Coping mechanisms: the ABC approach

There is no single solution to mental health challenges in business. What helps is a framework that people can adapt to their own circumstances.

This episode introduces the ABC approach:

A — Awareness
Regularly checking in with yourself. Noticing how work affects your mood, sleep and energy. Identifying patterns — what lifts you up and what drains you.

B — Behaviours and boundaries
Once patterns are clear, small changes become possible. Setting clearer working hours. Creating processes for stressful tasks like chasing payment. Protecting sleep, movement and breaks. Removing unnecessary emotion from repeat stressors by turning them into systems.

C — Community and connection
Finding spaces where other small business owners talk honestly about work. Listening first. Asking questions when ready. Supporting others as well as receiving support. Community doesn’t just help emotionally — it also fills knowledge gaps and builds confidence.

Together, these three elements help people move from reacting to pressure to managing it more deliberately. Mental health becomes part of how the business is run, rather than something addressed only when things go wrong.

Final note for listeners

If you’re running a business and any of this resonates, you’re not alone — and you’re not failing. These pressures are common, understandable and shared by millions of people working in the same way.

Support, resources and peer connection are available through Business111.com. You don’t have to solve everything at once. Sometimes, simply recognising what you’re dealing with is the first step towards holding it together.