Transcribed by https://otter.ai and lightly edited.
Jenna Solomon 0:00
Before we begin, I just want to flag that this episode includes an interview that makes reference to anxiety and depression. Hello and welcome to Ease in Mzansi. I’m Jenna Solomon, and this is the podcast where we spotlight mental health support groups that can help us cope with the all too personal impact of South Africa’s big socio-economic issues.
0:33
More and more we’re hearing from government, the private sector and universities that entrepreneurship is the much needed future for the flailing South African economy, but the business sector is not an easy one. It’s well known that 90% of startups don’t survive more than a decade. Just this year alone, already over 600 businesses have closed their doors in our country. That’s actually a small decrease from last year’s statistics, but it goes to show how high the stakes are for business people. This kind of pressure can take its toll on the entrepreneur’s mental health. In this clip from Ease in Mzansi entrepreneur Erin-Leigh tells us how she’s created a support system to help her navigate what can be a difficult and lonely journey.
Erin-Leigh 1:16
Some of my struggles have been in how I took the business as a reflection of who I am. I felt everything, every rejection, every acceptance, every high point, every low point, every excitement, every knot, I felt, everything as a reflection of me as a person. And that has been one of the hardest points for me to overcome and separating that what happens in business is not who I am as an identity. Those around you who love and care for you don’t always get your journey, and that is very much my case. I have family that don’t understand my journey. They don’t understand why I would stick with something that brings me struggles and hardships. But they also don’t see the highs. But sometimes the highs seem a little bit less frequent. But what I’ve learned to realize is that they support me in other ways.
Where do I go? How do I solve this?
2:11
How do I accomplish that? And just that sense of isolation and feeling alone. tThese are some of the very common things that I’ve experienced that’s led to some other challenges, like anxiety, some depression, as well as procrastination. So I did the training, and I realized I have to have a support group at some point. And I realized, what is it that is in my everyday life? What do I struggle with every day of my life Aand what do I not only want to help others with, but actually lean in on others to help me? And that was how the entrepreneur support group was born. The best part is actually not what you’d expect. The best part is it has shown me I’m more consistent than I thought I was. It is sharing with like-minded people. It is whether we are just me and another person or a group of us. It is being able to laugh about the failures, being able to overcome the struggles, and knowing that the people that are online with you at that point absolutely get it.
Jenna Solomon 3:19
If you’d like to join the kind of support group Erin-Leigh’s created, please have a look at the show notes, where you can access the list of support groups available. There are also some resources specifically for entrepreneurs to get support with a mental health condition. You can contact the South African Depression and Anxiety Group’s counseling hotline on 08 105, 67 567. That’s it from Ease in Mzansi. As we like to say here in South Africa, “sterkte en hou vas “, “hamba kahle “. Chat again next time.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai