Life can get stressful and put anyone through a rough patch at one point or another. But while you might be able to deal with temporary high-stress levels and low motivation, these feelings can become overwhelming. And, if they do, it’s worth looking into the benefits of getting therapy.
In the US, over 1 in 4 adults suffer from a diagnosable mental health illness each year. If you suspect that your mental health is undermined by anxiety, stress, depression, or addiction, addressing the issue as soon as possible is the first step toward recovery.
Here are the telltale signs that you may consider therapy…
1. You Often Feel Anxious and Overwhelmed
A poll conducted by APA in 2021 showed that a growing number of Americans suffer from sustained anxiety. Around 41% of US adults report being more anxious than in past years, and around 60% of those surveyed cited personal finances, their children’s well-being, and the pandemic as main stressors.
But while feeling stressed or anxious occasionally might be a natural part of life, these feelings might develop to take over your entire life. If you have started to constantly feel overwhelmed, unable to finish your daily tasks, overly stressed, or anxious, it is time to talk to a therapist.
2. You Are Struggling to Control Your Emotions
Some emotions, including high levels of irritability, mood swings, anger, and weariness, might be a telltale sign that you should trust therapy to bring your life back to balance.
These feelings, if they persist, might take over your life, affect your relationship, and lead to severe health problems, including sleep and breathing disruptions.
Consider talking to a mental health professional if you have noticed that aggressiveness and irritability episodes escalate quickly or are out of proportion.
3. You Resort to Unhealthy Coping Habits
If you have been struggling with anxiety, the chances are that you might have established coping mechanisms to deal with these overwhelming feelings. Unfortunately, some of the most common coping habits include alcohol drinking – the go-to stress relief for over 20% of people with anxiety – and substance abuse, but also risky behaviors and addictive behaviors.
These habits can have counterproductive consequences on your finances, relationships, career, and health. If you have started to drink excessively and you wish to find the motivation to quit alcohol and restore your life, a therapist can help.
4. Poor Mental Health Is Interfering With Your Life
Poor mental health and psychological conditions can affect all aspects of your life and feel overwhelming.
Anxiety and mood disorders like depression can cause you to feel unmotivated, weary, irritable, and out of control. But, mental disorders can lead to a wide range of physical health conditions including chronic inflammation, pain, weakened immune system, headaches, and high blood pressure.
If you have noticed that your poor mental health is also interfering with your relationships, affecting your work life, and leading to aggressive or depressive episodes, a tailored outpatient treatment such as Roots Through Recovery can help you recover without major disruptions to your current lifestyle.
5. You Started Isolating and Withdrawing From Social Situations
Some social situations can feel stressful to everyone. However, socialization and having a solid support system in place is essential to safeguard your mental well-being.
Avoiding a certain situation might feel like a great strategy to keep your feelings under control at first but, in the long-term, isolating yourself can disrupt relationships and cause you to leave behind activities that have brought you joy in the past.
6. You Often Feel at Loss and Unmotivated
No matter at what stage of your life you are, the chances are that you have daily responsibilities to manage and projects to take off the ground. However, struggling with mental health conditions can cause you to feel lost and unmotivated, and can reduce your productivity.
According to research, employees with unresolved depression experience a 35% reduction in productivity, contributing to a loss to the U.S. economy of $210.5 billion a year in absenteeism, reduced productivity, and medical costs.
If you struggle to complete daily tasks and you never seem to find enough time for self-care or to dedicate to the activities you love, a therapist can highlight any underlying mental health concerns.
7. You Have Noticed Changes in Your Baseline Behavior
Are you sleeping more than normal? Are your meals much bigger or smaller than they used to be? Do you find yourself getting easily stressed or overwhelmed by what once seemed easy?
Changes in your routine, personality, and behaviors are symptoms that a mental health issue might be affecting your emotions and interactions. For example, according to SleepFoundation.org, over 75% of people with depression deal with sleep problems, and around 65% of those with anxiety feel unwell or tired after eating.
Working with a therapist is crucial to receive an accurate diagnosis – especially in the presence of multiple, interconnected conditions – and find the most efficient treatment plan for your needs.
8. You Often Obsess Over an Event, Ruminate, or Overthink
Replaying a conversation in our mind and imagining other ways in which it could have evolved is something most people do occasionally.
However, if you have noticed that you have been spending an increased amount of time obsessing over an event, or overthinking something that you’ve said or done, this might be a sign that you are struggling with processing experiences.
While learning to process emotions can take time, a therapist can help you visualize what feelings you are experiencing, introduce a more efficient processing system, and act on an emotion accordingly.
9. You Have Thoughts of Harming Yourself
Every year, in the US, nearly 45,800 people take their lives, making suicide one of the leading causes of death in America. What’s more, mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression play a major role in over 50% of suicide attempts.
If you have been thinking of harming yourself or have suicidal thoughts, working with a specialized mental health professional can help you deal with depression, boost your mental well-being, address the root causes of your condition, and prevent fatal accidents.
10. Simply, You Think You Need Therapy!
While the stigma around therapy is still a major factor preventing most people from getting the help they need, one of the most powerful reasons for seeking help is that, simply, you feel like you need it.
No matter whether you have noticed one or more of the symptoms listed above, your anxiety and depression are taking over your life, or you just wish to improve your general well-being, therapy is a surefire way to restore your mental health and regain control of your emotions.
Thanks to today’s specialized treatments, over 60% of patients with severe anxiety and depression see significant improvements in the long- and short-term. But therapy can be just as beneficial for those who are looking for a prevention strategy to safeguard their mental well-being!