Last Sunday I got to do something I have never done before. Stand in front of a room and talk about something that does not get enough airtime in the tech world: looking after your mental health while trying to keep up with it all. I spoke from my own angle, someone working full time in IT, building projects on the side, learning AI in public, and trying to figure out how to do all of that without quietly burning out. The conversation that followed told me I was not the only one thinking about it.
The event was called A Day Off, held at Venture Nest in Osu, Accra, and organised by hopefulNkomo. The idea behind it was simple and honestly quite refreshing. Create a space where people could slow down, connect, reflect, and just breathe for a bit. There were activities, conversations, and a genuine warmth in the room that you do not always find at events that have the word networking anywhere near them.
The Question the Room Could Not Shake
I structured my talk around something I think a lot of people feel but rarely say out loud. The world is moving fast. AI is moving even faster. And somewhere in the middle of all of that, real people are trying to figure out how to stay relevant, stay productive, and still feel like themselves at the end of the day.
The moment that landed hardest with the audience was when I raised the question of whether you can really allow yourself to relax when it feels like AI is moving so fast it might be making your skills redundant before you have even finished your morning coffee. The nods in the room told me that feeling is not unique to people in tech. It is universal. The pace of change is affecting everyone.
I also talked about the grind culture that has become almost a badge of honour in ambitious circles. No days off. Sleep when you are dead. Outwork everyone. And while I understand the drive behind that mindset, I think it leaves out a crucial part of the conversation. The grind needs a foundation. And that foundation is you. Your health, your relationships, your ability to still enjoy what you are building. Without it, even the most impressive achievements start to feel hollow.
Can You Be Ambitious and Still Take Care of Yourself?
This was the question at the heart of the talk and my answer was yes, but only if you are intentional about it. Ambition and mental health are not opposites. But ambition without boundaries has a habit of quietly consuming everything around it.
A few things I shared that have genuinely helped me:
Deciding when the work is done for the day rather than letting it bleed into everything. Treating rest as part of the process rather than a reward for finishing. Separating your self worth from your output so that a bad week does not become a crisis. And finding people around you who check on you as a person, not just as a builder or a professional.
The Part I Did Not Expect
One of the co-founders of hopefulNkomo, Gloria Siarnokie Odue, led the room through a breathing exercise during the event. I will be honest, I did not know what to expect going in. But I came out of it genuinely more relaxed than when I went in. Sometimes the simplest things are the ones we skip over most.
It was a reminder that taking care of yourself does not have to be complicated. Sometimes it is just about being present in a room with the right people and actually letting yourself be there. Other fun activities included playing UNO and painting.
Why This Kind of Space Matters
Events like A Day Off exist because the conversation around mental health, especially in fast moving industries, still needs more room to breathe. It was a Sunday afternoon well spent and a reminder that community is one of the most underrated tools any of us have.
If you are building something, chasing something, or just trying to keep up with a world that refuses to slow down, I hope you have people around you who remind you that you are more than your output.
Events like this one are happening more regularly and if you want to stay in the loop on what is coming next, I would encourage you to follow Venture Nest and hopefulNkomo. Whether you are based in Ghana or following from elsewhere in the world, both communities are doing genuinely meaningful work around innovation, capacity building, and wellbeing. The kind of programs they run are worth knowing about.
And if you do not have your room yet, start there.