HEALTH IS WEALTH

How to Stay Mentally and Physically Strong at Work
by Raphael Sofoluke

“It is health that is the real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”
–Mahatma Gandhi¹

Money is viewed as the most valuable and precious asset to keep us alive, yet the term “health is wealth” is a saying that has been used to emphasize that the value we place on money needs to be reciprocated in the value we put on our health. Are you paying the same attention to your mental and physical health as you do to your finances? In this chapter we focus on a number of sensitive topics which may trigger a traumatic experience or event you have been through. If at any point you feel like this chapter is too heavy for you, I urge you to take a break and turn to the Resources on page 336, where you can find further advice.

Throughout my career, I’ve experienced a number of the health issues we will discuss in this chapter, and I’m still working on implementing some of the amazing advice you will read into my own personal life.

As you read on, you will realize that the health issues we discuss are very common and are nothing to be ashamed of. When thinking about our careers, we often think about the exciting parts like branding, networking, and promotion. But we tend to avoid the parts that really force us to address our lifestyle, mental state, and the things which others cannot see or monitor. When I think of how important our health is, I often relate it to the function of a smartphone. It has so many amazing tools, such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, email, photos, and many more, but if we fail to charge our phone and keep our battery at a good level, it fails to be useful. The same goes for our mental health.

Shellye Archambeau discusses the importance of taking care of your mental health and making it a priority. “In life, you have to figure out what you need first before helping others,” she says. “When you’re on a plane and they’re giving you instructions of what to do during an emergency, they tell you to put your oxygen mask on first and then you can help the person next to you.”

It’s an easy analogy—our ability to keep ourselves in optimum health should be our first priority, and doing this will only place us in a better position to help others.

According to HSE (Health and Safety Executive), “One in four people in the UK will have a mental health problem at some point and while mental health problems are common, most are mild, tend to be short term, and are normally successfully treated, with medication, by a GP [primary care physician].”² Anxiety and depression are still the most common mental health concerns and are generally related to a difficult life experience or bereavement, but these types of issues can also be caused by work-related issues.³ Prolonged work stress can often lead to physical and psychological damage, causing mental issues such as anxiety and depression. Preexisting health conditions can also be aggravated by issues that take place in the working and professional world.

Thinking back to my experience at a previous job (the one I discussed in Chapter 4 where I spoke out against the discriminatory actions of my manager), it’s only now I realize the level of toxicity I was subjected to in that environment. The job was sold to me as an incredible role, but within my first week, I noticed things were a bit off. During the interview process, I was told, “The office is a mess at the moment, as we are in the process of moving.” Little did I know this was the story they had been telling all the new hires. The office space was extremely dark, some lights were broken, and there was no flooring. This was the backdrop to a horrible office culture where I encountered aggressive, racist management who treated staff with zero respect. The dread of going into work each day manifested in constant headaches, as a direct result of the constant stress, aggression, and pressure my management would place on all of the employees and particularly on me.

Law requires that employers are obligated to help employees with mental health and measure the potential risks of work-related mental health issues within their staff. When these risks are identified, the employer must take the steps to remove it or reduce the cause as far as reasonably possible. Employers also have legal requirements to make reasonable adjustments for preexisting physical or mental health conditions under the Equalities Legislation Act.⁴ It’s important to know your rights as an employee. Clearly, the company I worked for had contributed to my headaches because of its poor environment. Had I known that taking care of staff mental health was a legal requirement, maybe I would have spoken up and raised this with my manager and HR.

Are there any potential risks at your workplace that are causing you stress? Be sure to raise it with HR as soon as possible to ensure other staff members are not affected. Many workplaces now have onsite gyms to cater to employees’ physical health needs, but there is still taboo around the discussion of employees’ mental state in the workplace.

The stigma attached to mental health disorders often leaves employees reluctant to seek treatment or speak out, mainly due to fear that they will be risking their roles in doing so. When I have felt stressed at work, I have never spoken to anyone about it apart from my wife. I always felt that if I spoke to anyone at work, it would seem like I was not capable of dealing with the everyday pressures of the job. Former professional footballer (soccer player) Marvin Sordell is all too familiar with this type of situation.

Marvin played for a number of well-known Premier League soccer clubs and represented England at national level. He and retired at the early age of 28. He is now one of the leading ambassadors for mental health within the soccer industry in the UK.

Upon retiring, Marvin was quoted in the Guardian saying, “I will be a happier man,” revealing that soccer is “a beautiful game with an ugly persona” and that his professional career as a player had detrimentally affected his mental health.⁵ Speaking with us about his journey to better mental health, Marvin says, “The highs and lows in football [soccer] happen very rapidly. They peak and trough to the extreme, within moments of each other. Now that’s fine if that’s just in the context of your career and how you’re performing. But if that’s what’s happening with your emotions, it is extremely unhealthy.”

