Intro
Mental health issues affect millions worldwide. While plenty of people seek help for their mental health issues, a lot of men still have a hard time reaching out for help. Or talking about their mental health. Let’s change this!
Our body often gives us signs and symptoms that we’re struggling. But if you don’t know what these signs mean, it can be very hard to understand what’s going on. Sometimes, without us even realizing it, our mental health can start affecting our day-to-day lives negatively. And if you’re unaware of this, it can be hard to take steps to improve it. Or reach out for help.
In this blog post, we’re going to explore 3 different signs that you may be struggling with mental health issues. Looking back at my journey with mental health, the 3 signs mentioned below are things I massively struggled with when my mental health was deteriorating. I also talk about my experience with these signs. My hope from writing this is that people who are struggling in a similar way to me, will be able to read this and understand a bit more about their situation. Then take action to improve their health.
3 signs you’re struggling with mental health issues
Please understand that experiencing these symptoms doesn’t necessarily mean you’re struggling with mental health issues. We all occasionally experience changes in mood and sleep patterns. However, if these symptoms persist for two or more weeks, it’s probably time to reach out for some help and speak to your doctor.
1. You have difficulty sleeping
When we’re struggling with mental health issues, we often find it difficult to have a good night’s sleep. Sometimes it’s difficult to get to sleep as we’re worried about what the next day will bring, even if we feel incredibly tired. Or we’re overthinking everything we’ve said or done that day. Sometimes we wake up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep as we’re anxious about what the future holds. Difficulty sleeping often comes from heightened levels of anxiety, fear, and worry.
My experience:
When my mental health was at its worst, I had incredible difficulty sleeping. I would lay there in bed, tossing and turning, replaying, and overthinking the day’s events constantly. My thoughts would spiral out of control and the only thoughts I would have were negatives about myself. Things like ‘How could you be so stupid’ or ‘everyone thinks you’re an idiot for saying that’. Come the morning I didn’t want to get out of bed and because of my terrible night’s sleep, my anxiety levels were heightened massively.
I discovered for myself that less sleep = more anxiety.
2. You stop doing/avoid things you enjoy
We’ve all got skills, passions, and hobbies we enjoy doing in our spare time. Like playing sports, doing drama, or painting pictures. And we’ve all got people who we enjoy spending our time with like family members or our friends. But, when we’re struggling with mental health issues, we start to withdraw from these activities, sometimes without even realising it. For example, you might love playing football, but when football night comes around the thought of going is daunting, so you make up an excuse to stay at home watching Tv. Or your best mate invites you out for a meal, but the thought of meeting up with them is getting you anxious. So you create an excuse, so you don’t have to go. Every now and then we might not do these things as we’re genuinely tired, and that’s okay. But when you find yourself constantly avoiding doing activities you enjoy doing that’s a big sign that you’re struggling and need some help.
My experience:
As my mental health deteriorated, I found myself creating more & more excuses to miss family events. Or avoid going out with my friends. It got to the point where I would switch my phone off for days sometimes weeks on end just so no one could get hold of me. This only made my anxiety worse as I was constantly overthinking what everyone thought of me when I would go into hiding…
3. You start using more substances to cope
When we’re struggling to cope with our day-to-day life, it’s easy to turn to substances like drugs and alcohol. Often without realizing it, we start to use these substances as coping mechanisms to get through the day. And while we think substances like alcohol will help us feel better, they will always make us feel worse in the long run. We often turn to these substances to escape from our reality. But as time goes on we require more & more of the same substance to get the same effects. If you’ve found yourself drinking more alcohol or taking more drugs to escape, it might be time to ask yourself if you’re struggling and need some help…
My experience:
When my mental health was at its lowest point, I found myself self-medicating with multiple substances including alcohol and Xanax. While I thought they offered me a short-term solution in the way of an escape, I became fully dependent on them. It also made my battle with my mental health 10 times worse. It also turned me into a horrible person, who was wasted 90% of the time.
Conclusion
If any of these 3 things have helped you realize you’re struggling with your mental health I want you to know that you’re not alone. You have got this! Understanding that you’re struggling is the first step along the healing process. When you’re aware of what’s going on it can be easier to take action to improve your health. Rather then struggling alone reach out to your best mate for a chat. Or if you don’t want to do that, send me an email. You’ve got this brother!
Also, I just want to add that I’m not a medical professional. Everything I talk about is from my own experience with my mental health. My hope from writing this is that more people will begin to understand if they are struggling and inspire them to reach out for help. To understand more about mental health issues from professionals, check out this page here.