We’re human, and sometimes, life gets tough. As much as we would like to pretend that we have it all together, we all suffer at times – and this fact is nothing to be ashamed of. Many functional beings, as well as those who have suffered from severe depression, are living more fulfilled and enriched lifestyles after seeking professional help for their mental and emotional health. Here seven ways to evaluate if you too are in need of a psychological intervention.
- You Feel Sad Most of the Time
We all have moments of melancholy, but we should not experience sadness every day of our lives. If you are trying to determine whether or not it is appropriate to feel sad or not, you must assess the nature of your sadness. Firstly, why are you feeling down? To your surprise, you may notice that you feel this way for no reason at all, sometimes just out of habit. Other times you may realize that you still have the blues over something that occurred a long time ago that you have not made peace with or over trivial things like mistakes you have made in the past, the opinions of others, or unfair expectations that you have over life. All of these things may be disappointing to a degree, but if you find yourself falling into unhappiness every day due to these issues, it is about time for a psychological intervention.
- You Lack Energy
Anyone is bound to feel a bit tired after a long day of work or running time-consuming errands, but if you struggle to muster up the energy to get out of bed each day, there may be a serious problem. By this time, you have probably tried getting to bed at an earlier time and rarely skip your morning cup of coffee, yet these habits haven’t made much difference. No matter what you do, getting out of bed seems to be your biggest chore and it is an act of Congress to carry out your routine duties. Unfortunately, this is not a case of normal fatigue. These issues indicate dysfunction within both your mental and emotional state that can better be assessed by a mental health professional.
- You Have an Unhealthy Relationship with Food
When you aren’t functioning properly on a mental and emotional level, your relationship with food may be the first to undergo a drastic change. Food often is regarded as therapeutic – hence the popular phrase “emotional eating”. As the term suggests, the state of your being can dictate how much food you intake as well as their quality. Someone suffering internally may overeat and overindulge in sweets to attain an emotional high. On the flipside, someone suffering in that same state may even avoid food or undereat. Both are detrimental instances, however, they are still treatable.
- You Abuse Substances
In times of internal discontentment, drugs or alcohol will often come into play. People will self-medicate to numb the negative effects of life and pull away from the outside world. This coping mechanism only reduces your power over your circumstances and creates more turmoil. Going out to a bar a couple of nights a week isn’t too damaging, but when you are in need of a drink or a hit in order to make it through the day, you have lost your ability to function as an individual and professional help may be the one thing needed to come out on the other side.
- It Is Difficult For You to Achieve a Good Night’s Rest
No matter how much time you put aside of rest, your body just won’t agree. You may lie awake for hours in the dark in hopes of falling into a lifeless slumber or may unintentionally wake up several times causing you to spend your entire night tossing and turning. Insomnia and restless nights have become a norm or even worse, you may have slept eight hours only to wake up just as tired as you were before. As with eating, sleep is a vital part of our mental and emotional wellbeing and when we aren’t functioning properly, these areas of our lives tend to suffer the most.
- You Suddenly Have No Hobbies
The things that were once enjoyable to you are no more. You have abandoned your favorite bar and club spot, have been skipping out at the gym, no longer paint on Friday nights, and have stopped taking phone calls from your friends. These things have suddenly become uninteresting. In fact, nothing really is fun for you anymore. Sound familiar? If so, you should seek psychological help immediately. As humans, we require pleasurable moments and when we aren’t able to savor these times, our lives are in disarray and depression and stressful periods often follow.
- Your Friends and Family Have Notice
Even if you are in denial or just haven’t taken notice of the negative changes that have been consuming your life, chances are, your friends and family have realized that something is off. Perhaps they have mentioned the decline in your emotional state and have drilled you for an explanation. Or maybe they have chosen to not spend as much time with you as a means of keeping the negativity away. Whatever the case, if the ones that are closest to you have identified an issue, it is time to address the matter so that it doesn’t spill over in other areas of your life.
We are living in an age in which mental health is highly regarded and there are several measures that can be taken to improve our emotional wellbeing and overall quality of life. Reach out to one of our trusted Mental Health Psychologists to help you identify which areas are causing you the most trouble and what can be done to get your life back on track.
