(Editor’s Note: This piece is from Venture, a guide to small business and entrepreneurship published by Arkansas Business in partnership with the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center and Centennial Bank. Click here for more.)
Most individual and small group health insurance plans that companies offer their employees are now required to cover mental health and substance abuse disorder services. But while trying to provide care options for the staff, business owners can often neglect themselves. Mental health professionals in Arkansas discuss the importance of self care and assistance for executives.
Why is it important for executives and business leaders to care about and seek help for their mental health?
MARTY SKRIVANOS, Compassionate Counseling Arkansas: Stress isn’t immune to executives. And since leaders have some added responsibilities, it is potentially more important that they are taking care of their mental health in order to lead more effectively and efficiently.
BRUCE TRIMBLE, The BridgeWay: The pandemic negatively impacted the mental health of Americans. In a 2020 survey conducted by Universal Health Services, The BridgeWay’s parent company, 62% of American adults reported increased stress, anxiety, and/or depression. These additional stressors have undermined the productivity of employees.
KEN CLARK, Chenal Family Therapy: Entrepreneurs and C-Suite leadership are in a uniquely isolating position. Though they’re in a position envied by many, they often lack safe people to process the unique pressures of their role with. This can lead to increased fear and anxiety, which puts them in survival mode, limiting their ability to creatively lead and contribute to a healthy company culture.
MAGGIE YOUNG, Southwest EAP: When executives and business leaders face mental health issues, the negative impacts are very wide-ranging — affecting not only themselves, their family and friends, but also their colleagues, customers and the overall community.
What work related factors can negatively impact an executive’s mental health?
SKRIVANOS: Stress and pressure from the day to day tends to lead to an unbalanced life that then can lead to choices that are not the healthiest and most beneficial. Specifically managing people and schedules, time, deadlines and expectations are all work related factors.
YOUNG: Often subordinates can put the leader on a pedestal and even hide or ignore behaviors that are warning signs for increased substance abuse or mental illness in leaders. Also, leaders themselves often are concerned about appearing vulnerable or are too protective of their position and privacy and therefore delay recognition and treatment of symptoms.
How can executives become more aware of their own mental health symptoms?
TRIMBLE: Many employers have been trained in recognizing the signs of mental health disorders, and here are a few to watch for: changes in work habits, changes in physical appearance, changes in demeanor, increased absenteeism or tardiness, outbursts and mood swings and seeming withdrawn or avoiding interaction.
YOUNG: Becoming aware of signs including general difficulty at work, lack of focus, lack of sleep, changes in appearance, mood changes and decreases in punctuality (as well as many other factors) is a central initial step to taking steps towards improving mental health.
What is/are the risks for a company leader who ignores warning signs of a mental health condition?
TRIMBLE: As with any mental illness, suicidal or homicidal thoughts are risks associated with not taking heed of warning signs.
CLARK: The biggest thing I encounter is unhealthy coping mechanisms like substance use, anger management and poor boundary issues with those they work with.
What are barriers to treatment for executives?
SKRIVANOS: They think that since they are in charge, they don’t have time or that those issues are not relevant or that they are expected to have it all together and getting help is somehow a sign of weakness or that they are not good enough.
TRIMBLE: There are four potential barriers to treatment: financial barriers to mental health care, lack of mental health professionals, lack of mental health education and awareness and the social stigma of mental health conditions. While each circumstance is unique, I believe that stigma is the greatest barrier to people seeking mental health treatment.
What are some mental health practices execs can incorporate into their daily lives?
SKRIVANOS: Build into the schedule at least 10 minutes per day for self care. Make it a priority to slow down. Stretch, change of scenery, physical activity, journaling are all small things that can help slow down and take a respite from the stress and pressure.
CLARK: I’m a big fan of “squared breathing” and teach it to all kinds of high performers. All you need to do to enact this is pick a regular time per day and do four cycles of the following — breathe in through your nose for four seconds, hold it for four seconds, blow it out through your mouth for four seconds and hold empty for four seconds. Do that four times. It’s a game changer.
What privacy reassurances are there for executives who want to seek help for a mental health condition?
SKRIVANOS: HIPAA policies give privileged communication for everyone. This means that everything is confidential just like in their doctor’s office.
YOUNG: Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are all fully bound by rules of confidentiality and privacy to enable leaders to work through their challenges with no risk of unwanted disclosure. An effective EAP will also work to ensure that the individuals receiving treatment are able, if at all possible, to continue performing in their job roles while improving their mental health.
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