by Lelemba Phiri, Enygma Ventures Operating Partner and Fund Manager

Before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, the importance of mental health was being highlighted and the crisis has amplified its importance even further. As business owners and investors, we are not exempt from the compounding effects of poor mental health if we do not take the time to understand these issues and how they can negatively impact us, our businesses and families.

Sub-Saharan Africa is the only region in the world where there are more women than men who become entrepreneurs and that tells us something about how women are at the heart of driving this continent - not only from the home and community front, but also our economies.

We at Enygma Ventures understand this and are committed as ever to championing women entrepreneurs through giving them the support and structure they need to thrive. This includes ensuring that they have access to world-class mentors and communities of like-minded people.

A key piece of taking care of our mental health is learning to self-care. I know that this sometimes feels like a luxury for us women with the many roles we have to juggle and yet it is for this very reason that it matters that we do prioritise it. A healthy you makes for a healthier family, business, community, country and continent overall. Redefining and shaping the world we want to see starts with us being healthy enough- physically, mentally and spiritually to do so.

In addition to exercise, eating and sleeping well - below are my top 5 self-care tips:

Here are my top 5 self-care tips:

1. Make me-time a ritual

Set aside some time every day just for yourself. It’s not selfish - it’s a sanity check, even if that means just locking yourself in the bathroom for 5 mins of silence. I take my morning coffee in bed. In silence. Savouring every sip and just mentally checking in on myself. Takes anything from 5 - 10 minutes and it’s delicious!

2. Stay connected

Physical distancing doesn’t have to mean social disconnection. Research shows that connection is integral to our emotional wellbeing and even boosts our immune systems so use the technology available to us to stay connected. Over the more recent weekends I have enjoyed calling family and old friends that I hadn’t been in touch with for a while and it’s been pretty special.

3. Disconnect from energy vampires

On the other side of staying connected - feel free to disconnect from things that stress you out or make you feel anxious. We can be too polite at times to our own detriment! This is time to safeguard our head space. It’s actually been quite liberating and a fun pastime to simply exit those WhatsApp groups that drain me and unfollow energy vampires on social media. Try it.

4. Do good

No matter how tough it gets, there are always others who are having it worse than us. Doing good is not just great for community building - it also deposits a dose of happiness right back into us. Find a cause to contribute to. Most are happy to pick whatever you have to give, from dry foods to old clothes to money. Or donate some time to mentoring others. Or buy from a small business. There is always something we can do to help our communities.

5. Find the blessings in the crisis

Yes, every crisis has its blessings just like every challenge presents opportunity. Find the blessings and write them down. It will be so good to look back on this time and read about what we gained rather than what we lost

Personally, this time has definitely strengthened my relationships with my teenage sons. The value in that is completely immeasurable!

Lelemba Phiri is the Founder and Principal of the Africa Trust Group (ATG), the fund manager behind the ZAR100m Enygma Ventures fund, that is focused on investing in early stage women-owned businesses in SADC. ATG takes a holistic approach to investing by investing in both the woman entrepreneur and the enterprise.