The growing mental health crisis facing entrepreneurs – and what to do about it

“I always had the itch to create something of my own. I really wanted to test myself as an entrepreneur. What I didn’t realise is how much this would also test my resilience.” It’s a story I hear time and time again. And, as an entrepreneur myself, it’s a story that I have lived first hand.  The dream of entrepreneurship is powerful. It promises freedom, especially in terms of being able to shape your own path, choose how you spend your time, and build something that reflects your ideas and ambitions. But that freedom comes with a trade-off that is often underplayed – uncertainty.

The moment you leave behind the predictability of a monthly pay cheque, you step into a world where outcomes are no longer guaranteed. Revenue fluctuates. Opportunities take longer than expected. Invoices don’t get paid on time and plans rarely unfold as neatly as you’d hoped. And all the while, life continues around you with bills to pay, responsibilities to carry, people depending on you. It’s in this tension between freedom and uncertainty that many entrepreneurs begin to feel the strain.

Over the past few years, I’ve spoken with countless founders and business owners who, on the surface, appear to be doing well. But underneath, many describe a growing sense of pressure. Not a single bad week, but something more constant – a weight that builds over time and is hard to switch off. A weight that gradually impacts their mental health.  This strain on our mental health as entrepreneurs isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s a natural response to the environment we are operating in. Today, we are living through rapid technological change, where developments like AI are reshaping industries at pace. At the same time, geopolitical tension and economic uncertainty create a constant backdrop of instability.

Where entrepreneurship once felt like navigating fast-moving rapids, many now describe something different. It feels like being caught in the eye of a storm, with no clear sense of when it will pass. So what do you do when the pressure starts to build? How do you continue to lead, create and grow without letting it take a toll on your mental health? There are three things that make a real difference.

1. Anchor back to your purpose
When things become overwhelming, it’s easy to lose sight of why you started your venture. The demands of running a business can crowd out the bigger picture, leaving you reactive rather than intentional. This is where anchoring back to your purpose becomes critical. For me, becoming an entrepreneur wasn’t just about independence. It was about bringing ideas to life and making a meaningful difference – helping people to lead, live and perform better. It was also about creating a different kind of life for my family, with greater freedom and choice. This clarity matters, because when you reconnect with your purpose, the challenges you face begin to take on a different meaning. They don’t disappear, but they become part of something bigger. A simple way to do this is to ask yourself:

• Why did I start this?
• What impact do I want to have?
• What kind of life am I trying to create?

These aren’t one-off questions. They are anchors you can return to when you feel yourself drifting.

2. Focus on what you can control
One of the biggest drains on an entrepreneur’s mental energy is focusing on things outside their control. The news cycle is a good example. It is constant, often negative, and filled with information you can do very little about. Yet it can quietly increase anxiety and pull your attention away from what matters. I’ve learned to be more deliberate in how I engage with what sits outside my control. Although I’m deeply curious, I switch off the noise when it starts to consume more energy than it adds. And with this, I intentionally focus on what I can control, especially how I spend my time, the decisions I make and the relationships I build. This requires discipline, which saying no more often, and recognising that not everything deserves your attention. When you narrow your focus in this way, something shifts. The sense of overwhelm reduces, not because the world has changed, but because you are no longer trying to carry more than you need to.

3. Strengthen your resilience
Resilience is often talked about, but rarely defined in a useful way. At its core, it is your ability to stay focused, strong and purposeful in the face of challenge. Put in this way, resilience is not something you achieve, it is a daily practice of self-care and self-talk. Self-care isn’t optional. If you are consistently low on energy, suffering with poor sleep, and high stress, your ability to think clearly and lead effectively is compromised. The basics matter: sleep, movement, and creating space to step away from the business, even briefly. Self-talk is about the internal narrative you carry. Entrepreneurs are often their own harshest critics. When things don’t go to plan, the internal dialogue can quickly become negative: “I should be doing better,” “I’m falling behind,” “I’m not good enough.” Left unchecked, this amplifies stress and erodes confidence. The key is not to eliminate these thoughts, but to challenge them. Replace self-criticism with more constructive questions:

• What can I learn from this?
• What’s the next best step?

Over time, this shift changes how you experience the ups and downs of entrepreneurship.

A final thought
Choosing the entrepreneurial path means choosing a different kind of challenge. There will be moments of doubt and periods of uncertainty. The pressures are real. But it is not a given that they must erode your mental health. By anchoring back to your purpose, focusing on what you can control, and strengthening your resilience, you create a different relationship with those pressures. Entrepreneurship will always come with uncertainty. But it can also be one of the most rewarding and meaningful paths you take – not just in what you build, but in who you become along the way.