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10 Signs your Mental Health is Getting Worse
Updated: Aug 24, 2022
There are many different possible reasons you may feel that your mental health is getting worse. Understanding your signs and triggers is essential to maintaining healthy mental health. Everyone has mental health that can fluctuate. Our mental health exists on a continuum that moves depending on the situation and our stress container at that point. If you want to become a Mental Health First Aider, then click here.
Have you ever worried about whether you are experiencing a decline in your mental health? Everyone, regardless of whether they are afflicted with a physical health condition or not, is affected by their mental health in the same way that everyone is affected by their physical health. As a result of the fact that it can change occasionally, it is always a good idea to check in with yourself and attempt to evaluate the path it will take in the future. The following are ten indications that your mental health is deteriorating:
1. You are becoming less interested in some of your favourite activities?
Have you noticed a change in how you feel about some of your favourite activities?
Your mental health may be deteriorating if you notice a shift in your general view on life and if you find that you are losing interest in the simple pleasures life offers. It is possible that you are experiencing excessive stress or that you are just unable to keep up with all of your obligations.
There is also the possibility that this comes before the onset of mental health decline. If you believe this to be the case, keep do seek medical advice.
2. You are more prone to feeling overwhelmed.
Do you experience feelings of being overwhelmed more frequently than is typical for you? Is it difficult to differentiate between a list of two or three chores and a list of ten? Does making a decision cause you anxiety?
An increased susceptibility may indicate a decline in mental health to feeling overwhelmed. Sheri Jacobson, a psychotherapist at Harley Therapy, suggests that the sensation of drowning in a sea of problems could be your body's response to the excessive stress in your life.
Mindfulness practices like journaling, meditation, and talk therapy are excellent places to start when attempting to cope with this.
3. You find less desire to engage in social activities.
Does it seem like it takes more energy to interact with people as opposed to how you used to feel? This may be due to the decline in your mental health that you have been experiencing. Do you find yourself more often than not saying no to social events?
We all have a baseline comfort level when engaging in social interaction, whether you are an introvert, an extrovert, or somewhere in between. If you feel like you are falling below what is ‘normal’ for you, you must pay attention. It is essential to remember that interacting with other people, whether electronically or in person, can help increase your mood, even if it does not feel like it at the time!
4. You do not maintain a regular sleeping schedule.
Have you fallen into the habit of sleeping at seemingly odd times? Do you find that you spend all day in bed, despite wishing to get up at a specific time?
Your sleep patterns may be disrupted, which may signify that your stress levels are rising and your mental health is deteriorating. Establishing routines and trying to get up and go to bed at approximately the same time each day are two methods that might help regulate sleep. Additionally, if you feel that this is having a long-term negative impact on your day-to-day life, we strongly suggest that you seek the assistance of a mental health expert and or medical practitioner.
5. You usually feel tired.
Do you always feel fatigued or drained, even though you get adequate sleep and eat well? There is such a thing as mental tiredness, which can indicate a decline in mental health. It is worth reading Did You Know Mental Exhaustion and Physical Exhaustion Are Different? to understand the difference.
According to Healthline, mental weariness is a response to prolonged stress and might have the feeling of being impossible to overcome. Being drained is different from simply being weary since it gives the impression that you are physically unable to accomplish anything, regardless of whether or not you want to.
The uplifting news is that there is an action that can be taken by you can take commands by talking to a mental health professional about drugs, as well as trying at-home treatments such as practising gratitude, yoga, and relaxation techniques. Know that there are ways to get better and help pull yourself out of this condition of tiredness. Different treatments are helpful for different people, but regardless, know there are ways to get better.
6. It feels as though your anxiety is getting worse.
Do you find that you wake up more worried than you usually would? Does your anxiety make it difficult for you to focus on other things throughout the day?
Anxiety that is getting worse often occurs along with a decline in mental health. Anxiety, a mental health condition, touches all of us, regardless of whether or not we have a diagnosable anxiety disorder. This is something that we want to stress. Keeping track of your anxiety levels is essential because even a slight change in these levels can provide significant insight into your mental state.
How exactly can you determine whether or not your anxiety is becoming worse? One of the ways could be the beginning of anxious sickness. As described by Healthline, anxiety-related nausea occurs during times of high anxiety and is primarily brought on by rapid breathing and tension in the body. Experiencing this kind of nausea might be a decent measure of heightened worry, mainly if it occurs frequently.
7. You feel scattered.
Do you ever find that you are just lost for words? You feel like so many things are happening around you, yet you cannot concentrate on them, right?
