Black Christian Entrepreneurs and the Stress Epidemic
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In today's world, it can be very easy to become entangled in the hustle & flow of life and miss red flags in one's mental health. Entrepreneurship can be challenging. With constant decision-making, financial accounting, long hours, perfect customer service, and employee support, stress can sometimes become an overwhelming part of the job. This is especially true for Black entrepreneurs, even more so for Christian black entrepreneurs in the current climate. This can cause various issues such as stress, anxiety, depression, and a massive decline in high performance. And it's time someone takes a closer look at black Christian entrepreneurs and the stress epidemic.
The demand for mental health awareness among entrepreneurs has become a recognized problem. Let's look at numbers for a moment. According to the Joint Economic Committee Democrats, over three million Black-owned businesses deliver over $200 billion to our economy every year. We can look at 2012 to 2017 alone and recognize the amount of Black-owned businesses increased at a wildly rapid rate than white-owned businesses.
Black-owned businesses and other minority-owned businesses have proven to be the fastest growing business in the US. However, black Christian entrepreneurs face long-standing obstacles to things like financing, which places constraints on business formation. This factor alone can be stressful. We don't know how many of these businesses contributed to those same Black entrepreneurs' stress overload and burnout.
Tips To Prevent Burnout As A Black Christian Entrepreneur
Entrepreneurs run the risk of stress and burnout, especially in the black community. However, Black entrepreneurs may be particularly more vulnerable to the stress epidemic in America. Burnout is the result of chronic stress. In addition, black entrepreneurs tend to endure unique stressors and challenges that other entrepreneurs don't. Black Christian entrepreneurs can take a stand against the stress epidemic in America by following the following tips:
Pinpoint Your Stressors Or Triggers
Avoid stress and burnout by identifying the root cause of your stress. Then, find mindful ways to deter and release stress before and after events or tasks that push your limits.
Your Health Is Top priority.
We can easily neglect our body's signals and push ourselves to the point that our health pays for it. When starting or running your business, aim to be more productive with your time and waste less energy on tasks that could potentially be overly stressful. Avoid burnout by exercising consistently, eating nourishing foods, and rewarding yourself. At Comfort Counseling Center we can help you manage high stress so it does not lead to burnout.
Rest Is Essential
Many black Christian entrepreneurs believe that working from sunup to sundown is the only way to accomplish what they. But they fail to take personal time to rest and relax. After all, they are human too. Find time to unwind. Working consistently without downtime is a definite burnout waiting to happen.
Learn To Outsource Wherever You Can
As a business owner, sometimes realizing so much to do in so little time really can hit home. However, to reduce stress, lighten the load, and take care of yourself, delegating smaller tasks to qualified team members or other small businesses that provide the needed services can help. Continual stress over your workload, which can be stressful itself, is counterproductive and leads to burnout. Outsource or delegate what you can wherever you can. Trust your team to help you; after all, you did choose them. Being a Black founder has its challenges and adding Christian to that title can add even more challenges. Nonetheless, follow these tips to avoid stress and burnout.
Stand Against The Stress Epidemic As A Black Christian Entrepreneur
Growing up, most Black Christians are raised to be strong and invincible. Whatever happens in the home stays in the home, and so on. In the black community, Parents encourage their children to show no signs of weakness. This weakness also included discussing emotions, feelings, and mental health issues. Sadly, children had been conditioned to believe that the achievement of their dreams, on the other side, absolute determination, and back-breaking hustle.
In the Black community, talking to a therapist was only for “crazy” people and white folks. Therapy is for everyone! Here at Comfort Counseling Center, we believe in shifting the narrative around Black mental health. Even in the Christian community. However, to neglect your mental health is the same as risking the development of long-term issues down the line. Therefore, it is vital to utilize counseling and therapy when you need them.
There is no need to feel ashamed or abashed about seeking help. Everyone knows someone that has experienced mental health problems and turned to counseling at some point in their lives. Counseling helps allow you to introspect deeper, which is essential for a leader. Introspection will enable you to recognize and work through problems and obstacles your team may face.
As Black Christian Entrepreneurs, you won't always have it all together, and It's ok. Seeking help from a licensed mental health professional is a sign of strength. At Comfort Counseling Center, our passion is helping Black Christian Professionals and Entrepreneurs by providing them with professional mental health counseling services. Our services are geared towards adults 21 and older.
Comfort Counseling Center in Houston TX, Boston MA, and Fort Lauderdale FL, is a private practice and is 100% online. We provide therapy services throughout Massachusetts and Texas. Contact us to schedule a 30-minute consultation.
You deserve the professional counseling you are looking for! Become a healthy version of yourself, a Black Christian entrepreneur, not just for the business — but for your legacy.
As always, we’d like to be clear that this blog post isn’t intended as professional counseling or clinical advice. If you’re in need of support, please consider speaking to a professional to be evaluated.
If suicidal thoughts are present, call 911 immediately or have someone take you to the nearest emergency room if you are worried about yourself or a loved one taking their own life.