Playing to Create a Mentally Healthy World with Enoch Li, Founder of BEARAPY

“I was feeling completely drained, drained of energy and mental strength. Just being empty going through the days trying to cope with my daily work.” This is just one story we heard from entrepreneurs. While entrepreneurs are determined to change the world, they often don’t realize they are losing sleep and endangering their mental well-being during the process. Even worse, societal stigmas surrounding depression and anxiety prevent them from acknowledging their symptoms, much less getting the help they need.

In this episode, we invited Enoch Li, author of "Stress in the City: Playing My Way Out of Depression” and Founder of BEARAPY to share her own struggles with mental health and the importance of taking care of employees' mental wellbeing. Mentors and investors also need to take on the role of creating a healthy environment for entrepreneurs.

BEARAPY was founded with the mission to reduce burnout and mental health issues in the community through helping adults access their inner playfulness. Their work with startups and small companies and how to implement a healthy workplace culture, what it means to be playful in the company and what it means to care ut mental health of employees can be found in Enoch’s book.

Show Notes:

[01:40] Introduction of Enoch and BEARAPY

[03:23] The idea behind BEARAPY and its contribution to the community

[04:34] Burnout and mental health challenges in China

[05:57] Lack of awareness in China inhibits mental health care

[07:15] Traditional Chinese approach to mental health

[08:00] China “996” culture results in what consequences and impact

[10:38] High turnover affects the awareness of mental healthcare in business

[12:21] Mental health and wellness responsibility: employee or organization?

[13:58] How to recognize mental health problems

[15:32] Individual approach to cultivating wellbeing for entrepreneurs

[17:27] Redefining and using ‘play’ for positive mental health

[23:30] Investor role in mental health and wellbeing

[29:57] Check out Enoch’s book: "Stress in the City: Playing My Way Out of Depression”（ http://bearapy.me/books/）

To connect with Enoch and BEARAPY, follow the WeChat account Bearapy小熊创意法.

Many thanks to our host Ryan Shuken and Oscar Ramos, guest Enoch Li, editor David and Geep, producer Eva Shi, organizer Chinaccelerator and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.com

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Music Credits: Adam Place founder of NUSIC （https://nusic.com.cn/）