepping back from work for a day or two actually helps with deeper problem solving and creativity, which unlocks growth. It’s not always achievable in busy times but something I aim for.
Franziska Kroll
@gary_zurnamer1 such a good advice! You do not just need to recharge your own batteries but also gain some distance and perspective. Is there any practice in particular that helps you to disconnect?
Gary Zurnamer
@franziska_kroll I have a newborn baby which is a great forcing function to be present 😂. Other than that, lots of outdoor time and exercise when possible!
Franziska Kroll
@gary_zurnamer1 Amazing! Congratulations 🎊 I bet the kiddo keeps you on your toes! thanks for sharing. For me the outdoors also do the trick. Particularly if I don't take my phone with me :)
Gaurav verma
I've rules which I never break which helps me in taking care of my mental health. 1. go for a vacation in an isolated place for 1 week without a laptop. 2. shutdown laptop at 6 PM. If something is left, there is always tomorrow. 3. Work out in the morning. 4. Meals away from the laptop. 5. Not every person/opportunity is worth running behind. If they do not come after 2 follow-ups, leave and look for another. 6. not every piece of advice is worth following. We all have our own perception and world which include n number of things and every person's n is entirely different. 7. Don't take advice from a person who has never been a founder. 8. Never follow a person who runs a big company. 9. Read books. Doesn't matter which one, just read it.
Franziska Kroll
@gaurav_verma10 Wow, what an extensive list! I love that you have many things in place that help you to detach from work :) And things which help you gain perspective on things. Number 8 is interesting, could explain it a bit more?
Gaurav verma
@franziska_kroll Sure, lets take the example of Satya Nadella. Have he started anything on its own? No. He is the CEO of Microsoft. The things he do and can do, if you start to follow those things, you won't be able to do. Microsoft can talk great things about a bad product and after that spend billions to make it successful. But, if you follow same path, do you have those billions?
Franziska Kroll
@gaurav_verma10 So, if I understand you correctly, you would suggest that it is not worth taking them as an example as they are not in the current state or may have never led any company through its early stages. I would agree that not having big funds will definitely help you to be more creative and force you to make harder decisions.
Gaurav verma
@franziska_kroll Yes, starting a company and running a company are entirely different games. When money is tight, your only friend is creativity.
Catherine Norris
This is such an important topic that often gets overlooked! Without a healthy, happy leader--how can a company function properly? Also, if mental health is priority in the company, leaders must lead by example and take care of themselves first 🧘‍♀️
Anastasiia K
Hello Franziska, thank you for paying attention to this topic. Honestly, for me watching after the mental health of mine and my startup partners has been in the To-Do List if I can say so :) It's something always there to consider but unfortunately not much considered sometimes. But about burning out can say one thing though - it is not as scary as it looks when you do what you love. And to stay up and recharged, it's important to do what you love, in my option.
Franziska Kroll
@anastasiiahere You make such a valid point. Really loving what you do helps to experience stress as excitement instead of distress! I am glad to hear you are still watching out for yourself and your start-up partners :)
Anastasiia K
@franziska_kroll :) It's actually something I have been learning along the way. And the personal learning and perceptions on mental health and individual well-being have become a forming basis for the company brand I'm currently working in. We are creating the brand and product for visual content creators and enthusiasts so they feel like home there (Glostars if you want to check https://www.glostars.com/); so they can learn, work and create in a safe and empowering environment. And I see people resonate with it, and it is very heart warming to see a positive change, especially in social media consumption behavior (as an example industry as I am working in it).
Maria Noemi Hernandez
Happy leaders, happy people, right? It's true; most of the articles I can find out there are targeted at leaders (founders) and how to protect the mental health of their employees, but what about them? I'll love to read the answers to this question.
Grace Hur
Maybe a side topic: When 💩 really hits the fan, allow your founder (and literally any person) to take space to fully process what they're going through. Don't fix it, don't move it, don't hide it on their behalf. It's going to be very uncomfortable seeing someone you admire going through tough times (especially if you're the fixer type - I know I am). Sit and hold space for them without needing to understand what they're going through. Simply stay compassionate.
Franziska Kroll
@gracehur I love this. Sometimes it's just showing up for someone and letting them know whatever it is they are going through is valid and ok.
Murali Gottumukkala
Have a schedule which you can make it work and then sticking to it. This will ensure mind knows when to stop and when to start.
Franziska Kroll
@murali_aasaan That sounds great! How easy is it for you to stick to in and how do you get back on track if you need to?
Irina Haupt
YOU
Carter Glass
5 Ways Founders Can Protect Their Mental Health Embrace Meditation. Meditating for a few minutes to hours a day has proven health benefits such as reduced stress, and controlled levels of anxiety. Detach from Tech. Physical Activity.
Franziska Kroll
@jygbc Thank you for your insights... but what are the other two ways? :)
Roshunda Gulley
As the founder of the Maintain Me app, I try to incorporate its self-care activities into my life and I agree that mental health should not just be about one caring for themself, therefore I encourage others to try to incorporate the activities into their lives too.
Franziska Kroll
@roshunda_gulley Can you share a few ideas you had behind the app and how it helps?
Roshunda Gulley
Franziska, some of my ideas behind the app are self-care activities such as medical appointments, dental appointments, shopping, exercise, grooming (hair, nail, etc, appointments), mental (meditation), vacations, and others (which for me includes reading, writing, and listening to music, and spiritual activities). The idea behind some of those like medical appointments and dental appointments is to take care of oneself by getting those checkups or seeking care before it gets to the point where one has no choice. The idea behind shopping is to have the items needed before you get ready to use them and realize that you are missing the necessary ingredients (this makes it so much less stressful, especially during busy times and times that are more stressful to some, like holidays). Some others are for the purpose of relaxing. The general idea behind the app is to schedule activities and get a reminder, so they won't be forgotten in the midst of a busy life. I find that having things already planned out results in less chaos, which for me is less stress.
Franziska Kroll
@roshunda_gulley I can see how it is helpful but can at the same time be more stressful :)
Roshunda Gulley
@franziska_kroll, everyone is different of course but every business usually has a plan (business plan), so I'm sure that most people would prefer to have things planned out than wait until the last minute to try to figure them out.
Roshunda Gulley
I would also like to add that I was an employee when I designed the Maintain Me app, as I personally felt the effects of an unequal work-life balance and saw others experiencing them too.
Franziska Kroll
@roshunda_gulley So, what are your ideas for maintaining a better balance?
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Roshunda Gulley
Franziska, I am so glad you mentioned this important issue. Founders and employees both need to take care of themselves in order to have the most productive workplace. I've seen overexertion happen to both and some don't seem to realize it, but it's not good.
Roshunda Gulley
Franziska, my ideas for maintaining a better balance are to make time for activities outside of the workplace and get some sleep.