You know how important it is to make the workplace mentally healthy for employees. But have you considered how important YOUR mental health is? Not only for yourself, but for your business.

According to Patrice O’Brien (head of workplace engagement at beyondblue), about 60% of small business owners are sole operators which means a lot of people are working on their own. Working in a microbusiness with only a few staff may bring feelings of isolation.

Small business owners may also find it difficult to have a healthy work/life balance because so much of their time is spent working in their business that it’s very difficult to take time away from business.

That’s also a challenge of family-run businesses. Venting about a bad day at work doesn’t have the same effect if that family member is also part of the business.

A small business with only a few staff members can often create the feeling of being a family. There is a real closeness and bond but this can be a real issue if the business has to reduce staff numbers or a staff member is not performing to expectations.

The coping strategy of some business owners is to become even more involved in their work, and this definitely doesn’t help the situation. The best thing to do is to seek help.

Although it’s also a great idea to seek the professional assistance of a coach, talking with other business owners in your industry network may be a good strategy. Your industry colleagues may be going through a similar situation and can listen as well as provide helpful feedback.

Poor mental health is an illness, but you don’t need to have poor mental health to feel the negative effects of stress, isolation and burnout.

Managing resilience, according to Stuart Taylor of The Resilience Institute in Australia, has a spiritual element which he believes can help to cope with stress.

From personal experience with cancer, Taylor has three key points about resilience:

• be clear about your purpose
• know your sources of stress
• invest in yourself as a top priority.

Resilience is important for business owners and Taylor believes that we can be born with – and develop – resilience. He considers daily meditation is a good way to develop resilience.

As we come closer to Christmas, perhaps now is a good time to think about how you will prioritise your health … and impact your wealth.

For more resources about stress in the workplace, check out our resources on our website.

Adapted from “Why your health affects your wealth” by Sasha Karen & Adam Zuchetti in www.mybusiness.com.au