Creative people never run out of ideas, but not all their ideas come to reality. Sometimes, these creative ideas inspire them to start a new business venture. It may sound easy for those who have been in the business for long, but not for startups.
But whether you’re old in the business or a newbie, experiencing depression and anxiety is a common thing. It’s part of every entrepreneur’s journey in running a business.
Whether it’s having too crowded ideas or the lack thereof, both can make you worry, lose confidence in yourself, panic, and take the wrong path.
Thinking Too Little
Most people who are starting a business do it like they’re trying to keep their new year’s resolution. They are very enthusiastic at first, succeeding in the first one or two weeks, but after that, the passion slowly dies down. They start to lose confidence in what they’re doing, probably because they are not achieving the results they hope to accomplish. What follows that is they worry that they may fail.
The moment you lack confidence, self-doubt will eat you up. All your great ideas will be thrown out the garbage. Your self-doubt will make you think small, limit the success of your business, thinking that would be better than worrying about bigger problems when you set your goals high.
You don’t realize whether big or small; you worry just the same. You feel depressed for generating little sales, fearing you might not be able to cover your expenses.
“Research shows that negative thinking is the linchpin responsible for setting off low self-esteem,” says Deborah Serani, PhD. She also added that “depression corrodes judgment and thinking styles.”
Because of that, like many new year’s resolutions, most startups just fail because they give up.
Thinking Too Much
Startup business is igniting with passion, filled with so many ideas, leaving no room to consider reality. Overthinking could stir up anxious and depressed feeling, looking too way ahead in the future until your brain crammed with thoughts that stir fears that are not happening yet. The moment your mind overreacts with the chaos brought by too much thinking, there’s the tendency for you to panic, not think clearly, and make the wrong move.
Failing at things you are most passionate with could lead to depression.
According to Edwards Watkins, PhD, The repeated dwelling or brooding is called depressive rumination, and how often it occurs differs between individuals. “Rumination includes dwelling on a problem over and over again without getting anywhere, getting stuck thinking over why you feel depressed, repeatedly reviewing your failings and mistakes, and constantly judging and evaluating yourself.”
Goal Setting
Even success can make you think too little and think too much depending on the goal you set. If your purpose of putting up your company is to provide you with a steady income, achieving your desire digits is already success to you. You tend to be content with it and not aim for more. Not wanting to expand your business, like branching out, just living comfortably with your income is depriving yourself and your business to grow. This can jeopardize your competitiveness in the market.
If you think too much, reaching your goal doesn’t satisfy you. You want more, exploring bigger options, sometimes entertaining, unrealistic ideas. Success and discontentment can make you think irrationally to the point of making wrong decisions.
Confidence Can Make You Think Clearly
The minute you decided to start a business, you should have your confidence ready. Lack of it or too much of it would hold back your business from growing. No matter how certain situation makes you worry, be sure always to be ready to achieve the goals you set that is aligned to your tolerance so that it will not drive you nuts.
Thinking of expanding your business is not a bad idea. Don’t put a limit to how far you can go, as long as you take not too big steps at a time. Thinking too little can pose a danger to your company, and failure, if not handled well, could affect your mental health.
Depression can happen at any point when running your business, and when it does, seek help and support. BetterHelp, for instance, offers online counseling, which is ideal for busy folks like yourself. Their licensed psychologists are easy to reach on various social media channels.
“When you are confident in your abilities you are happier due to your successes. When you are feeling better about your capabilities, the more energized and motivated you are to take action and achieve your goals,” says Courtney Ackerman, MSc.
Don’t be afraid to continue to take your business to the next level. Failure will greet you along the way, and there’s not much you can do about it. Every successful entrepreneur I know has an encounter with failure. Just let it and get past it.
