10 Warning Signs You Need To Take Care Of Your Mental Health.
Have you ever heard of the story of the frog in hot water? You know that if you dip your foot in a hot bath it’ll be an instinct to withdraw your foot quickly and say ‘ouch’, right? Well, if you put a frog in hot water, the frog will hop out of there quickly. If you put a frog in cold water, however, and you gradually heat it up, the frog will boil to death – happily. The story is all about not realizing the changes in the environment around you until it’s too late, and this is how spiraling mental health starts. You think it’s all fine until it’s not, and that’s when issues come in that are beyond your control.
Mental health issues aren’t just reserved for the most vulnerable in society. You could be living a regular life with your friends and family and still feel crippled by depression. It’s a scary thing to go through, especially when on the outside you do an excellent job of keeping it all together. The good news is that there are options out there to help. Sometimes, mental health issues lead to other mechanisms of coping, such as taking drugs or harming oneself in an attempt to get away from the pain. The good news here, though, is that there are options. From inpatient treatment to specialist help with your doctors, you can get a handle on the mental health issues that you are dealing with. The one thing that can really help you, however, is knowing what the warning signs are that you need to take care of your mental health. Some of those warning signs include the following:
- Your mood is terrible. One of the biggest signs of difficult mental health battles is your mood. Are you experiencing highs that are excessive and lows that are borderline suicidal? The cycling moods can be so difficult to deal with some days, but you deserve better than having to keep trying to deal with it. If you have noticed your moods are swinging between high and low with barely anything in between, then the chances are that your mental health is not coping very well.
- You just really don’t care. Work? Don’t care. School? Don’t care. Family? Whatever. The chronic disinterest that comes with depression is often hard to cope with. You want to be interested but you can’t connect with the world around you. This is a sign that tells you that you’re more preoccupied about what’s happening in your head than the world around you. You should be able to feel the world around you, but if you are numb to it, then there are some things that need work.
- You aren’t taking care of your appearance. If you find that you are starting to smell and your hair is becoming greasier by the day, this is a serious issue. Not only are you becoming an issue to those who have to be around you, but you’re not taking care of your hygiene. Wearing dirty clothes and not showering for days will have a big impact on your mental health and wellbeing. Poor dental care is another typical sign of poor mental health, so when was the last time you brushed your teeth? When you deal with depression, you don’t have the capacity to look after yourself properly.
- You no longer put effort into your relationships. The unfortunate side effect of anxiety and depression is the fact that you no longer care about anyone except yourself because you physically just can’t. The selfishness is due to the changes in your brain, but that doesn’t make it easier on those around you or on yourself, either. If you have a sudden disregard for your relationships, then you need to think about whether you need to get some help now and stop waiting.
- Your finances are bombing. Are you forgetting to pay your bills? Are you even turning up for work these days? It’s very common for those with mental health issues to mismanage their money and drain out their savings accounts to pay for their bills when they cannot work. If you’re not paying your bills but you’re borrowing heavily to pay your way, then this is a good sign you need some extra help.
- You’re shedding weight every day. There are a few reasons that those who have mental health issues experience weight loss like this and the first is that the thoughts in your head are having an impact on their appetite. Those dealing with mental health issues also suffer from impairments in the brain and can’t reason well enough to explain it. This leads to a lack of concern with health and nutrition; not particularly helpful when you need to eat.
- You snap whenever anyone asks. You’re hiding your problems and you’re snappy and defensive whenever anyone asks you about your mood. You revert to childish behavior as a defense mechanism, such as projecting your own impulses or flipping the argument onto the person asking. The people in your life bringing it up are simply concerned for you – they’re not blaming you for feeling this way.
- You can’t stop shivering. There are many different ways that mental health problems manifest physically and shivering is one of them. If you are dealing with symptoms like unusual smells, large pupils, shivering and constantly cold, you might need to get some help.
- You got arrested. If you have – until now – been relatively well behaved and haven’t experienced issues with the legal system, then the chances are that the time has come the law will catch up with you.
- You are withdrawing. It’s been a long time since the last time you took your meds for depression, and your body is starting to react. You’re restless and agitated, trembling and sweating profusely. It’s all a sign that your body is withdrawing from the meds.
If you have noticed any of these signs, then the best thing that you can do is ask for help. There is no shame in needing professional help to get you through your life. There are always those around you willing to make your life easier with you.