It’s one thing recognising that your mental health isn’t what it should be. It’s another thing altogether pinpointing why it is that you’re suffering so much.
The cause (or often multiple causes) won’t always be obvious, but thinking through all possible factors might lead you to the answer.
Loneliness and isolation
This isn’t something that only affects old people. Those of all age groups can suffer from loneliness, especially given the restrictions placed on our lives over the past year.
Even if we’re surrounded by people, if we’re not forming close bonds with them, or we’re finding it hard to share a difficult experience we’ve had, it’s easy to feel isolated.
Lifestyle Factors
Worrying about our financial situation can lead to anxiety, a sense of hopelessness and feeling out of control, and if we’re struggling with our mental health this can make managing money even harder. Likewise, stress at work can lead to us being unable to function properly and can be caused by bullying, poor management, high workload, and fear of losing our jobs.
Those who smoke, take drugs, gamble or are heavy drinkers are also very susceptible to poor mental health, which in turn can lead to greater addiction and misuse. And people who live in urban environments, with a lack of access to green spaces, suffer from a lack of fresh air and inspiring scenery.
Personal lives and relationships
We all have disagreements every now and then, particularly over the past 12 months when we’re more likely to have been living in each other’s pockets. But regular arguments that you can’t resolve, or giving each other the cold shoulder, can seriously affect the mental health of those directly involved, and of those you live with.
There’s lots of help available to people in struggling relationships – talking it over with a trusted friend is also a good option. If all avenues fail, then the best thing for your mental health might be to contact a divorce solicitors and part company.
The loss of a loved one can also deeply affect us, often a long time after the death. Everyone grieves in different ways, and it’s normal to feel sadness, guilt, anger and shock.
Physical factors
Our physical health can greatly affect our mental wellbeing. Ageing brings with it difficulties we need to overcome, while long-term health issues, living with an illness, and the likes of poor sleep can lead to a decline in our mental wellbeing.
Social factors
These can range from the trauma of sexual or physical abuse to experiencing homophobia or racism, and feeling unsafe, impoverished, or lacking support when you need it the most.
On the surface things may seem okay, and your mental health issues might be perplexing. But peel away all the factors in your life and you might find the things you need to address or change to help you on the road back to recovery.
