Everyone goes through rough patches sometimes, but there’s a big difference between a bad few days and an overwhelming sense of dread and misery.
Sometimes it can be hard to tell whether you’re just in a weird, temporary funk or if something deeper’s going on. You don’t want to make a big deal out of nothing, but you also can’t ignore the signs of mental health issues. If you relate to any of the following, it may be time to ask for help. You don’t have to suffer on your own — you can feel better.
1. Your sleep has completely lost its pattern.
This isn’t just about a few restless nights or weekend lie-ins. Your 3am thoughts have become 3am conversations with yourself. Night and day flip randomly in your world. When you do sleep, it’s either for two hours or twelve. Your body seems to have forgotten how sleep is supposed to work. The concept of a normal bedtime becomes a distant memory.
2. Food has become complicated.
Source: Unsplash It’s gone beyond stress snacking or skipping lunch. Some days food feels like an enemy. Other days it’s your only comfort. You can’t remember your last normal meal that wasn’t eaten standing up or in bed. Eating has become either a chore or an obsession. Grocery stores start feeling like battlegrounds of decision and guilt.
3. Small tasks feel impossibly big.
Opening mail sends you into a panic spiral. Making a phone call requires an hour of mental prep. Basic hygiene feels like climbing a mountain. The dishes mock you from the sink for days. Simple things that used to be automatic now need massive energy reserves. Tasks pile up until even looking at them becomes overwhelming.
4. Your emotions don’t match situations.
A cancelled plan triggers tears for hours. Minor criticism at work causes rage that lasts days. You laugh at inappropriate moments without knowing why. Your emotional reactions feel like they’re operating on their own system. The intensity dial seems stuck on maximum. Your feelings become strangers you can’t control.
5. Time has lost all meaning.
Days blur together without distinction. You can’t remember if something happened yesterday or last month. Deadlines sneak up without warning. Hours disappear into blank spaces in your memory. Time either drags endlessly or slips away without trace. Your internal calendar stops making any sense.
6. Your space reflects your mind.
Clothes pile up wherever they fall. Unopened mail creates paper mountains. Empty cups multiply on every surface. Your car becomes a mobile storage unit. The effort required to tidy feels beyond your current capabilities. Your environment becomes both a symptom and a source of stress.
7. Social interactions drain you completely.
Basic conversations leave you exhausted. Small talk feels like speaking a foreign language. You need days to recover from simple social events. Seeing people, even ones you love, requires energy you don’t have. Every interaction costs more than it gives. Human connection starts feeling like a luxury you can’t afford.
8. You’ve lost interest in everything.
Your favourite hobbies sit untouched. Netflix shows play unwatched in the background. Books gather dust on your bedside table. Nothing brings that spark of excitement anymore. Joy feels like something that happened to someone else. Passion becomes a foreign concept you can’t relate to.
9. Your body feels foreign.
Random aches appear without cause. Your stomach stays in constant knots. Headaches become your daily companion. Your chest feels tight for no reason. Physical symptoms pop up that doctors can’t explain. Your body seems to speak a language you’ve forgotten how to understand.
10. Decisions become impossible.
Choosing what to eat paralyses you. Picking an outfit takes hours. Simple choices feel overwhelming. You second-guess every decision immediately. The weight of choosing anything feels crushing. Even tiny decisions start feeling like life-altering choices.
11. Your self-talk turns vicious.
Your inner voice becomes your worst critic. Simple mistakes trigger harsh self-judgment. You replay embarrassing moments constantly. The narrative in your head stays permanently negative. Your thoughts feel like they belong to someone who hates you. Self-compassion becomes a concept you can’t remember how to practice.
12. Future planning stops existing.
You can’t think beyond surviving today. Making plans feels pointless. The future becomes a blank wall in your mind. Next week might as well be next century. The concept of “looking forward” to anything disappears. Hope feels like a luxury you’ve forgotten how to afford.
13. Your coping methods worry you.
One glass becomes a bottle. Online shopping turns compulsive. Casual gaming becomes an escape pod. You notice your methods of dealing with stress becoming problems themselves. The line between coping and harmful habits starts blurring. Your solutions start creating their own set of problems.
