How does startup life impact your mental health?

Question

I can definitely go from a Monday high to a Friday low, even if nothing objectively changes. It feels different to my previous jobs because the number of things I could pick up are almost unending, and the work is definitely closer to my identity.

What about you? Are there specific tactics you use to deal with this?

Stas Voronov · Accepted Answer

True story :)

What I do:
- Using Pomodoro technique and 10min meditations to refresh the brain during the day
- Trying to completely forget about work during weekends and fully switch context
- Made 5 top goals for a week on Monday. This allows you not to worry about prioritization. Even if it's a mistake, it costs only one week
- Setup work slots every morning, and align them with top goals. I have only 8 slots, 50 mins each. 
- At the end of a work day I write - 3 things you did great, and 1 thing to improve.

Hope this can help you

Rich Manalang · Answer

I'm definitely in a funk if I don't get any exercise. For me that means going for a mtn bike ride early in the morning for 1.5-2hrs in my local hills. Riding in nature clears my head and prepares me for the day. The endorphins gained from a ride is enough to get me through the toughest day. Another thing I've recently started using more is MacOS/iPhone's focus modes. I set it up to silence the constant noise and distractions of the day.

When all else fails, I just disconnect and take a break. I can't be productive if I'm not in the right mental state.

Zach C · Answer

The most helpful things I've done, in order of helpfulness:
1. Weight training (a miracle drug)
2. Install 'Nuff Tabs and limit my browser to 3
3. Go easy on the coffee

Franziska Kroll · Answer

I think the closer what we do in our working life is to our identity or hard, the easier it is to have a work life and private life blend into each other. For me, this is definitely something I have to work on balancing out better. I have to remind myself to also:

- take time for myself
- reflect and see what I have learned or what worked out well instead of already thinking about the next to do
- eat healthy meals
- have something fun to do with friends
- talk to my co-workers regularly for decompression periods :)

Ali Naqi Shaheen · Answer

Many startup people lose their ability to think logically and objectively. They become so focused on their product/business and how it will solve the world’s problems (even though they don’t have competitors) that they start believing that the world revolves around their startup and their company. It takes time to realize that, and even then, it can be difficult for them to change their minds. They become so used to thinking about their product that they start talking about it in most of their conversations with other people, to the point where it gets annoying to everyone.

Stas Voronov · Answer

@helene_san Welcome :)

Sarah Jordi · Answer

Honestly, I have worked in and with startups for 10+ years and as much as I love it: It can get so bad for mental health incredibly fast. The glorification of the startup hustle really makes it even worse.

In most startups I worked with, we fell into the typical pattern of the classic toxic silicon valley charade of:

- We're all one family 🤪
- Work hard play hard 🤡
- The harder the hustle, the bigger the win 🥸 
- wOrKiNg dAy aNd NiGhT iS pArT oF tHe gAmE 😝
- Generally, all of the war analogies in startup life, such as "hunting down users", "conquering markets", "war room", "defeat enemies"

It's crazy how easily we are fooled by these "values" and startup life mottos. And ultimately, after a first year or so of fun, it always leads to burn out, loss of motivation and drive or even depression. The glorification of the "startup hustle" is INSANE and in the longterm it never helps the business, but usually hurts it.

So, anyways. Rant over. :) Tactics I now use to deal with this: 
- Practicing empathy within the team
- Creating room for honest and open discussions on how everyone feels in the team 
- leading by example, by openly talking about my own struggles 
- challenging these toxic startups mottos when someone brings them up
- IF we work more hours than normal: Make sure it's on everyone's own terms (= not forcing people to work all these hours at set times and locations)
- Consciously taking time off when work allows it 
- Differentiating between things that actually need to get done (business critical) and things that can wait. Usually, most things can wait
- sport, sport, sport

amogh · Answer

@stas_voronov It's interesting that you focus more on the great vs. what to improve each day. I'm gradually coming to realise that no one really pats us on the back in this journey and we kind of need to do that for ourselves.

Vivek Raghunathan · Answer

(founder of Neeva)
* Embrace the uncertainty. 
* Embrace the lows. Assume you will get punched in the nose a few times every day, and experience delight at the days when you don't
* Periodically talk to folks at bigger companies and realize the incredible learning you are having. 
* Accept that you are not your feelings.

Hélène SAN · Answer

@stas_voronov wise and helpful advices, thanks for sharing :)

Praveen Anasurya · Answer

@sarahxjo  At Unaakiway, we are developing a virtual pet to gamify self-care. Please have a look at Unaakiway in upcoming projects.

Praveen Anasurya · Answer

At Unaakiway, we are developing a virtual pet to gamify self-care. Please have a look at Unaakiway in upcoming projects.

Tyler Termini · Answer

I think one of the most pervasive and sinister byproducts of working in a "startup capacity" (whatever the type of organization may be) is the de-prioritization of the simple, mundane moments within your personal relationships. I work at a very small startup for my day job (as a PM), I moonlight as the co-founder of another one, and still I spent the last week cramming to build a portfolio site from scratch for my UX work so I could take on part-time contract work for a non-profit I love. All of these projects I’d consider “value-aligned” (I am very lucky and privileged to be able to work on things I deem are important), and yet—it all comes at the expense of spending quality time with my girlfriend, and has almost certainly gotten in the way of me making friends where I currently live. One of the most important aspects of quality human life is being bored, and unfortunately we have mostly eradicated the possibility of being bored on any sort of regular basis unless we force it. Nir Eyal discusses the notion of “traction” as a skill to stave off “distraction”, because for the first time in human history our biggest problem is not finding out how to fill our time and how to gain enough knowledge, but rather how to empty our schedules and ignore irrelevant knowledge. When you are bored, you daydream wonderful new ideas, and often these ideas are aligned with your values (and others’ values, too). And if you’re not in the particular mood to sit on your hands or meditate (an indispensable skill for improving mental health), you’ll think of things to do with friends, or conversations to spark up with them if you’re away from them. I know this isn’t your typical response for “quick hacks” to better your mental health, because in a way they are somewhat antithetical to typical startup lifestyle. But that’s actually the idea—something’s gotta give. Time is our most valuable asset, so finding out how to own it again is one of the core first-principle ways for improving your mental health. Yes, startups are sacrifice—that’s part of the idea, and I’m definitely glad on some level to join others who are sacrificing normal comforts to build something truly great. I definitely value a lifestyle of “purpose” over a lifestyle of pleasure of comfort. But, when that “purpose” starts to erode your personal relationships and vampires so much of your time that you can’t periodically see the forest from the trees, you should tread with caution—because if you can’t find purpose, meaning, and value in life’s small moments, how can we expect you to create it in a bigger and far more complex project? Also, here’s an essay on the value of “idleness” and why it’s essential for creative thinking: https://www.laphamsquarterly.org...

Rich Watson · Answer

worry of competition
stress of milestones not meeting deadlines

these can take a toll...

Stas Voronov · Answer

@amoghito Yeah, motivation is a big thing here. I constantly try to convince myself that the process is more important than the result :) Plus every day I get new soft skills that I can apply in any job.
For motivation, I would try to set goals for a month, a week, a quarter, a year, 3 years. It can be very inaccurate at first, but over time it will be more accurate and accurate.

How does startup life impact your mental health?

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