3 things I do to take care of my mental health as a CEO
I wouldn’t call myself a prodigy because it would be too ambitious, and I would prefer someone else to call me that. But as far as I remember, I was always looking out to try new things in life: running a youtube channel (please don’t look it up, it was embarrassing), designing interfaces, or doing other part-time jobs like you always do as a teenager. I always had this nudge inside me that was and is pushing me towards doing things.
I still remember my first day at the university. I walked in there, listened to the first lesson, and thought to myself: “Wow, this is a pretty useless way to spend my time.” I went out and created Merge Development, which is now a studio with almost 40 employees.
Do I regret not going to the university? Well, it’s both “Yes” and “No.” I’m pretty envious of my peers because they spend their time having fun between lessons and exams while I’m sitting here having my fifth Zoom call, and it’s only lunchtime. But on the other hand, I can travel, experience new places and live my life doing what I like the best: setting goals and achieving them.
And yeah, I don’t encourage you not to go to college or university. You should probably do that. But once you feel that it’s not the place where you belong, don’t be afraid to leave and start doing things you think are right. No one knows better than you.
So, how it’s like running a business when you’re 20? I have a post about how I started the company here. What I didn’t mention, though, is how it impacts me mentally and how I’m trying to keep balance while still being a teenager who wants to go to parties and CEO who has responsibilities before employees and clients.
Spoiler: it’s challenging but manageable.
First things first, why am I doing this? Why not stick to the comfortable life at the university and spend my time partying? It’s a tricky question to answer, but I guess for me, it was always about setting the goal and then reaching it. It always gave me satisfaction and a lot of dopamine. Is it okay? Honestly, I don’t know, but it has worked out for me so far, and I don’t feel like stopping anytime soon.
The next goal is to express myself as an artist or in any other creative way. I think of myself as a designer, and while I don’t do designs anymore, I enable other people to create great products for our clients.
The other important thing to mention is money. A lot of young entrepreneurs think about the business only as a quick way to get rich. I never thought about money while running the company. Of course, I’m keeping track of our finances since we have employees to pay salaries and various programs to keep them happy and healthy. But I never thought about money in terms of my wealth. In the end, wealth only gives you the ability to buy shiny things, which don’t make you happy, so why bother?
You will never run a successful company if the only thing you think about is money. Because you’ll end your business at first cash deficiency
So, what helps me keep the balance and my head from overheating? Once again, I write about things that have worked out for me so far. I’m not a guru or an influencer, and you should read this post with a grain of salt. We’re all unique, and what is helping me might do nothing to other people.
The only thing I know for sure is that you need to take care of yourself and don’t brush away your problems just because you think they don’t impact your life that much.
Meditation
Today everyone is obsessed with meditation. There are hundreds of apps dedicated to that, many Youtube videos, and countless courses. Yeah, there are a lot of ways to start practicing meditation today.
For me, it has been helpful to clear my mind once a day. Meditation is very conducive to better sleep and overall well-being. I would recommend trying it if you’re struggling from the constant flow of thoughts that doesn’t stop even if you’re exhausted.
Sports or whatever that requires you to move
For most people, it’s a no-brainer that our body and especially mind requires some physical activity at least every couple of days. But the younger you are, the higher chance that you would neglect it. The body functions as intended, so why bother?
But as my workload as a CEO increased, I started to think of sports as a mechanism to drive my thoughts away from the neverending circle of tasks and responsibilities.
A couple of months ago, I started visiting a pool nearby. Swimming helps me to ease my mental workload and makes me feel better. On par with meditation, it’s helping me a lot during workdays.
On top of that, I practice yoga, which goes very well with meditation. Yoga helps me to stay fit, but most importantly, it’s great for my mental state. Even if you didn’t consider yoga and had misconceptions about it like “it’s a religion,” or “you need to be flexible,” or “it’s slow,” trust me — it’s not about it at all. I recommend at least trying it.
No-Internet Days
Take a look at your phone. How many hours do you spend messaging other people and wasting your time on social media? I would guess “a lot.” but even if it’s not the case for you, then there is a big chance you spent that time working in front of a PC or laptop. My point is: our lives revolve around the Internet.
But other than time, the Internet and interactions within it draw your energy. Social media apps and networks only harm your mental health.
That’s why sometimes I take a day off not only from work but from the Internet in general. This summer, I went up in the mountains to make sure that not only I wouldn’t be connected to the Internet, but also there would be no people around me.
But take a look at the photos I took there!
Taking time only to yourself without distracting push notifications is a must-do for everyone. We spend too much time thinking about stuff that doesn’t matter instead of looking into the deepest corners of our souls.
Final thoughts
Taking care of your mental health is fine not only if you feel bad or depressed, but even if you think it’s not needed yet. There’s this proverb that says “one apple a day keeps the doctor away” (it’s not true, by the way, but apples at least won’t cause you any harm). I would transform it into “one meditation a day keeps your mind okay” or something like that.
Preventing the disease is easier and cheaper than curing it. Stay healthy!
