Signs You Need a Mental Health Day
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and as part of a holistic wellness spa that emphasizes the importance of self care, I really wanted to take this month to write a few pieces focusing on mental health challenges and fixes. I have long struggled with my mental health but am also a person who is highly driven towards self care, and I find that when I am able to prioritize it most is when I see the best results in my wellbeing. We will get into these tools in next week’s blog, but for now, let’s look at some signs that may indicate your need for a mental health day.
Exhaustion
You feel physically and mentally tired, even when you may not have exerted much energy. Some days you wake up ready for the day to be over, and sometimes you struggle with falling asleep or staying asleep. The extra mental load that you are carrying depletes all of your energy stores, tiring you in all areas.
Frequent Illness
Did you know that the state of your mental health directly affects your immune system? Folks who deal with immense stress, depression, and anxiety may also experience increased inflammation, increased risk of infection or autoimmune diseases, and decreased immune function.
Heightened Emotions
You may experience elevated levels of anger, sadness, irritability, anxiety, and you may face mood swings. This is because it takes a lot out of us to regulate our emotions, and elevated stress hormones make us more prone to feeling this way.
Feeling Unmotivated and Disengaged
Work isn’t enjoyable anymore, and you lack the motivation to show up as your best self. All of your energy is spent up from being in survival mode, and there is no capacity to work hard or have meaningful interactions with others.
Change in Appetite
Stress hormones affect everyone differently, and you may experience either heightened or suppressed appetite. Increased cortisol increases acid production in the stomach, which is meant to help you digest food quickly in a fight-or-flight situation. Stress often manifests as physical symptoms such as nausea or stomach knots, tense/tight muscles, and more. Conversely, poor nutrition and blood sugar fluctuations greatly impact your cognitive function, so it’s a vicious cycle to get stuck in.
Difficulty Focusing
Mental health episodes can cause you to have a hard time focusing because of changes in brain function and cognitive processes. When you are in a constant state of hypervigilance, there is less activation of the parts of the brain that are responsible for thinking, attention, decision-making, and memory.
All in all…
If you find yourself facing any number of these symptoms with no other underlying issues, you may be experiencing burnout and mental fatigue. It is crucial to be aware of these signs and take a break when needed- as the saying goes, you can’t pour from an empty cup. Replenishing your own energy allows you to better support others, and the people around you can tell when you are feeling overwhelmed.
It’s also important to be mindful of these signs so that moving forward, you are able to catch these symptoms early on and give yourself the break that you need before things continue to escalate. It is often better to be in the practice of self care habits as a form of prevention rather than just as a form of treatment when things get to feeling rough, but more on this next week! Next time you feel these indicators at play, do what you need to do to feel better. Call off work, cancel your plans, order in, sleep all day, move your body; whatever it takes to get you feeling rested and ready to tackle the next day! Thank you for reading and as always, take care of yourselves.