Mental health is one of the most
vital portions of life. It influences how one feels, thinks, and performs. A
person’s well-being widely depends on their mental health. It also impacts
others around them and their relationship with them. Biological issues, life
events, and family history affect mental health mostly. Good mental health
makes one realize their complete potential, handle stress well, work
productively, and contribute to surroundings better. As important as it is, mental
well-being is often neglected and people usually don’t make much effort to
improve it, which is not how it should be, especially in the present world
where every 3 out of 5 people have deteriorating mental health. This is very
concerning as most people are not even aware that they’re not handling stress
well.
Some signs indicate if it’s
getting worse or not. These include:
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Irregular Sleep
Usually, 8-9 hours is the maximum
time one should get to be asleep as it is the perfect period for
the mind and the body to relax and shed all the exertion of the day. Sleeping
too little or sleeping too much are two extremes of irregularity in a sleep
cycle. This happens when a person does not have enough peace of mind to get a
good night’s sleep. It is not only due to lack of mental solitude but also
worsens the conditions even more if not tackled.
Irregular Meals
Taking proper and regular meals
is extremely important for the body for it to stay energetic and get through
the day. Usually, 2 or 3 meals are taken for good health. Eating too little or
too much is an indication of some disorder. The body and mind are supposed to
go hand in hand. Extreme concern about body image is a huge cause of such
behavior. Not eating proper meals with all the essential portions of nutrients
may lead to eating disorders and a person might become bulimic or anorexic.
Lack of Energy
Feeling low and having no
enthusiasm in your day-to-day lifestyle is an indication that you might need
counseling. Lack of energy and motivation makes it harder for a person to live
their life to the fullest. It also decreases efficiency, makes one feel burnt
out most of the time, and makes it hard to stay interested in daily tasks as
well. Even the most usual activities seem difficult to a mentally exhausted
person and they find trouble in performing daily tasks.
Difficulty in Relationships
When one feels tired and done
with themselves, they often tend to project their exhaustion to their
surroundings, which makes them not want to indulge in social gatherings, put
minimum effort into their relationships, and pushing people away which affects
all types of their relationships directly or indirectly. This is not always
intentional, their need to be alone and sulk makes them behave in such a way.
Others need to understand them and make the person feel like they can confide
in them.
Hopelessness
Hopelessness is a dark place. It
pushes a person into pits of depression. A person feeling despondent sometimes
is natural human behavior but if this feeling becomes constant then it might be
a problem that needs to be rectified. Feeling little to no confidence in what
the future holds is like seeing no light at the end of the tunnel. For a
depressed person, life seems hopeless and pointless. They must be talked to
enough and given the needed validation so that they don’t turn insecure about
every little thing they do.
Mood Swings
Quick and sudden changes in one’s
mood are not a normal thing. One minute a person feels calm and the next
melancholy takes over followed by confusion and anger without any external
stimuli is an example of a sudden rollercoaster of mood swings. Severe mood
swings indicate unstable mental health and these deeply impact the perception
of one’s surroundings.
These are all the minor symptoms
indicating that one might be not in a good place mentally and should seek help
before it gets even worse. These are usually prevalent in the majority.
Unfortunately, most of our communities tend to not pay much attention to this
and don’t prioritize therapy. Such issues are dismissed by telling the victim
‘it’s all in your head’, which doesn’t help at all instead makes the person
feel invalid and miserable. We should all come together to raise awareness in
our societies about the risks of bad mental health and promote therapy so that
there is psychological prosperity in our society. If you know someone going
through these things, urge them to take therapy and if you feel like you have
most of these symptoms, well, you know what to do to save yourself.
This article is written by Syeda Hafsa Zainab, one of the contributors at the School of Literature.