At the height of his career, Marvin was at the deepest point of his depression. Becoming stronger and more resilient following this episode made him want to share his experience to help others deal with situations like he had experienced—before it is too late. Marvin makes a really powerful point in regard to mental health: “You can’t quantify mental health issues; there is no description for what it is. It doesn’t look like anything; it just exists.”

Knowing that people will not always be able to explain the state of their mental health is paramount. Mental illness is often described as the invisible killer. Considering the issue of not being able to speak up about mental health due to the impact it may have on your career, Marvin reveals his experience in the football (soccer) industry. “One of the reasons why poor mental health is rife within the football industry is because people talk about it when they retire from the professional level, not when they are standing in that environment because they are not sure what will happen,” he says. “I’m one of only a few players who spoke about my mental health during my time playing, and it affected my career. I was dropped from games because managers thought different things. I even had a friend who said a club didn’t want to sign him because they heard he was ‘crazy.’”

Marvin also spoke about how the lack of players seeking help means they turn to other things to cope, such as substances and other addictions. This may feel like a solution, but in fact, it makes dealing with whatever stress or illness even harder. Co-occurring disorder or dual diagnosis is when you have both “a substance abuse problem and a mental health issue such as depression, bipolar disorder, or anxiety.”⁶ According to reports published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, around 50 percent of individuals with severe mental disorders are affected by substance abuse; 37 percent of alcohol abusers and 53 percent of drug abusers also have at least one serious mental illness; and of all people diagnosed as mentally ill, 29 percent abuse alcohol or drugs. The correlation between the two is very clear, and an article in the help guide says, “Alcohol and drugs are often used to self-medicate the symptoms of mental health problems.”⁷ Many people are using alcohol and drugs to ease symptoms of undiagnosed mental disorders, as this often acts as a coping mechanism to deal with their emotions or temporarily change their mood. It’s important to realize that you cannot self-medicate with drugs and alcohol and that it generally leads to side effects and worsening of the symptoms you are trying to suppress. It’s common to sometimes have a drink when you’re feeling stressed, but there is a clear difference between doing this and abusing alcohol to cover up things by drinking it excessively.

He also addresses how toxic masculinity is rife in the industry: “Toxic masculinity is one of the biggest barriers. Being strong and tough means ‘nothing hurts you.’ But showing affection is to be tough, to be real, to be honest, to be vulnerable,” Marvin says. “In the industry, to be ‘tough,’ you have to be the person that is the alpha male, [with] nothing to fix, and they never cry, and they never get upset, and they never get sad. But these people hide their issues with different things. So drinking, sex, and gambling are coping mechanisms for pain, and often in the football industry, these things are celebrated, but they shouldn't be. We sit in a changing room in a circle, but every single person in that circle is wearing a mask. Every person behind that mask is feeling something and has something going on in their life, as we all do. But nobody wants to be the first person to take that mask off, because they're the one that's different.”

With experiences like this, it is not surprising that many professionals feel they cannot speak openly about their health issues. Being labeled “crazy” for your mental health issues should not be tolerated in any profession.

Marvin speaks openly and publicly on the biggest issues facing players who speak out about mental health. “The biggest areas for concern would be: how it’s going to affect your career—in terms of clubs signing you, whether you’ll be picked to play, but also, how fans are going to react? Finally, what will be the reactions of your friends, your club and opposition clubs?”

In Marvin’s case, he talks about feeling worried about his employability (getting signed), his performance in front of his peers (the fans’ reactions), the impact on his personal relationships, and how his work would stand up to his competitors (other clubs and their fans). It’s a very neat explanation of an extremely unfair situation where one person, player, or employee’s mental health is not prioritized within their environment, club, or business. This has to change, and it is clear to me (and to all who choose to see it) that people in senior positions in every business need to be more accountable in helping people seek help and feel comfortable about expressing their concerns.

Marvin adds that within the sports industry, toxic masculinity creates a hostile environment. He explains that people with different sexual orientations and mental illnesses are readily met with bad attitudes, bullying, and homophobia, which further contributes to the reasons why so many players cover up their issues.