If so, you are not alone. It is natural to experience feelings like these from time to time, especially when you have much stress on your plate and many things to worry about. On the other hand, experiencing disorientation more frequently, if not constantly, may indicate your mental health is deteriorating.
According to a statement made by Rick Hanson, a Psychologist who contributes to the publication Psychology Today, feeling dispersed is essentially the absence of feeling centred. This indicates that for your brain to have a more excellent organization, you must first achieve a sense of inner serenity. Mindfulness training, such as that offered by yoga and meditation, is an excellent place to get started.
8. You have a hard time focusing your attention on things.
Have you recently found it more challenging to focus on tasks? When you read, do you ever get the impression that you are just staring at a bunch of random text on a page?
It has come to light that problems with focusing may be associated with a deteriorating state of mental health. A lack of focus may be related to potential mental health conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, or anxiety. However, it is just as likely that it is a reaction to stress or poor self-care.
It can be annoying to start losing attention regularly, and these feelings are valid even though frustration is not the appropriate response. Remember to take care of yourself, and when you begin to feel better, remember that assistance is available.
9. You are showing less self-control as time goes on.
Do you find that you give in to temptation or act on instinct more frequently than you ought to? Losing self-control could be an indicator of poor mental health. This could be because you are engaging in more "retail therapy," watching more shows in a single sitting, or anything else.
Often, we develop and use these unhealthy behaviours as a means of coping with difficult situations, achieving our goals, and diverting our attention from an issue rooted deeper below the surface. Journaling, practising mindfulness, and engaging in therapy are all beautiful places to start when attempting to identify some of these problems.
10. You have a more difficult time experiencing a sense of being rooted.
Having a sense of self-assurance and equilibrium inside oneself is what it means to be grounded, which is synonymous with feeling centered.
If you do not have a good sense of where you stand in the world, you could experience feelings of helplessness or anxiety regarding activities that are well within your skills. You can also find that even the little things unexpectedly irritate you. Irene Langeveld of MbgMindfulness claims that the "root chakra," also known as the area at the base of the spine, is where grounding begins. This area is believed to make one feel safe and secure (Langeveld). Therefore, activities that connect your body with the environment around you, such as hiking, meditating, or simply taking a walk outside, are all beautiful ways to help you establish a sense of groundedness!
When To See a Doctor?
Every mental disorder has its own unique list of symptoms. However, there are typical ones that could be a red flag. These include:
● Loss of appetite.
● Thinking bad ideas about yourself.
● Frequently feeling nervous or worrying a lot.
● Irritability or moodiness.
● Having difficulties concentrating.
● Not enjoying life as much as you used to.
● Finding day-to-day living tough (getting out of bed, going to work, etc.).
● Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much.
● Seeing or hearing things that are not there.
If you have experienced any of these changes over the recent few weeks or months, you might consider booking an appointment with your family doctor. For women health courses, click here.
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If you feel you would like a better insight into the ongoing mental health problems, we do offer an online Mental Health First Aid courses.
Provided by an instructor qualified under Mental Health First Aid England, allowing yourself to become a qualified Mental Health First Aider.
For further information Email:bookings@yourhealthcareacademy.com
References:
Blundell A (2015, Jan. 06). “Can’t Focus? You Might Have One of These Psychological Health Conditions”. Harley Therapy. Retrieved from https://www.harleytherapy.co.uk/counselling/cant-focus-might-one-psychological-health-conditions.htm
Hanson R (2016, Dec. 14). “Are You All Over the Place”. Psychology Today. Your Wise Brain. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-wise-brain/201612/are-you-all-over-the-place
Jacobson S (2019, Oct. 03). “When Feeling Overwhelmed With Life Means a Mental Health Issue”. Harley Therapy. Retreived from https://www.harleytherapy.co.uk/counselling/feeling-overwhelmed-with-life.htm
Langeveld, I (N.d). “Why Grounding Can Be Difficult Sometimes + What To Do About It”. MbgMindfulness. Retrieved from https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-17987/why-grounding-is-difficult-for-highly-sensitive-people-what-to-do-about-it.html
Pietrangelo A (2019, Jan 29). “Anxiety Nausea: What You Need to Know to Feel Better”. Healthline. Cobb C, reviewed by. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety/anxiety-nausea#coping
Santos-Longhurst A (2018, Oct. 26). “How to Treat and Prevent Mental Exhaustion”. Healthline. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-exhaustion
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