When to Seek Therapy for Your Mental Health
Life can be an emotional roller coaster. Some days, we feel stressed. Some days, we’re elated. And, some days, we are just feeling down. It is all a normal part of life. However, when negative emotions and stress seem to be overstaying their welcome, it may signal that there is something deeper going on.
If your stress, emotions, or feelings of depression have begun to impact your quality of life, it may be time to seek the help of a professional. If you are unsure about your own need to seek mental health care, we are here to help you. This Mental Illness Awareness Week, we are going to be talking about the signs that it may be time to seek mental health care from a professional.
What is Mental Illness?
We’ve all experienced physical illnesses. Maybe you caught a cold and were bedridden for a week. Perhaps you broke a bone and had to nurture it back to health. Or maybe you experienced some other physical ailment that stopped you in your tracks.
Mental illness can slow you down, as well. In the same way that our bodies ache and weaken when they are sick, our minds act the same. Mental illnesses impact a person’s mood, emotions, thinking patterns, and behaviors.
They can be caused by our genes, life experiences, relational issues, physical conditions, behaviors, or a mix of all five. If you believe you are experiencing a mental illness, it is important to note that you are not alone. In any given year, nearly one in five U.S. adults will experience mental illness. That is an incredibly significant number.
Mental illnesses are typically treatable. Similar to physical illnesses, the earlier one seeks help for their mental illness, the more effective treatment tends to be.
Common Signs and Symptoms of Mental Illness
- Sadness that does not seem to fade
- Loss of interest in the things that once brought you joy
- Changes to eating and sleeping habits
- Increased fatigue or restlessness
- Extreme mood swings
- Hallucinations and delusions
- Substance use and abuse
- Paranoia
- Thoughts of self-harm, death, or suicide
Signs it May Be Time to Seek Mental Health Care
If your mental health is impacting your ability to live a high-quality life, it can be crucial to seek the help of a mental health professional. Untreated mental illness can impact your health, career, relationships, mood, and overall quality of life. Any mental health struggles that impact your ability to enjoy life are good enough reason to seek mental health help, but here are five common signs it is time to talk to a therapist.
Stress Has Overtaken Your Life
Has being stressed out become your new normal? Stress is a normal part of life, but consistent feelings of stress can have serious ramifications on both your mental and physical health. If you are experiencing stress more often than not, talking to a therapist may help you learn healthy ways to reduce and cope with these feelings.
Anxiety Has Started to Impact Your Day-to-Day
Anxiety appears very similar to stress and can also begin to take a serious toll on your mental and physical health. Perhaps you have found yourself experiencing fears so intense they impact your day-to-day. Or, maybe you find yourself feeling anxious for no reason you can think of. Whatever the reason you are experiencing anxiety, therapy can help you understand why you feel this way and learn healthy coping mechanisms to help reduce the stressful emotion.
You Feel Depressed More Often Than Not
We all go through ruts from time to time, experiencing days where we just don’t feel like ourselves. However, when your depressed mood seems to be sticking around, it may be time to seek the help of a mental health professional. Depression is a serious mental illness that should not be ignored, and the earlier you seek help for the disorder, the quicker you will be able to begin feeling happier and healthier.
Your Relationships Are Suffering
Have you been socially isolating? Have you found yourself pushing everyone away? Do your relationships appear to be smothered in turmoil in conflict? If your relationships are suffering, it may be a sign that your mental health is suffering, too. Seeking the help of a therapist can help you understand just what is going on, find a way to get you feeling healthier, and learn communication skills to strengthen your interpersonal bonds.
Your Emotions Feel Out of Your Control
Whether you are struggling to rein in your anger, work through your sadness, or cope with your stress, a mental health professional will be able to help you. Developing emotional regulation skills can play a huge role in living a high-quality life. Unfortunately, we were not all taught this important life skill. Fortunately, it is not too late.
You’ve Experienced a Life Event You Need Help Processing
Life has a way of switching directions and throwing painful and confusing obstacles at you. Sometimes, we need the help of a professional to work through the roller-coaster of emotions these events leave us to deal with. If you have recently experienced trauma or dealt with a significant life change and need help processing the turmoil left behind, a mental health professional is a great option for doing just that.
The Importance of Mental Health
Your mental health is just as important to your quality of life as your physical health. It impacts your emotional, social, psychological, and cognitive well-being.
Believe it or not, your mental health impacts your physical health, as well. The two intermingle and depend on each other to work their best. When your mental health is struggling, it can become difficult to care for your physical health properly, leading to a number of health issues that will send you down the rabbit hole of constant illness.
Your mental health impacts the way you view the world, too. It doesn’t matter how sunny your world may technically be. If your mental health is struggling, that sunny world can quickly begin to feel dark, lonely, and gloomy.
As your view of the world is impacted, your relationships will be, as well. With a cynical view of the world, healthy relationships, ability to trust, and communication skills can quickly be impacted, leading to social isolation and interpersonal turmoil.
It doesn’t matter how old you are, what you look like, or how well you take care of your physical well-being. When your mental health is suffering, everything else will suffer along with it. Nobody is immune to this fact.
Having a healthy mind will allow you to face obstacles with greater resiliency, develop discipline to pursue a high-quality life, and create meaningful and loving relationships.
We Are Here for You
If your mental health is struggling, know that you do not have to suffer alone. We are here to help. Contact us today, and we will work with you on your path to healing. Our kind and compassionate counselors will partner with you to discover why you are feeling this way and work to find the right treatment to get you feeling like yourself again.
References
https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/what-is-mental-illness
Keywords: mental health, therapy, counselor, mental illness