Today’s contribution to Mandalas for Marinke comes to us from Helene Janse van Rensburg in South Africa, who reminds us, “
“Don’t suffer in silence – tell someone!”
Helene, who goes by jysoulikmamma_brilliantmommy on Instagram and Facebook was one of our featured Instagrammers this year. She shares on her website:
“My love for handmade creations began like many others’: underneath the table where my mom and my granny did their sewing. I watched them measure and fit, sew some more, measure and fit, and sew some more. It got to a point where I started sewing myself. At first it was with one of those Singer Hand Crank machines. My dolls were the best dressed dolls ever. When my mother wasn’t using her machine, I was. Then, at the age of 16 my grandmother bought me my first proper sewing machine. Boy, was I proud. I made my own Farewell Dress!
But this is not crochet I hear you say (and it rhymes!). During all that, in my 15th year on this earth, I randomly asked my mom for a DIY crochet book. She bought me one of the legendary Jan Eaton’s books. I got stuck in right away. Crochet and I were like peanuts for chocolate. Like cheese for wine. Like vinegar for chips (or fries – whichever tickles your fancy). And we still are. I cannot imagine my life without it.”
For the depression awareness portion of today’s post, I wanted to share a study that was done recently about the link between entrepreneurship and mental health issues. The study found that approximately 17% more entrepreneurs report mental health issues (as compared with the average American population). Nearly fifty percent of entrepreneurs studied had some kind of significant mental health issue including depression.
The many media outlets that reported on the study drew on the popular theory that “genius = madness”. The truth is that we don’t really know the link between the two things here.
“Psychologists agree that creative individuals are more genetically predisposed to mental illness, and it’s clear that creative people often go on to become entrepreneurs. “People who are on the energetic, motivated, and creative side are both more likely to be entrepreneurial and more likely to have strong emotional states.”
As a solopreneur myself, I know that depression has hindered my work in many ways but it’s also the reason that I have worked so hard to succeed in designing a work life where I can set things up to be most beneficial for my own personal health and wellness (working from home, for myself, with space in my schedule for naps, etc.)
Here are some additional related articles on the topic:
- There’s a Hidden Dark Side to Being An Entrepreneur (Forbes)
- Why Entrepreneurs Can’t Afford to Neglect Their Mental Health (The Week)
- The stories of entrepreneurs Cory Miller and Austin Heinz
- Mental Health and Today’s Entrepreneur
- The Psychological Price of Entrepreneurship (Inc.com)
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