Dear FFTC,

I’m an entrepreneur, and I love the freedom to set my own schedule, pursue my passion and see direct results of my work. Over the years, I have faced challenges with maintaining work-life balance and managing mental health. Could you recommend any resources available in the Charlotte area that can help manage stress and teach me how to integrate wellness into my business?

– Entrepreneur

Dear Entrepreneur,

According to Forbes, nearly half of all U.S. employees are employed by small, growing businesses. Despite the encouraging growth, there is an underlying trend of stress and mental health issues affecting entrepreneurs. The effort to maintain work-life balance often falls short and the statistics are troubling.

In response to underlying stress and mental health issues affecting entrepreneurs, the CLT Alliance Foundation launched “Catch Your Breath” – a holistic health and wellness program tailored specifically for entrepreneurs to help manage stress and incorporate wellness into the very heart of your business.

Erayna Sargent, founder and CEO of Hooky Wellness – partner of The Catch Your Breath program – recently shared with us a few tips on health and wellness practices for entrepreneurs:

Erayna Sargent, founder and CEO of Hooky Wellness

• Realize That You Need to Focus on Your Health and Wellness
  Your mental wellness and well-being are the foundation of your business – where it is today and where it can go tomorrow. When you’re only focused on producing the task of the everyday and how quickly you can lose sight of what you need to show up to take your business forward and to lead the teams that you have spent so much time building.
• Start Paying Close Attention: Monitor Your Signs of Elevated Stress
  Understanding your personal warning signs is integral to the framework at Hooky Wellness and is the first phase of their development process because in this world of hustle, individuals need to learn how to pace. Once you start to navigate your warning signs, you can be in close understanding with how you feel and when things are going awry allows you to get ahead of it.
• Research Health and Wellness Resources for Support Before You Need Them
  A lot of people will wait until they have no other choice but to get support. But if you have that bench of support ready, you can give them a call when things flare up so they can help keep you moving along your way. Remember, this is not an individual journey – we are not meant to do this by ourselves! Even if you are a solo entrepreneur, find your support system. Whether they are directly supporting your business or not, they’re a support network that can remind you of all that you are achieving on an everyday basis.

For more information about the CLT Alliance Foundation’s ‘Catch Your Breath’ program in partnership with Hooky Wellness, visit: https://www.catchyourbreath.co/