SMEs name money management as top reason behind poor mental health.

COULD MINDFULNESS HELP? SMES NAME MONEY MANAGEMENT AS A TOP REASON BEHIND POOR MENTAL HEALTH.

In light of Mental Health Awareness Week [2] 2018, which is focusing on stress, online printer instantprint has collected insider tips SMEs can implement to tackle money management issues and improve their mental health.

In a recent survey [3], instantprint discovered that 50% of business owners are more stressed now than they were in previous jobs, and 57% of female SMEs admit that they are mostly worried about their finances.

This survey also revealed that business owners are so stressed that they are only sleeping around 3-4 hours a night. instantprint interviewed a selection of business owners and discovered that many of their financial mistakes were made due to a lack of education when it came to money management. Are SMEs avoiding managing their finances? Is there a way we can make this less stressful for business owners?

To help SME owners reduce their stress levels and help improve their money management skills, instantprint has interviewed a selection of finance experts to create 10 simple tips.

Furthermore, instantprint interviewed Consultant in Behaviour Change & Mindful Business at Prime Decision, Natalie Horne. Natalie provided instantprint with three simple mindful exercises [4] business owners can carry out during their working day, especially when managing finances, to remain calm.

Could mindfulness be the answer to avoiding financial blunders from stressed out business owners?

Natalie Horne discusses one of her simple morning routines to stay mindful;

‘‘IN THE MORNING, BEFORE YOU CHECK YOUR EMAIL OR DO ANYTHING, STOP AND ASK: WHAT MATTERS MOST TODAY?

CHOOSE A SINGLE ACHIEVABLE ACTION. IT CAN BE SMALL, BUT SOMETHING YOU ARE DETERMINED TO ACCOMPLISH NO MATTER WHAT ELSE HAPPENS THAT DAY.’’_

VIEW MORE OF WHAT NATALIE HAS TO SAY here. [4]

JAMES KINSELLA, CO-FOUNDER OF INSTANTPRINT, DISCUSSES HOW HE DEALS WITH CHALLENGING SITUATIONS WHILE RUNNING A BUSINESS:

“I firmly believe in the saying a problem shared is a problem halved.

Discussing challenges and having someone to bounce ideas off helps you think differently and realise you’re not on your own. I am lucky as I founded instantprint with my best friend but whether you speak to a colleague, partner or family member it is key to share and discuss challenges. In my experience not only does it make you feel better but nine times out of ten you come up with a solution you might not have considered before.”

Mental Health Awareness Week is hosted by the Mental Health Foundation and will run from the 14th to the 20th May 2018. This year the Mental Health Foundation are focusing on stress. Research has discovered that two-thirds of us experience mental health problems and stress is a big part of this.

You can view more around Mental Health Awareness Week here. [2]