Mental health, just like physical health, affects everyone, whether you are suffering from a mental illness or not. Your mental and emotional health can fluctuate from time to time depending on the stresses going on in your life. So it’s always a good idea, to check in with yourself and try to gauge the direction your mental health is going in. With that said, here are ten signs that your mental health is getting worse.

It’s the little thing

You’re losing interest in the little things. Do your favorite activities suddenly seem meh to you? If you’ve started to lose excitement for life’s little things, then this is a sign that your mental health might not be at its best. You might be feeling this way because of an overload of stress in your life or you’re feeling overwhelmed with all of your responsibilities and to-do lists.

When you lose interest and don’t enjoy the hobbies and activities that you once did, this could also be a warning sign of depression. If you think this could be what’s happening to you, know that you are not alone, and that help is just around the corner. Talk with a trusted friend, a family member, or a coach/psychologist to get the help you need to navigate these troubling times.

Overwhelmed

You get overwhelmed more easily. Do you find that you’ve been getting overwhelmed more often than normal? When you have a to-do list for two or three tasks, does it feel more like you have ten things to do? When you start to get overwhelmed easily with everyday things, this could be a sign of worsening mental health. According to Psychotherapist Sheri Jacobson, feeling mentally overwhelmed could be an internal reaction to excessive outside stress. To help cope with this overwhelming feeling you can journal, meditate, or practice mindfulness.

I’m staying in

You don’t feel like socializing that much anymore. Does it feel more exhausting to interact with people nowadays, regardless of whether you’re an introvert, extrovert, or somewhere in between? We all have a standard comfort level when it comes to social interaction. If you feel yourself slipping below your comfort level, pay attention to this. Remember that even, if it doesn’t feel that way at the moment, interacting with people can help boost your mood.

Snooze button

You don’t have a consistent sleep schedule. Have you developed a seemingly random sleep schedule, despite wanting to get up at a certain time in the morning? Do you wind up sleeping all day? When you have an irregular sleep schedule, this could signify increased stress in your life and a decline in your mental health. If you’re struggling to regulate your sleep, you can try setting up a routine to wake up and go to bed at the same time every day. This will get your body back into its regular rhythm of sleep and wake cycles, therefore, no longer causing sleep disturbance.

Running on fumes

You always feel drained. Despite getting enough sleep and eating well, do you constantly feel exhausted or drained? Mental exhaustion can set in when you are under long-term stress and, this type of exhaustion can make it feel like you are trying to move up a mountain in a sandstorm.

When you are this drained and constantly exhausted, you might struggle to get anything done. Practicing gratitude, relaxation, and yoga, as well as talking to a mental health professional, to provide medication to you if needed. Treatment plans will look different for everyone, but regardless there is a way that will work best for you, to help yourself out of this state of exhaustion.

Anxious about…, everything

Your anxiety seems to be increasing. Do you wake up in the morning with a crushing sense of anxiety that stays with you all day? Does this anxiety cast a cloud over your daily activities? Worsening anxiety can often coincide with worsening mental health. Anxiety affects us all whether or not you happen, to suffer from a particular anxiety disorder. It’s important to monitor your anxiety levels because a noticeable change can tell you a lot about your mental health. Anxiety is a stress response and it can cause a variety of psychological and physical symptoms. If you feel overly anxious you might notice that your heart rate speeds up and your breathing rate increases and you, might experience a bout of nausea.

Finding focus

You feel mentally and emotionally shattered. Do you feel like there are so many things happening around you, but you can’t focus on any of them? If so, you’re not alone. From time to time it’s normal to feel this way, especially when you are going through higher amounts of stress. However, if you are feeling scattered and things are spinning out of control, this could be a sign that your mental health is under strain. According to psychologist, Rick Hanson from Psychology Today, you probably feel scattered, because you are struggling to find your center. This means that for your brain to feel more organized you need to feel at peace within yourself. Practicing mindfulness such as yoga and meditation are great places to start on the road to inner peace.

Pay attention!

You can’t seem to pay attention. Do you have a harder time focusing and staying on task while reading? Is it hard to comprehend? Do you have to reread the same passage over and over? Though it could relate to potential psychological disorders such as ADHD, depression, or anxiety, it is also likely that your inability to focus can be due to stress or poor self-care. But those feelings are valid and normal during high-stress periods. And so once again, monitor your moods carefully. If the lack of focus continues into low-stress level situations, then there might be a need to take action.

Just one more episode

You might be struggling with your impulse control. Are you? Acting more on impulse? Are you possibly indulging in things you shouldn’t – smoking, excessive alcohol, weed, retail therapy, or bingeing on all of your favorite shows on Netflix or Amazon? Are you over-eating or spending too much time playing video games? When you act more on impulse like this, it can signify worsening mental health. You might be doing these things as a way to cope with a current stressor or distract yourself from life itself.

Journaling, mindfulness, and therapy are great ways to start uncovering some of these issues.

Losing ground

You are struggling to feel, grounded. Similar to feeling centered, when you are grounded, you feel confident and balanced within yourself. Grounding starts with the root chakra at the base of the spine known to help you feel secure. Activities that connect your body with the world around you, such as hiking, meditating, or walking outside, are all great ways to help you find your sense of grounding.

Can you relate to any of the points made in this article? Do you think your mental health could be slipping? If so, know there is help you can reach out to. Remember, you can talk to a trusted friend, family member, or a mental health therapist for support.

This too, shall pass.