What you will learn from this blog:
- The symptoms and root causes of a mental breakdown
- Tips to prevent yourself from spiralling downward
As therapists, we are noticing an increasing number of people being stressed to a breaking point in recent times. This could be caused by:
- Repeated issues such as relationship problems and work pressure
- Unresolved emotions from past traumas come up more intensely
- Experiencing additional crises such as divorce or loss while already burnt out
Signs that one needs to be careful of a mental breakdown include:
- Negative thoughts when one is alone and not doing anything
- Being busy all the time because you don’t want to be alone with your thoughts
- Feeling “dead” inside
- Being easily triggered
- Exhaustion
This blog offers 4 tips on what to do if you notice these symptoms.
If you are facing any of the above and are detected early, you can avoid going into a downward spiral. The more you spiral, the more difficult it will be to get out of it.
Note: The tips in this blog are meant to be preventive. They are NOT steps to take when one is actually experiencing a mental breakdown.
1. Find motivation to do something
The first step is to find the motivation to do something about your situation. This can be very difficult because many people in this situation feel stuck and have given up.
They may feel or think “No matter how hard I try, I can never get what I want. Things never work out for me”.
We (K&K) have been through this several times ourselves. While every experience is unique, what we can share is that feeling this way does not mean it is the end.
Rather, it is a sign that our old ways of living are no longer working, and we need to make changes. Every time we view an emotional crisis as an opportunity to change, we discover a new experience in life.
At the start, you may feel like you have no motivation to do anything, because nothing makes you feel better. This is normal at this stage. Our suggestion is to start small. Go slow and gentle. Sometimes even finding the motivation to do something simple like going for a walk may be very hard.
Focus on the next minute or hour you have. If you have one more minute or one more hour here on earth, what would make this minute or hour worthwhile for you?
It could be to watch a funny cat video on Instagram or to stretch out your body to relieve some tension. Find the energy to do that one small thing, and see how you have the ability to bring some relief.
Gradually find more things you have in your control to change how you feel. Slowly, you find yourself having increasing motivation to get out of your situation.
2. Create a conducive environment for healing
When our willpower is low and emotions are raw, our mood can be easily influenced by our environment. It is like a sensitive wound that needs a protected environment to heal. Here are three tips to create a positive environment that supports our healing:
1.Home
Keep your home bright. Allow as much natural light to come in as possible. Open windows to allow fresh air in. At night, keep a night light on.
2. People
Avoid toxic people as much as possible. Spend time with people who are uplifting, kind, caring, and supportive.
3.Places
Avoid places that are busy, stressful, and dark as much as possible. Spend time in places where people go with positive intentions such as spiritual places or nature.
3. Small steps to look after your wellbeing
Your mood and ability to overcome the challenge are directly dependent on your energy levels. If your body is tired, you will feel even lower and more unmotivated. If your body is energised, you are more likely to feel better.
Here are simple ways to raise your energy levels:
1. Sleep well
Note how many hours of sleep you are getting, and how regularly. Identify things that are affecting your sleep. Make decisive changes to improve your sleep.
2. Eat well
Note your diet and eating habits. Identify foods that make you feel heavy and tired. Make decisive changes to eat foods that energise and nourish you.
3. Separate yourself from your emotions
Find a peaceful place and write down all your thoughts and feelings, unfiltered. This helps you clear your head and release the “heaviness” of the emotions. More importantly, it helps you switch from being the VICTIM of your emotions, to becoming the OBSERVER of your emotions.
4. Reach out
Reach out to family or friends who you feel would be able to truly listen and support you. Think of people who will accept you unconditionally – no matter what you are going through.
Be very selective. Reaching out to the wrong people – e.g. people who try to fix you or judge you – can make you put up your walls and withdraw even more.
We understand that reaching out can be the most difficult step for many people. We may think “No one will understand me. What’s the point of reaching out? What will people think about me?”
Know that you deserve love, and there are kind people out there. It is brave and self-loving to accept their kindness.
When you are ready, reach out to a professional who can help you deal with the deeper issues.
A breakdown happens when a situation brings you face-to-face with your deepest fears. The thing you were most trying to avoid is now happening.
This is a wake-up call. It will not work to find a quick fix – by trying to go back to “normal” and “the way things were before”. It will not work to numb yourself by exercising, gaming, shopping, eating, etc.
You need to make fundamental changes – whether it is facing the pain of a past trauma, changing beliefs that things should be a certain way, or letting go of a familiar but toxic
relationship or job. And this will work through a conscious effort to change and guidance through mental health counselling.
The tips in this blog require effort. It is the harder way.
- It is easier to distract yourself than to face your emotions
- It is easier to say “I don’t know what I am feeling” than to label your emotions
- It is easier to curl up in bed than to take a piece of paper and write down your feelings
Conclusion:
It is important to discern when you are using something to support your healing or distract yourself.
A step forward for one person might be a step backwards for another. It depends on which stage of healing you are at.
If you are in a state of having no motivation at all, finding anything that can make you feel a little joy is a step forward, even if it is eating ice cream or gaming.
But if you are in a higher state of energy and awareness, binge eating and gaming is a step backwards, because you are not using that energy to deal with your issues.
Healing is harder, but also more rewarding. You don’t have to do it alone. We are here to build a community of like-minded people working towards self-betterment.
Click here to explore how you can work with us through counselling and therapy at Intracresco.
