Whether you’re dealing with depression, and anxiety disorder, PTSD, or something else, it’s important to be aware of the multi-faceted effects that mental health troubles can have on your life. Here, we’re going to look at some of the risks you should be keeping an eye on, and what you can do to prevent more damage than necessary.
Lack of self-care
When you’re feeling down on yourself, or you’re simply feeling like you are lacking in energy, then it’s all too easy to let even simple self-care habits slip. This can include taking care of your hygiene, grooming, getting dressed, cleaning your environment, eating proper meals, or staying indoors all day. Sometimes, even a little reminder or incentive can help you take that step to take care of yourself, which can help you feel better like yourself, and apps like Aloe Bud can offer the gentle reminders that you might need.
Self-isolation
You might feel like you wouldn’t be very good company or maybe concerned about burdening others with your problems, but self-isolation is one of the single worst things you can do for your mental health in both the short-term and long term. Having people to talk to and to share with is not just important for your immediate mood, but even plays a role in preventing issues like dementia. If you’re having trouble reaching out to people around you, there are services like 7 Cups that can help you get talking to someone, at least.
Self-medication as a coping mechanism
If you have started using any mood-altering substances to address your mental state, even as simple as alcohol or cigarettes, then this is a problem that needs to be addressed. While it may feel like an immediate fix, it will contribute to the root problem growing much, much larger over time, which is why centers like Sunshine Behavioral Health treat both the dependency and the mental health root causes at the same time. If you can recognize yourself going down this slope, even a little, it’s best to stop and ask for help.
Spending too much time on social media
Social media addiction is not a problem that solely affects those who are struggling, by any means. However, a lot of people will intentionally use it as a “mind-numbing” pastime to help them forget about their problems for a while. However, institutes like Intenet Addicts Anonymous have found that social media addiction can be a serious problem, leading to worsening mental health, as well as being all too effective at draining your time and preventing you from taking care of what responsibilities you might normally be on top of.
The above points are not there to make you feel bad about any mental health problems you might be dealing with, but a call to help you recognize some of the impacts it can have on your life. While you continue to treat and fight against the problem at the root of it, you should also consider what you can do to treat the surface-level effects, too.