Level 4 lockdowns impact on Small Business owners’ mental health: Clearhead teams up with Digital Boost to support their mental wellbeing

One in five Auckland small business owners reported that their business would not survive another level 4 lockdown. But, here we are again in a nationwide lockdown with the Delta Variant circulating. Increased stress and anxiety is resurfacing for many small business owners as they battle with financial concerns and anxiety about the uncertain future of their business through these unprecedented times.

In a bid to assist New Zealand's small business community, Clearhead https://www.clearhead.org.nz/, a digital mental health and wellbeing website/app, is providing 24/7 mental health and wellbeing support to small business owners across Aotearoa through the Digital Boost initiative.

Clearhead CEO and co-founder Dr Angela Lim says that the ongoing effect of COVID-19 on New Zealanders mental health has resulted in increased mental health distress. We see the strain of it in our public therapy waitlist which is averaging 3 months long.

“According to Clearheads user data which is able to provide a real-time pulse on the mental health status of the country, as our users nationwide reflect New Zealand’s population demographics. The lockdowns in 2020 showed the proportion of those with severe mental health distress including suicidal thoughts increased 8 times and our public system is collapsing under the demand”.

“During previous lockdowns, we saw that financial concern was the number one concern for our users. This will be prevalent again within small business owners now that we are in another prolonged lockdown period”.

The Mind Lab, who developed the free Digital Boost Educate programme www.digitalboost.co.nz for small and medium businesses for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is committed to the mental health of business owners and supporting their ability to develop digital skills to help their business to thrive, even during lockdowns. To support small business owners and their staff at this time Digital Boost is working with Clearhead to bring free online mental wellbeing support to all 35,000 Digital Boost subscribers. The Mind Lab are excited that Clearhead, as a small tech enabled social enterprise is able to support so many other New Zealand owned businesses at this time.

Since their 2018 launch, Clearhead’s website and app has been offering a private virtual wellbeing assistant to help improve New Zealanders access to mental health support and empower all Kiwis to proactively maintain their wellbeing through personalised wellbeing lessons and tools.

“With the devastating news of another Level 4 lockdown, this has left many feeling overwhelmed and anxious for the future. We want to let small business owners know Clearhead can support them through these difficult times, they don’t need to suffer through it alone. Join the digital boost community for free to get free access to Clearhead, this collaboration could not have come at a better time.” says Frances Valintine, founder of The Mind Lab.

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