Race and Mental Health

Different communities have different experiences with mental health. Black men and white men experience similar levels of common mental health problems,⁸ but Black women experience substantially higher rates of mental health disorders compared to their white counterparts. Racism is extremely damaging to mental health, and according to MHFA (Mental Health First Aid), in England, millions of Black and ethnic minority workers feel they can’t be their “real” selves at work and need more support for their mental health.⁹ In the United States, according to the Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, Black Americans are 20 percent more likely to experience serious mental health problems than the general population,¹⁰ with many Black Americans having trouble recognizing the signs and symptoms of mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression, which leads to them underestimating the effects on their mental health.¹¹

Anxiety, Stress, and Depression

Anxiety is one of the most common concerns in mental health. Feeling stressed at work is also common, but it is when this is prolonged and persistent that it starts to affect your mental and physical state. In relation to race, anxiety for Black professionals can be caused by a number of factors, including microaggressions, code switching, and imposter syndrome—all of which we will explore shortly. Stress at work is often related to pressure. Stress is not an illness in itself; it’s a state of mind. Like anxiety, the longer this state continues, the higher the likelihood that a person’s mental and physical health will be affected, which can result in illness.

Pressure and stress are completely different things, and it’s important to make a clear distinction between the two. It’s even more important to recognize when an employee is under pressure or under stress. Some degree of pressure is essential in every job, as it helps you achieve goals, meet deadlines, and reach targets. But add to this the pressure placed on Black professionals both from the individual and senior management because of the color of their skin, and you risk creating stress that can cause a number of mental and sometimes physical health problems.

Asmau Ahmed spoke about how she deals with stress and told us some of the practical measures she takes to protect her health at work. “I just remove myself from any kind of toxic environment, and just doing that alone gives me so much more peace of mind,” she says. “I like my alone time. I live by a riverside park, so I run at least 6 to 8 miles a day, and just for that hour of running, I am focused on running and nothing else. I just focus on taking one step to the next.”

It may be easier in some cases than others for you to leave a toxic work environment. Recognizing when to leave a space is as important as recognizing the triggers in your life that are detrimental to your mental health. Jay-Ann Lopez speaks about studying your triggers: “I think it’s knowing your patterns, knowing how you react to things, knowing how you process things, so that you can counteract it,” she says. “I’ve been through time periods of anxiety and depression when I have lost my hair as a result, and now I know when I have to stop.”

The American Institute of Stress also discusses the impact of stress on physical health. New York dermatologist Doris Day says that, “When we get super stressed, our body takes a major hit. It responds by releasing hormones that increase breathing and heart rates, and our muscles get tighter and ready to respond to the perceived danger.”¹² Stress hormones are actually designed to help us survive life-threatening situations, and during stress the body is on high alert, which allows us to think more clearly, which enhances our learning memory. However, during these times when that stress is piled on, our physiological response doesn’t turn off and stress levels stay elevated longer than necessary. It’s during these bouts that these physical symptoms begin to manifest from the inside and out.”¹³ This is a good reminder that not looking after our mental health can have an effect on our physical health, too.

According to Workplace Mental Health Org, “Depression costs employers an estimated $44 billion each year in lost productivity. About half of employees with depression are untreated.”¹⁴ Depression is not just about having a “bad day.” It can affect the way a person feels, thinks, and acts, decreasing their ability to function well at home and at work. Depression is serious, and employers need to recognize the signs in their employees. Workers also need to recognize the signs themselves and seek appropriate help. Monitoring mental health for employees is not only the right thing to do, but also, if spotted earlier, it can save organizations a lot of money in relation to productivity.

Leaving depression untreated can have serious implications on work performance. Depression contributes to presenteeism (working while sick), employees not being engaged, and absenteeism (intentional or habitual absence from work). Like most other health conditions, early detection and effective treatment lessen the severity and impact of this condition.

Microaggressions

When we look at some of the challenges we discussed in Chapter 4, such as code switching, imposter syndrome, challenging stereotypes, and microaggressions, it is not surprising that Black and minority ethnic professionals encounter mental health trauma.

Black professionals’ experience of daily microaggressions combined with the pressures of constant code switching (plus the actual work) can be extremely draining on mental strength. Employers should not underestimate the impact of these stressors, and how a build-up of a lifetime of microaggressions can be absolutely devastating to a Black person’s health.

According to research, racism and discrimination contribute to poor health among those from the Black communities, which increases rates of depression, prolonged stress, trauma, anxiety, heart disease, and also type-2 diabetes. Dr. Joy Bradford, a licensed psychologist and speaker who examined the racial climate and microaggressions at college campuses in the United States, found that African American students experienced more depression, self-doubt, frustration, and isolation that impacted their education as a result.¹⁵

She explains, “The experience of having to question whether something happened to you because of your race, or constantly being on edge because your environment is hostile, can often leave people feeling invisible, silenced, angry, and resentful.” Because some microaggressions are covert and subtle, it can lead to constant personal questioning and doubt. Racial gaslighting can be seen as a form of emotional abuse and is often used to manipulate a person into doubting themselves. Very similar to microinvalidations, which we discussed in Chapter 5, this undermines a person's experience through methods of denial and can have serious long-term effects.

