Your mental health or your team’s one is adrift in the open seas? Your Maslow’s pyramid of needs is likely to falter like a sundae in the middle of a Montreal heat wave.

Indeed, the lack of time to develop significant relationships, the increased competition, the hovering possibility of failure and the quest for meaning are so many conditions that threaten the entrepreneurs’ fundamental needs. This is what a very special guest at the Startupfest noticed: Jessica Carson, Neuroscience & Psychology Research Fellow, portrays the Quebec mental health state in the entrepreneurial community.

As Diane Bérard reports it in her article “Startupfest: les entrepreneurs mentent, comme les jeunes mères”; the panelist shares some worrying statistics about the mental health of entrepreneurs: “the cases of depression are twice as high, the cases of attention deficit disorders are six times higher, the cases of substance abuse are three times higher, and the cases of bipolar disorders are 11 times higher.”

If 72% of entrepreneurs have a mental health history as the journalist points out, this predisposition should reasonably be adressed with reinforced support and prevention measures. However, the current picture says otherwise: a law of silence takes place within the walls of an ecosystem based on male archetypes where tears do not belong. To add the coulis and the cherry on top of this dizzying dessert, Jessica Carson recalls the stressors specific to the entrepreneur’s work; to name just a few, chronic instability, financial insecurity and lack of sleep affect their everyday life.

Yet, in order to take a deep breath and to put ourselves into action one bite at a time, Diane Bérard suggests concrete solutions. One of them promotes the inclusion of mental health workshops in the company’s growth plan. But be careful, these must rise to the level of other enhanced actions. This is what our member Patrick Balyan applied when he guided a meditation and relaxation session for a group of professionals during a cellphones free event in June.

But before reviewing the thesis of your venture capital companies’ investments, the Halte 24-7’s team invites you to take a vacation. We also share Diane Bérard’s article with you so you can enjoy the edge of a swimming pool or a terrasse with interesting tools.