Today, I share with you obvious but subtle signs that indicate the early signs of a psychological health issue so that you can find a way to prevent symptoms from forming into more complicated mental disorder. It is hard to get a status on your mental health because it doesn’t show in your blood report how negative your life outlook has become lately, for instance. I wish the blood report would tell us that. Mental health is easy to neglect because you can go for a long time before you start to even feel like breaking down. And if you have started to feel like breaking down, you are in the red already. Therefore, it is important to look for subtle signs that you need help.
You are facing distress in your life
Each mental health problem hinders your regular daily existence, regardless of whether you are at work, at home, at school, or elsewhere. Perhaps your focus gets limited or your energy to complete tasks isn’t there anymore. Possibly you stay away from any communication with your colleagues or friends. If your anxiety, insanity, and depression are making you work inadequately in one of these situations, even for a small period of time, then that is a sure sign to look for professional help. For example, you only need to have your symptoms for 2 weeks to be diagnosed with depression.
Nothing you’ve done appears to have made a difference
Since stigma still exists for mental illness, people try to deal with their struggles on their own. It can be scary to tell someone else that you’re having hard time keeping up with things. I was trying to convince one of my clients the other day that she wants to be comfotable with being anxious when she is experiencing anxiety in class. She does not want to show any external signs of distress to others. I was giving her example she would not do that if she was expericing a migraine for instance. She said, “I rather tell people I have a migraine than saying I am crazy.” Stigma is real. So is the struggle. You might attempt to talk to a friend, go for a workout, take a walk, google the symptoms and some remedies, read a self-help book, etc. However, you are still not performing at your optimal level. I would suggest to seek for professional help if what you have been doing for coping has not worked.
Your family and friends are tired of listening to you
Family and friends are fantastic. They are there for you when times are great, and they are there for you when times are terrible. If you have to share your sentiments or contemplations you’re having; a friend is the first preference.
But if it becomes a repetitive pattern, your friends can get tired of your issues. They begin to pull themselves away from seeing you. They stop answering your messages or don’t accept your call. These might be the signs that you’ve crossed the boundary line. Your family and friends are there for you, but they are not trained professionals who can successfully help you overcome a trauma or a mental disorder. That’s not their job and they have no training in it. In fact, it can hurt them in the process of helping you. If you feel your family and friends are pulling away from you, it’s time you look for a professional help.
You get yourself into drugs, alcohol, and/or abusing someone
When stressful situations arise, you tend to swing yourself to the easiest inclination possible, for example, liquor, cigarettes, or drugs. When these are carried out occasionally, there is nothing wrong in that. But when you are feeling extremely distressed, you switch to one of these and gradually get addicted to it. Furthermore, it’s not only drugs that people get immune to, but they also start abusing others or even continually check Facebook updates to shut out all other issues. More terrible is the point at which you turn your apprehension or outrage towards someone else, for example, a friend or family member. A few people lash out or make their adored one’s life hopeless as a method for endeavoring to feel better about themselves. It’s a sure sign to look for professional help if and when you find yourself abusing something or someone.
People have passed a remark on you
This one is probably the subtlest and most people would disregard it or even get defensive about it. It is when people around you know something is up but you’re still in denial or think you’re handleing it well. Perhaps it was a companion who pulled you aside one day and stated, “Hey, is everything okay? I am worried about you. You know I am always here if you need anything, right?” Or your partner might say, “Look, you require help. You haven’t been yourself in weeks. Nothing I do appears to help; rather, we appear to deteriorate.” Sometimes denial can trick you to believe that you are fine except others around you can tell the difference. Indeed, it is a sign you look for professional help when colleagues and associates start to notice and verbalize that something is up with you.
Better late than never. If you seem to have been suffering from any of these signs mentioned above and no other way seems to have been working out, then it is high time you seek professional help.
