Being an entrepreneur is great on a lot of levels. From the outside, I always envied the people that owned their own business. Sure, they seemed to have a lot of stress, but the successful entrepreneurs that I knew seemed to thrive on making decisions and living by how well their business provided a product or service to customers.
Now that I have my own business I do think that being an entrepreneur is great. It’s all I ever wanted to do and I’m very happy with how things have gone.
Entrepreneur Depression
But I do notice that for some entrepreneurs that it’s not all roses and candy. I definitely have a few times when I’m frustrated with the ways things are going. You get that in all aspects of life and with every job (I would assume). It’s for sure something that happens to entrepreneurs. The stress levels can get high and there can be really high highs, but also some low lows.
One of my favorite blogs that I try to read whenever there is a new post is PsyBlog.
The founder of the blog scours the psychology journals looking for interesting cases and studies. He puts them together to create very interesting and very useful posts.
One of his recent posts was on depression – Depression Alleviated By Feeling Connected To A Group.
The key in the finding was not just that it’s important to be in a group, but to feel part of that group or identifying with that group. The author said it was partially about referring to whatever group you join as “us” or “we” instead of referring to the group as “they”.
Here are a few ideas for local groups you can join.
Sports League
I love to play golf. If you’ve read a few of the posts here on the blog in the past you probably noticed that. So for me a great sports league to join is a golf league. I joined one a couple years ago. I didn’t know anyone in the league and was paired up with a team. The experience was great and I always looked forward to it every week during the summer.
I had to leave the league the next two years due to moving, but will be back again next summer probably with an entirely new team. It’s a chance to meet new people both on the team and in the league.
You can join any league for any sport. Most communities have them and even if you’re a little rusty you can usually find a group that will help you get back up to speed.
These leagues are mostly about the camaraderie anyway instead of the sport.
Games League
There are games leagues around most communities too. They’re similar to sports leagues – things like darts, bean bag toss and lots of other fun activities.
Professionals Group
In my community it’s called the Young Professionals and also the Chamber of Commerce. But there are lots of other groups with different niches. Most allow you to come to a meeting or two to see what it’s like and if you get a good feeling you can join and start getting involved and being part of something.
Fitness Class
I have friends that do this. Some people I would have never thought would like fitness have joined things like CrossFit and Hot Yoga. There are all kinds of things. There is something about a hard workout that brings people together. Plus you get in great shape while being part of a group.
Band
This could probably go in the last catch-all category here, but I know a few people that are in bands or music groups that get together and play. I think it’s cool and there always seems to be a real feeling of belonging when you are in a band or even if you get together with a couple people or even just one person to play tunes and kick around a bit.
Lots Of Other Options
There are countless things you can join in your community. I have a few friends that I’m going to get together this fall for hunting season. You could have people that you walk with or bike with each week. Maybe it’s crafts. Maybe it’s even a local group that competes in trivia groups.
My now-wife and I went to a dance class put on by a local group. I can’t remember their name, but it was fun and I could see why people would want to join and be part of something.
I think you could even start something of your own. That’s probably if you know what you want, which is great. But if you don’t have an idea of what you would like then try a few things. You don’t have to love the first thing or even the first few things. You only need to find one thing that trips your trigger and you’ll be likely to enjoy that group, which will lead to that feeling of belonging.
Introverts
And if you’re an introvert like me then you’ve probably come up with excuses on why you can’t join any of these groups.
Well, I’ve struggled with that too in the past, but found a way around it. Read this post.
Conclusion
Being part of a group is a great way to feel good no matter what you’re doing. But if you’re an entrepreneur and you’re feeling isolated due to the nature of your work then joining a group could be crucial to avoiding depression and even sadness on a less severe level. Hopefully the ideas above can spark an idea or two for something you can do to get out and be part of a group.
It can lead to better feelings for you, which means you’ll be happier and your business will probably be better off as a result. And that usually makes any business owner happy.
And remember, it’s not enough to just join a group. You need to become part of it to really see the benefits.