Black professionals’ experience of daily microaggressions combined with the pressures of constant code switching (plus the actual work) can be extremely draining on mental strength.

Dr. Bradford also acknowledges that, “Increased stress related to things like microaggressions in the workplace and experiences with discrimination can lead to physical concerns like headaches, high blood pressure, and difficulties with sleep.”¹⁶ Stress headaches are very common, and it is something which I dealt with when a previous manager of mine would exhibit numerous racist behaviors. At first, these instances made me think, “Perhaps I’m in the wrong?” But it was when two or three white colleagues raised concerns with me and said that he was treating me differently that I actually felt more encouraged to speak out about it. On this occasion, I was lucky to have people who were fighting in my corner, but for the Black professionals who are going through this alone, it can be an even more traumatic experience.

So what can you do if microaggressions are currently hindering you at work and affecting your mental health? Well, first, you need to seek help. Find a safe space to talk about your worries, whether that’s with colleagues, therapists, family, friends, or the senior management within your workplace. Second, remember that you are not the issue. The reason you are feeling vulnerable is not your fault. Do not change yourself or your behavior to be accepted in hostile environments. And finally, as already mentioned, if an environment is simply too toxic—know when it’s time to leave.

Code Switching

We discussed code switching in Chapter 4, but we did not go into the many negative implications it can have on a Black professionals’ mental health.

Myles Durkee, PhD, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Michigan who studies code switching’s mental and physiological effects, explains that, “When we force individuals to code switch, when it doesn’t come natural to them, it’s now a stressor.” Code switching is not easy. It’s stressful and, as mentioned previously, any sort of stress that occurs over prolonged periods can cause mental health issues.

Inua Ellams reiterates this point. He says, “The mental health issues faced by Black people come from the need to perform to a white audience.” Playing a role every day that you have been conditioned to play is problematic. Code switching can cause mental and emotional stress for people who feel like they need to constantly modify their behavior or limit parts of their personality to succeed.

So what can you do to avoid code switching and how it affects your or your colleagues’ mental health?

• Find your tribe. Identify people who help you feel comfortable. Many organizations now have networks for Black employees to connect and discuss issues of concern openly in a way that helps you to bring parts of yourself to work.
• Be conscious of ways to be more inclusive. Black colleagues often feel the need to change their behavior in order to fit in. Do your part to learn more about the cultural differences of the people you work with. Take time to understand any biases you may have and challenge them. You may not be in a position to change the entire company culture, but you can be proactive in your team to create an environment where the Black employees you work with feel more comfortable to be themselves.
• Focus on creating a culture of belonging. There is no point recruiting diverse talent into an organization where they feel they do not belong. Communicate the actions you intend to take to tackle under-representation across all levels of the organization. Companies should assess their culture and look to develop one of inclusion and belonging where Black employees are not under pressure to reinvent themselves to feel accepted.

Imposter Syndrome

We also considered the effects of imposter syndrome in Chapter 4—the experience of “individuals who doubt their achievements, intellect, and fear that others will expose them as fraudulent.”¹⁷

Research shows that Black women experience imposter syndrome more than others.¹⁸ Verbal and nonverbal messages conveyed to them that they aren’t good enough, they don’t belong, and they will never be as successful as their male counterparts or women of other races are messages that are portrayed to them constantly within the professional world.

For both men and women, feeling like an imposter can cause a number of stress-related issues, feelings of isolation, and lack of advancement in your career because of the fear that you don’t deserve to take up that space. Anxiety in meetings with senior leaders or other team members can affect your ability to be able to lead and deliver projects.

So what can you do if you are going through this right now? Here are two things you can try to start with.

• Change your mindset about your abilities. Realize that you have earned your position and that you have all the skills required to succeed in this role. If you are an employer and you know someone who is struggling with this, you can support them by acknowledging their contributions, expertise, milestones, and accomplishments.
• Avoid making comparisons to others. “Comparison is the biggest thief of joy”¹⁷; focus on measuring your own success and achievements rather than comparing yourself to your peers. Success and failure are a part of life, but don’t let imposter syndrome hinder you from taking new opportunities.

