How Do I Know If My Mental Health Has Worsened?

Sometimes we put on autopilot and tell ourselves we’re going to “go all out.” And yet it is not. Because mental health may be weakening, because emotions, stress or anxiety may have taken a toll on us.

How do I know if my mental health has worsened? Beyond what we may think, it is not easy to detect that there is something wrong with us. We are, after all, that society that normalizes anxiety, that believes that being stressed is common and that depression belongs to those who do not know very well how to manage their life.

We continue to conceive of mental health in a distorted way. Many understand mental well-being in terms of insanity or sanity, weakness or strength. Assuming this series of ideas is a big mistake, because everyone, absolutely everyone, can suffer at some point a psychological problem and this does not make us less suitable, it makes us human.

Likewise, it is important to remember the definition made by the World Health Organization (WHO) on mental health: ‘it is a state of emotional, social and personal well-being in which the individual is aware of their aptitudes to face common problems of life. Also, this allows you to work and enjoy your social relationships to develop with satisfaction ‘ .

So let’s face it, we don’t always succeed in meeting these goals. We don’t always feel that emotional balance with which we can handle everyday challenges. Psychological well-being is not something that comes from the factory. Sometimes it weakens and there are times when, for various reasons, we are missing and it hurts.

Man wondering how to tell if my mental health has worsened

Keys to know if my mental health has worsened

Sometimes we forget. One of the pillars that makes a country progress socially, humanly and economically is mental health. Without it, everything falls, everything collapses and is meaningless. In turn, this psychological well-being depends on multiple factors: emotional support, job opportunities, health care, a social context free of conflict, discrimination, violence …

We could say that there is continuous feedback in all those spheres that surround the individual. What surrounds us affects us and, in turn, depending on our psychological state, we will filter everything that surrounds us. Understanding this, it is necessary to normalize this area once and for all.

If we can’t say that we have diabetes or a heart problem, the same should be true for postpartum depression, bipolar disorder, or generalized anxiety.

Normalizing mental illnesses and disorders is accepting them, integrating them and above all respecting those who suffer from them. Knowing how to detect them early and take the step to request expert help is a priority. So let’s learn how to know if mental health has worsened in recent weeks or months.

I feel nervous, anxious and irritable

Changes in mood are often the first indicator of a problem. Feeling more irritable, angry, perceiving that we lack patience and that everything bothers us are revealing aspects. However, yes, these realities must be a constant, something that lasts beyond three weeks.

Forgetfulness, trouble concentrating

There are times when it is difficult to maintain attention, think, make decisions and even follow the thread of a conversation, etc. They are those days when it is also common to forget things, not remember that we had met someone, that we had to do this, deliver the other …

Often behind these realities there is usually an anxiety disorder.

Changes in eating and resting habits

One of the aspects to know if my mental health has worsened, is also to attend to how we sleep and how we eat. There are those who are affected by severe insomnia all of a sudden. On the other hand, others sleep excessively, they always feel exhausted and only think about closing their eyes and resting.

Likewise, it is important to attend to the person’s eating habits. Behaviors like binge eating or losing your appetite are two important indicators.

Stop enjoying what we liked to start isolating ourselves

The gradual disconnection from the environment, as well as apathy and putting aside our hobbies are important aspects to consider. Psychological well-being is also determined by our ability to enjoy leisure and delight ourselves with our friends, family …

Noticing that many of these things lose interest and meaning to us should convince us to consider the need to ask for help.

The obsessions that cloud our lives

Sometimes a person can become obsessed with a dimension, ideas or situations to the point of not being able to do anything else. We are not only talking about irrational or negative thoughts, such as believing that everything is going to go wrong or that I am worthless.

Sometimes, we can find ourselves in situations in which it is very difficult, for example, stop watching certain content on the internet or think that they are watching us.

You want to cry almost every moment

It does not matter that something concrete has happened to us or that the world is falling apart … There are sadnesses that cling to one without explanation and days when we only feel like crying. Now, it is true that we can experience this for a short period of time and then return to normal without major significance.

To know if my mental health has worsened, it is important to probe my mood. If inside us there are always mists and a constant urge to cry, it is time to talk to someone who can help us.