Self Knowledge Now

10 Warning Flags that your mental health needs a Psychotherapist or Counselor

Mental health is gaining gradual importance in terms of the overall health of a body. So, anything that bothers the mental stability has a direct or indirect connection with the physiology and biology of the person. Time and again, it is essential to understand self, especially during the most critical conditions. For recurrent mental disturbances associated with psychological stability, it is often advised that one should visit a psychologist, therapist or counselor. There is a common stigma about the kind of people who visit a psychotherapist or counselor which keeps the people at a distance from consulting them.

Taking the first step is tough, but, in some situations, your mental health needs just that, to break through the barriers of societal stigmas. However, it takes time and self awareness to take forward a step to self-care and then prioritizing psychological well-being. Psychologists and mental health experts recommend that the earlier the therapy is initiated, the better the progress nurtures the mental health.

Here are a few warning signs that will help you with self-awareness and drive you to consult a psychotherapist or counselor:

l  Grieving over loss: The loss of a loved one is a very hard time. The same also runs parallel to losing a job or relationship which creates a void in our mental and emotional space. It requires a lot of strength and resilience to get things to normal when experiencing a loss and therapy can act as an aid to reduce the pain of the loss.

l  New changes: Change is the law of the nature but most of the times difficult to accept. New changes like change of location, job or career path may be challenging and often impacts our mental space. People normally going abroad for education or employment highly experience an emotional crunch because of changes in lifestyle pattern and culture. Sometimes, change also is a marriage or having kids which opens up a tussle with new adjustments and compromises which can be very taxing mentally and emotionally. Counseling in such scenario can act as an aid to simplify the whole settlement of new changes.

l  Constant mood swings: Almost everyone experiences mood swings. However, watching out with the intensity and frequency is important. If you have regular bouts of aggression, crying or sulkiness, it might impact your usual lifestyle, thinking and working ability. It also hampers the productivity of the daily chores and professional tasks.   

l  Fear/Phobias or Disorders: Sometimes, what starts as a casual incidence of fear, develops into a fixated and stagnant habit. “Fear is in the mind”, but it can have a deeper impact even on the physiology. Psychologists come across clients experiencing all types of fears such as of heights, darkness, water, social interaction, germs, dust, claustrophobia which are dealt with various behavioral therapies. Apart from phobias, another common pattern of disrupted emotional health is developed disorders related to consumption of food, moods, and personality. Women, but also men, constantly struggle from a range of eating disorders. Researchers link obesity and binge-eating to disrupted experiences or cultivated habits associated to eating too much or not eating food at all. It is important to consult a therapist for erratic lifestyle outcomes developed from the phobias or disorders to avert any extreme situations.

l  Physical exhaustion without much efforts: During any recurrent emotional or mental trauma, most of the regular energy of the body is utilized to cope up with the stress and anxiety. It drains the body’s energy to complete regular tasks and develops the feeling of physical exhaustion. On regular incidence of fatigue driven by meagre physical efforts, therapy assistance can help carve the way and ease the pressure on mind.

l  Physiological or Biological impact: Mental health problems take a toll on the physical functioning. You may have bouts of moderate to intense headache, fastened heartbeats and sudden sweating during any panic attack or anxiety. As the situation worsens, one may even have hunger pangs or not feel hungry at all, insomnia or feeling too sleepy, and lack of sex drive. You may even experience extreme weight gain or weight loss because of the emotional inclination to diet, sleep and mobility. Also, memory loss of painful situations may happen. Physical impact gives a clearly alarming indication about the need to relax, unwind and have counseling sessions to nurture mental health.

l  Inability to express any issue or event: Some traumatic situations hold a lot of weight on our emotional and mental space. The grip can actually inhibit the person from being able to express the anxiety and pain it has caused to them. So, if there is any incident of humiliation, rejection or of any physical or mental assault that you cannot talk to your friends, family or let go off your thoughts smoothly, it is a clear sign to surrender your psychology to an expert and let go off the burden.

l  Social withdrawal: A common observation for anxiety and depressed people is their gradual disconnection from their social life. So, if you feel the urge to self-isolate, keep distance from socializing with friends, families or colleagues, which you would generally not in a normal scenario, your psychology is silently screaming for help. In these situations of social withdrawal, the first step is to accept that in any normal scenario, you would approach your family and friends, and it is a healthy thing to do. Self-isolation can only make the negativity aggravate, so, reaching out for help and keeping it off is the necessary implication.

l  Abuse and Addiction: As human beings, we generally retort to escaping the stress most of the times. This tendency of escapism and also in various cases, sheer negligence to body needs or social pressure pushes human psychology to delve into easy options or habits of drinking, smoking, or consuming weed and drugs. Alcohol and smoking are the common addiction aesthetics which eventually culminate into abuse. Addiction can also be related to excessive sexual urges and porn watching, binge-eating which culminates into eating disorders and unhealthy relationship between mind, body and food and sometimes with even tea or coffee. For a better relationship of self with mind, body and spirit, getting rid of addiction is the next important issue that should drive one to a therapist.

l  Extreme mental pressure to follow a daily routine: If you find yourself constantly and repeatedly struggling to get out of bed daily, pressurizing and bribing self to continue with just the mundane chores of brushing, taking bath, combing your hair, eating meals, going to work, coming back from work, your mind and your body are giving you a warning signal to take a break and fix your mental health.

If you experience all these battles almost daily, it is time to shift your priorities towards your mental health and taking a leap of faith by consulting mental health experts. And, assure yourself that it is completely normal, okay and humane in the social bubble to take a step for your emotional and mental well-being. 

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