Marvyn Harrison, founder of Dope Black Dads, a platform designed to change the narrative around being a Black father, shares some great advice in dealing with imposter syndrome. “I had to tackle it in a very particular way, based on the things that I was finding challenging,” Marvyn says. “It’s not a one-size-fits-all piece of advice. But what I will say is that if you’re not bringing your full self to work, you’re not even in the game. Nobody’s going to create an environment for you to excel in. It just doesn’t happen. If you don’t make it work for you, you will always be too much in your head, and you will rob the world of who you really are. So my advice is to work on being an authentic person, so that you can actually find a home for your gift.”

Marvyn raises a great point. The workplace is a space that you deserve to be in, so you need to realize that you have all the skills it takes to succeed there. Allowing the effects of imposter syndrome to take over will only lead to you missing out on great opportunities.

Mental Resilience and Becoming a “Corporate Athlete”

The word “athlete” is a name for someone who is proficient in sports; “corporate” describes it as related to a business or group. When we talk about being a “corporate athlete,” we describe a person who is proficient in all forms of activity in the corporate world, who is able to handle any situation that arises because they are mentally healthy and therefore equipped to deal with competitive situations. When you consider some of the key traits of an athlete, it’s not surprising that they are transferable to the skills required to succeed at work. When I think of an athlete, I picture someone who is dedicated, shows perseverance, can work in a team, has discipline, has leadership skills, and is resilient. When I think of leading athletes of the past and present, they all embody these characteristics.

The term “corporate athlete” was coined by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz in the Harvard Business Review in 2001.¹⁹ In this piece, the pair explain how executives can better manage their energy to achieve sustained performance. Using lessons from the physical training regimes of top athletes, they identify why the expectation we have of employees for continuous high-level performance is counterproductive and works in opposition to the outcomes business leaders desire.²⁰

Considering the consistency of good performance, Jim and Tony explain that to consistently perform well in high-stress environments, executives must focus on more than the skills they need specific to their field, but more broadly on living a life that fulfills them physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Creating balance in all areas of your life must be achieved before you can create excellence in work.

As a corporate athlete, success is heavily reliant on good mental health—it requires focus, resilience, and the capacity to think broadly. However, the corporate athlete must pay attention to all aspects of their body—they cannot keep up their high-level performance without ensuring they are physically well.

Corporate professionals who neglect their bodies risk burning out. Pay attention to diet, exercise, sleep, and a program of physical well-being cannot be ignored when excellence is the objective. Shellye Archambeau is intentional about her diet and wellness and ensures she looks after her body. She says, “I need to exercise, and I need to eat three healthy meals a day. I bring my own lunch to work because I want to make sure I eat something healthy. If I haven’t brought my lunch, then I might be tempted to go grab something not so healthy," she says. "I eat breakfast, and I make sure I eat dinner. I eat well, and that’s important to how I feel. So, as long as I’m getting exercise and I’m eating right, that’s the right foundation for me. The third thing I need is to get my energy from people. So I have to build in activities that involve others.” Shellye understands the importance of exercise, healthy eating, and spending time in good company. These things are crucial for her to be able to have a productive day.

Trevor Nelson also pays attention to his physical health and limits his alcohol intake, as well as acknowledging the toll overworking can have on our physical appearance. “I’m not a massive drinker or anything like that,” he says. “I’m conscious of my health because at some point 20 years ago, I was working so hard that I was killing myself, to be honest.”

Working hard and not resting can have extremely damaging long-term effects on an individual. Rest is a key component for the corporate athlete, and Trevor acknowledges that to maintain a successful career in the music industry, he could not keep up the momentum of work without proper rest.

The corporate athlete must be emotionally aware and pay attention to their emotional state. The person who allows emotions such as anger or frustration to overcome them could land themselves in trouble. Let’s use another example. When a soccer player is visibly frustrated during a game, it’s a manager’s job to substitute them to keep them from getting a penalty card, but it is also the player's job to calm down on the field if they want to avoid being substituted by their boss or sent off by the referee.

As a corporate athlete, knowing how to control your emotions is imperative for success. If you truly want to be excellent, this ability cannot be taken for granted.

Being able to control our attention helps us stay focused on what matters, and also is key in helping us recover from stress or trauma. Athletes who are at the top of their game are also able to use their mental stress to turn their attention away from negative and destructive thoughts and, in some extremes, away from physical pain to be able to continue performing to the highest level when it matters most.

Sometimes there are things that won’t go your way at work or in business. It’s deciding to let go and separating your emotions that will allow you to put in a great performance. When you are able to do that, your performance will go from good to great.

