Running a business brings plenty of pressure and it isn’t always talked about. Fear of failure, quiet periods and day-to-day problems can all take their toll, and for some people, that stress turns into anxiety that’s hard to manage.
Watch the video below, in which Chris Newton speaks honestly about his own experience of anxiety, what helped him and why recognising it and dealing with it matters.
Chris’s Story: Running a Business with Anxiety Transcript
So as many of you will know, running a business is extremely stressful, or can be extremely stressful. And I thought it might be useful to talk a little bit about anxiety. This is something that I suffered with for many years and at times became quite debilitating.
And you may ask the question, well what on earth was I thinking setting up a business? Things that used to stress me out and make me anxious. A fear of failure was a big one. The phone’s not ringing. Minor business problems used to stress me out, fairly significant business problems used to stress me out.
And I reached a stage where I thought, I can’t go on like this, I need to do something about it. So what did I do to deal with it? Counselling was brilliant. I had that a couple of times in my life and can’t explain how it works, but it’s really good.
And it’s important though to find the right counsellor that suits you. The other thing that I did was talk to friends. And I remember speaking to one of my oldest friends and the rather blunt advice that he gave me was, well Chris, if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
At the time I thought that was a bit harsh, not sure that’s what I needed. But it was actually the right advice, be brave enough to change your life if need be. So all I would say is recognise anxiety if you’re suffering with it, deal with it and don’t let it get on top.
Get in Touch with Newtons Solicitors
At Newtons, we believe that looking after your wellbeing is just as important as looking after your business. If anything in this video resonates with you, please don’t struggle alone. Speak to someone you trust, your GP, or an organisation such as Mind, Samaritans or, for those in the legal profession, LawCare.
Additionally, watch more from Chris, including his career story and the milestones behind Newtons’ growth.