5 Indications that Your Mental Health is at Risk

Mental health disorders can affect your daily life in many different ways. These issues will affect your mood, how you think, how you perceive yourself, and how you behave. They can and do interfere with the quality of your life, especially when you are not able to function normally in society due to a severe disorder. The more common mental health disorders include generalized anxiety, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, bulimia, and anorexia. You may have one or more of these disorders, and you will likely need professional help if you do.

5 Indications that Your Mental Health is at Risk
[image: pexels by cottonbro]

However, you may be wondering how you can tell if you have a mental health issue. Are you just down on your luck, or are you dealing with a real problem? Here are five indications that your mental health is at risk.

1. Long lengths of sadness

Depression is a lot more than just feeling down here and there. It’s perfectly natural to have to deal with a bad day now and again, and we all have sad events happen to us at some point. However, you may be noticing that you are not as happy as you normally are for longer periods. You don’t find enjoyment in the same activities as you used to. Even participating in some of your normal activities makes you feel drained and stressed out. If your mood has been low for weeks or months, this could be a sign of a mental health issue.

2. Changes in eating habits

Our mental health disorders will often cause major changes in the way we eat. For many, anxiety and depression cause a loss of appetite. You may not feel like you have any energy left to fix a meal, and you don’t even care if you eat during the day. For others, mental health disorders cause overeating. You find yourself binge eating all of your favorite comfort foods to give yourself some temporary relief from the bad feelings and thoughts. Some mental health issues will eventually cause major eating disorders to develop, such as anorexia or bulimia. If you have noticed a huge change in your eating habits, it may be time to see a doctor.

3. Changes in sleeping habits

Much like our eating habits, mental health issues can cause various changes when it comes to the way we sleep. The most common problem is feeling tired all of the time, no matter how much sleep you are getting at night. You may be sleeping more hours of the day than you are awake when you are dealing with a mental health concern. On the flip side, your issues may be causing you to lose sleep. Extreme anxiety and worry can easily keep you up at night, no matter how tired you may be.

4. Withdrawal from social activities

You may have been a social butterfly in the past. Now, you can barely get out of the house to shop for groceries, let alone go out with your friends! The thought of being with a happy group of people is enough to make you want to crawl right back under the covers. This type of behavior is indicative of a mental health concern. The fun activities that you have always been happy to do have now been put on the back burner. You feel like you will never want to go out and have a good time again.

5. Extreme highs and lows

We all have times when we are happier than normal. We also have times where we are sadder than normal, too. But when you start dealing with extreme highs and lows every day, you may be dealing with a mental health disorder. Bi-polar disorder is one issue that will cause you to feel manic for days. You get plenty done while you are feeling this way, until you crash and burn. Then, you won’t want to get out of bed. If you are manic for days at a time and then depressed and sad for the rest, over and over again, you may need to talk to a professional.

If you are dealing with even one of these five concerns, it is important to speak with a doctor or therapist right away. Talking to a therapist Brisbane should be the first step to taking care of your mental health. There is no shame in needing help, the sooner the better.

Autobiography

Elizabeth is a renowned leader in the space of Health and Mental Wellness topics. Her work has appeared on more than a dozen influential sites and blogs. Her articles both focus on providing valuable information and an entertaining read that her readers enjoy. More about her work on - ELIZABETHMARKS.me