“The football [soccer] world is an oppressive environment where you as a person almost don’t exist,” Marvin Sordell says about dealing with emotions and separating yourself from negative thoughts. “You are not a person with feelings, but a financial figure that fits into a group of larger numbers—that’s how football players are predominantly seen. When you look at how fans interact with players, they are mainly focused on performance of the team. They don’t care about anything else, or that a player has their own life, their own things going on, their own issues, or own families.”

When players go home from work, they are not allowed to break away from that life like most people. Other people are able to leave the physical space of work, and they can just break away from it at that moment. The soccer industry is very different from the professional world in the sense that, even after the game, you have to deal with the results. If it’s a good result for your team, you can go home and be happy, but if it’s a bad result, then you’re taking this home with you and have to deal with the media and social media commenting about your performance. In an industry where the world knows when you are not performing well, it can be extremely difficult to detach from work, but it is vital even for the professional soccer player to be able to control their emotions and switch off so they can recover from the stress or disappointment of a previous game. The same goes for us, too.

Journalist Charlene White tells us about how she finds ways to separate her emotions from the serious issues she reports. She speaks about how she took responsibility for her own self-care, but also that of her viewers, during the tragic killing of George Floyd in 2020. “At the height of the Black Lives Matter protests following George Floyd’s murder, I was on maternity leave, but when I returned to work, the story was still in the headlines. It was hard. Because of my position at ITV news, I had a responsibility to get other people to understand how impactful that story was,” she says.

“It was about getting people to understand that using that footage gratuitously over and over again has an impact on the viewers. There needed to be an understanding that this footage was real, his a human life, that we were witnessing someone be lynched in public. This footage can be really upsetting for people. So my role within the media was always to get the viewers to understand someone else’s perspective, and doing that isn’t an easy task at all.

The nature of the job means that I'm exposed to so many upsetting stories. Covering the earthquakes in Haiti was a really difficult news story for me to report, because my parents are from the Caribbean, and seeing so many Black people in so much distress and just so much death was hard. I had to be able to navigate that reaction as a journalist and still be able to tell the story. As a reporter, I see being able to control my emotions as a key ingredient to being able to work in this industry.”

Charlene continues, “People say that journalists have to be a little bit cold-hearted, because we wouldn’t be able to do our jobs on a daily basis and tell so many emotional stories otherwise.” Charlene’s ability to separate her emotions from her job has helped her become one of the best-established news reporters in the UK and shows she is using a key attribute of the corporate athlete.

On a spiritual level, the corporate athlete must discover meaning in their life—why they are doing what they are doing, what is important to them, and the values that they present in their work. It may seem strange to have this as a key characteristic, but it is your sense of purpose and what people call your “why” that is key to helping you avoid burnout and giving you a sense of drive and determination when you feel you can’t continue. When I think about some of the late nights I spent working on the UK Black Business Show, I know it’s my drive and determination that helped me continue when I felt like giving up. I’m also a man of faith and often reflect on the verse from Joshua 1:9, which says, “Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Angelica Nwandu shares how a relationship with God helps her on a spiritual level to be able to relax. She says,

“One thing I will say is I don’t overwork myself. I’m very close to God and there is a scripture in Proverbs 10:22 that says, ‘The blessing of the Lord brings wealth without the painful toil for you.’²¹ The way that I’ve always interpreted that statement was that God could provide wealth without you having to stress every day about how you’re going to get it. There are some people who literally stress over strategizing their whole life to become a billionaire. I sometimes feel that we don’t know how God is using us. I know how God is using me. It’s not the obvious way, but I know what he has shown me and how the end will be. In life, you have to work hard, try and rely on Him.”

It is Angelica’s faith in God that gives her a sense of purpose. It keeps her motivated when she does not have strength. As a professional, it’s important to take some time to think about what it is that motivates you, and what helps you to keep going.

You must nourish all areas of your life so you can maintain high-level performance in your career. Consider how you can take care of your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health as a means to improve your success at work.

Avoiding Burnout

Burnout is something that many working people are aware of and often unable to prevent. “Burnout is described as a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands.”²²

David McQueen shares how he manages his energy to avoid burnout but maintain good form. “Working smart includes mental health as well. I don’t work on Saturdays. Discipline for me is to be able to just shut down my work. Nothing is that important,” he says. “While I’m here, I’ve got to be able to look after myself and ensure I have a support network around me that champions me to make sure that I look after myself.” It's about your work environment and relationships—are there things you can change to improve your ability to simply step away from work, like David?

He continues,

“The one thing that made a massive difference for me was focus. As an entrepreneur, focusing on that one thing that’s going to make the difference and that’s going to bring in the money is important. I have around 17 different business ideas running through my head. My wife says, ‘unless you can show me how you’re gonna make half a million, then you need to put it in the bin.’

The second thing for me, which made a massive difference, was systems. What do I mean by systems? One of the beautiful things about technology now is how much stuff you can automate. Whether you’re putting out content or you’re dealing with invoices, if you build a system properly, you won’t need to work all hours of the night. A lot of the mental well-being we talked about is because we don’t switch off, or our phone always has alerts popping up. The last part of that system is your support network. Those people who will champion you are not afraid to pull you up and say, ‘Listen, why are you working this late?’”

David raises some great points about how focusing on what really matters is key to avoiding burnout. So many businesspeople try to juggle too many things at one time, and this can in fact make you less productive.

Jay-Ann Lopez also discusses burnout. “I feel like as a creative it’s hard to stop, because everyone’s always going in,” she says. “There’s always new content, there’s always a new trend, there’s always something new. But sometimes you just have to understand that you are not a machine. Sometimes you just have to pull away. So once I shut off, I shut off. I grew up thinking it was a bad thing, but actually, it’s not. It’s good to be able to just let go and then come back on Monday, ready to get into the game.”

As someone who is in charge of a community of gamers, Jay also explains how she takes a break, knowing they rely on her for content. “I just tell them in advance that I’m taking a break. When Trina and I go away for Curlture work, I tell them I’m not logging on unless it’s something urgent,” she says. “Have a structure in place to delegate tasks also.”

Angelica Nwandu says that just before she gets to the point of burnout, she takes action and shuts down. “I’ll go off the map, go get a massage, or go to therapy,” she says. “I’ll still communicate with my staff, but I won’t do anything like answer any emails or anything. Sometimes it’s necessary to shut down and take some space to ensure that you can recover from overstimulation properly.”

Work-Life Balance

Finding a work-life balance seems to be a struggle for everyone. The term seems to have grown in use more than ever in the last few years. It appeals to millennials in the workplace who, according to reports, are set to take up 75 percent of the workforce by 2025.²³

Dr. Wayne Frederick, who balances the life of a surgeon with being President of a university, explains what he believes a work-life balance is:

“You have to be organized and you have to prioritize. On a day-to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month, and year-to-year basis, you have to know what is most important to you and stay focused on achieving those goals. Productivity is not about doing everything with the same level of passion—it is about doing some things and not others, as well as allotting only the energy that each task deserves. You also have to make sure that your journey is never complete, that you’re constantly refilling your well with new passions and projects that inspire you to keep moving toward new targets.”

Companies that are able to incorporate balance into their structure will see huge benefits for staff productivity. Having a work-life balance allows you to reduce stress and avoid burnout.

We spoke with Marvyn Harrison, and he described in depth how he relaxes, but also how he manages his time so that he can spend time with his family and have personal time for himself.

“One day, when I was really tired and feeling stressed out, I was like, ‘You know what? I’m gonna have a bath.’ I just wanted to sit somewhere and not be disturbed listening to my Erykah Badu playlist uninterrupted. At the end of it, I actually cried. I was like, ‘Who knew that this was so amazing?’ I also order myself cookies and shortbread, and it’s sheer gratuitous nonsense, but it’s important. I am super intentional about my recharge.”

It’s great to hear how passionate Marvyn is about his rest time. In addition, Marvyn also ensures that he can spend quality time with his wife and children, and like his personal time, he is very intentional about doing this.

“Monday and Friday mornings, I make sure I stay at home and take my son to school. I spend an hour or two with my 3-year-old daughter. I sit with her and just listen.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, I’ll be with the kids, then Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, I probably work 12- to 15-hour days and I try to put as much into that space as humanly possible, and that works for me. My wife and I have intentional time; we have like an hour and a half in the evenings and we ringfence it to protect the time. Ringfencing time means that I’m not sitting there feeling like a bad father or a bad husband, and it also just means that everyone knows when it’s time for Marvyn.”

Pamela Hutchinson also shares how she uses family time to be able to relax and switch off from the corporate world:

“Family is really important to me, and family’s really important to a lot of Black people. I think that’s just at the heart, the heart of everything, family, eating, and coming together.

Food is central to who we are, and for me, keeping my sanity means going back to my roots—it’s going back to the food, it’s sitting with people I know and feeling comfortable. It’s, you know, slipping into my dialect at home when I need to, and that’s what keeps me grounded and reminds me of who I am. In the world that we work in, it’s so easy to get sucked in and absorbed by it and suddenly not recognize and forget who you are, who you really are.”

Being an entrepreneur has its own unique stress, and it is important that you know how to manage yourself and be aware of the signs and signals of when your body is telling you to stop.

When we spoke with India Gary-Martin, she rejected the phrase “work-life balance” and believes that you cannot have a balance, as ultimately one will suffer. “I don’t know about this work-life balance thing,” she says. “Work-life balance is elusive because it doesn’t exist. I think that it’s work-work, or life-life, and not very often do the two meet in between. Something’s going to suffer regardless. So if you’re working, your life is going to suffer, and if you’re living, work suffers—that’s just the reality. You can’t be in two places at one time doing both; it does not work.”

India raises an important question: Is a work-life balance unachievable? Does one have to suffer? Or can you actually create a balance between two hectic schedules?

Continuing, India says, “The question is, what are you going to sacrifice in this moment? Because frankly, that’s what it boils down to. Now you can make some decisions about what you’re not going to do at work—for example, saying, ‘I’m not going to work past this time.’ You can put some boundaries around it if you want to if you have that level of control, but the balancing is a myth.”

June Angelidis talks about how she ensures she finds balance by also setting her own boundaries and not working past certain times of day. She also finds time to do things that she enjoys while recognizing that she can’t say “yes” to every opportunity. “I think the key has been delegating 100 percent where I can, so on the days I’m working, I am conscious to sleep early,” June says.

“I’m very, very, very firm on not working past 5 p.m., because when the kids get back from school, I want to spend time with them. I want to be home so I can make dinner. Cooking is part of my self-care, and having that creative time to make what I want and then hanging out with the kids playing games.

I also enjoy sitting down and watching something on Netflix or just having a call with my friends. When I’m being disciplined, I will practice yoga, which I think is really important. I love baking and gardening, and I’m just very intentional to not overstretch myself or say ‘yes’ to too many things. I’ve gotten comfortable with saying ‘no.’ I need to leave time for me and my family, because when you get pulled in too many directions, you’re not helping anyone when you break down.”

Whether you opt to balance or juggle work and life, it is helpful to find separation between the two to make time for you.

Dealing With Success

There is a lot of discussion about how you deal with failure, but how do you deal with success?

Trevor Nelson speaks about dealing with success. He says,

“You know, there’s an illusion that you’ve ‘got the life’ when you ‘make it,’ when in reality, maybe you haven’t yet. It is really important that a Black person who’s successful knows it’s very, very lonely when you get to certain stages. When you’ve got your real best friends is when you have nothing. You’re sharing the tango, getting the night bus, excited about getting into a club, but the moment one of you steps out and becomes successful, everyone’s on your coattails to begin with, but that can easily change. When you trailblaze, there’s a problem with that; no one understands how you’re doing it, no one understands what you’re doing or the time you may need to sacrifice with friends to achieve this.”

A phrase my father-in-law always says that sticks with me is, “Twenty children cannot play together for twenty years.” As we progress in our careers, we may develop new hobbies, our way of thinking may change, we may develop a more intense schedule, meaning that we are unable to spend our time as we did before. In some cases, you may notice that you have less in common with your friends and with others the relationships may remain the same.

Acknowledge that friendship dynamics may change but that drifting apart doesn’t make you a bad person or the other people bad people. Moving on is a part of life, and it happens in all areas of our lives.

Seeking Help

So you recognize you need help—you’ve noticed the symptoms and all the signs of anxiety, depression, burnout, or other potential mental health struggles. So what do you do next? Asking for help is not easy, but it is vital for maintaining good mental health or recovering from and managing mental-ill health. Getting help is brave and is not a weak thing to do.²⁴

For anyone who is struggling mentally, The Mental Health Foundation says that talking to people is the right step in getting help.

It all starts with talking; when you talk about your feelings, this is the first step to taking charge of your mental health. No one can help you if you are not speaking about your concerns; you have a number of options, whether that’s family and friends, someone close to you, community groups, therapy, peer support, and online communities—reach out to them.

Mental health advocate Marvin Sordell leaves us with some vital words: “Showing affection is to be tough, is to be real, to be honest, to be vulnerable.” Speaking out and getting help about your issues is the bravest thing you can do; hiding your problems benefits no one. I urge you, if you are going through any of the issues raised in the chapter, to speak to the relevant person and get help.

For information on mental health services you can access, please refer to the Glossary starting on page 336.

Next Steps and Reflection

• Do you think you may be suffering from anxiety, stress, or depression?
• Is it time for you to seek expert help?
• What steps can you take to overcome imposter syndrome? Write down 10 things about yourself and your personality that makes you great at what you do.
• How can you become a corporate athlete? Write down one thing that you value about each of the four types of health: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.
• What can you do to relax when you are not working? How can you start to build healthy work-life habits?