25 Signs You May Benefit From a ‘Mental Health Checkup’
Sometimes mental health issues are really obvious (Overwhelming depression or anxiety) but sometimes the signs of our mental health struggles are more subtle or hidden that we may need support from a professional to better understand.
For many of us, we appreciate the importance of getting a regular medical health check-up from our doctor or GP. They do the usual things: Check our weight, blood pressure, movement in our joints, etc. The doctor is looking for any signs that may indicate health issues. Some are rather obvious like our weight is a little high or low, but some are less obvious (high blood pressure).
mental health is similar. Sometimes mental health issues are really obvious (Overwhelming depression or anxiety) but sometimes the signs of our mental health struggles are more subtle or hidden that we may need support from a professional to better understand.
This article will first give a quick overview of what Mental Health is. It then summarizes a non-exhaustive list of some of the potential symptoms which may indicate a mental health ‘check-up’ would be beneficial.
Disclaimer: Many of the following symptoms can be caused by non-mental health-related issues. It is not the intent of this article to be a diagnostic tool, but to be a starting point to see if mental health struggles may be a cause of struggles in your life.
What is Mental Health and how does it affect us?
Mental health is a qualitative (non-measurable) indicator of the state of health of an individual’s psychological, mental or emotional state. Our mental health affects how we think, feel and act. Our mental health also impacts how we respond to circumstances and the events of life. For example, a psychologically healthier individual may handle a stressful situation better than someone struggling with poor mental health.
Is it “wrong” that I have poor mental health?
As you read this article you may say, “That sounds like me. Oh no! Does this mean there is something wrong with me?” No. Just because you may have mental health struggles, it doesn’t mean that you are less-than, bad, or have failed in some way. It simply means that you are human, and you may need some help to ‘heal’ an area of your mental health.
Just like someone with a broken arm, mental health struggles don’t reduce a person’s value or make them inferior. People with mental illness just need support and healing so that they can go back to their full, healthy, capable selves.
So, please, if you feel any sense of shame or inferiority reading this article, please know you don’t need to feel this way. Our intent is to help support you living full, healthy, whole lives.
Sign 1: Struggling with excessive or uncontrollable worry or fear
Excessive worry can be brought on by many types of circumstances: you may be concerned about meeting a deadline. You feel stress or unease about attending an event where there is that person you want to avoid. Most of us have some worry. When our worries get in the way of being able to function, or prevent us from enjoying life, this can indicate a mental health issue.
Anxiousness can have other physical or mental symptoms as well. You can feel warm, cold, shaky, or struggle with breathing normally. Queasiness or “butterflies” in your stomach are typical. You may be hyper-alert (“jumpy”) or have difficulty focusing on the task at hand. If these symptoms interfere with life, they may indicate an anxiety disorder such as generalized anxiety, social anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or PTSD.
Sign 2: Feeling sad or “down” for an extended period
Sadness can be a normal reaction to difficult circumstances in life, but sometimes what we feel is more than normal sadness. Consider seeing a mental health professional when 1) sadness lasts for more than two weeks 2) it comes regardless of circumstances 3) it interferes with everyday functioning, or 4) it keeps you from enjoying the things you normally enjoy. If you are experiencing any of these, you may be actually suffering from some type of depression.
Many people experience depression in unique ways. For some, it is more about anger. For others, there’s a profound sense of tiredness or lack of motivation. A sense of hopelessness or powerlessness is also a common way to experience this kind of sadness. Or it may be felt primarily as a deep sense of worthlessness or being a burden to others.
Depression can be caused by many things, and it’s often a mixture of several factors. These factors include genetic influence on your brain’s structure and function, long-term stress, important beliefs we have about ourselves or our lives, and our behaviours. Medication can be helpful for some. But if the underlying factors are not addressed, it is unlikely the symptoms will be resolved over the long term.
Sign 3: Confused or ‘foggy’ thinking
Are there times when you struggle to think clearly? you’ve done all the things to try and fix it: had your morning coffee, had a good breakfast, got some fresh air, but you are still struggling to think clearly or you have just a general sense of brain fog.
This can be a sign of poor mental health. There may be a relational issue that is plaguing your thoughts. You may be worried that you are going to fail and you think about this over and over. Whatever may be the reason for the ‘foggy’ thinking, a mental health ‘check up’ with a counsellor or psychologist may be super helpful in identifying what may be the cause.
Sign 4: Inability to make decisions
You may be faced with big or small dilemmas, and you just cannot make a decision. It is so much easier to procrastinate, and you wait until the absolute last minute forcing you into an unfavourable outcome.
Again, this can be a sign of poor mental health. You may be struggling with letting others’ opinions gridlock your ability to make logical decisions. You may not trust yourself because of the trauma you’ve experienced from decisions you’ve made in the past. You may suffer from low self-worth, which creates self-doubt. A counsellor or psychologist can help you navigate to what may be preventing you from making decisions
Sign 5: More emotional than normal
Have you found yourself being stirred by emotions more than normal? Do you find that things that previously didn’t bother you are now quite upsetting? Has this change lasted more than a few weeks? This can be a sign of degrading mental health.
It is normal for our emotions to fluctuate. But when they are consistently more intense or when they are difficult to control or understand, it may mean we need help. Difficult events in life can impact our emotional states, as well as certain mental illnesses. It can be difficult to determine what is affecting our mental health and how that needs to change in order to support long-term mental wellbeing.
Sign 6: Offended more than normal
Imagine you’re attending a meeting, and someone makes the same kind of joke or statement that never bothered you before. But now you are feeling offended and upset by the statement. Or imagine your spouse forgets to complete a household task which in past has not been a big deal, but now you are feeling angry, upset or hurt that they forgot.
Being offended is a normal emotion that is felt by most people for very legitimate reasons. Being mentally healthy allows us to process and reconcile these offences and makes it easier to forgive the offender. When we struggle to complete this process, it can be a sign we already had poor mental health. It also can signal to us the offence itself was so traumatic it caused our mental health to suffer. As a result of this unprocessed offence, you may find yourself responding to that person in a more negative way, even when their offences were relatively small.
If you notice this pattern in yourself, it may mean you have an underlying mental health issue, or you need help healthily processing a painful relationship.
Sign 7: Struggling to sleep
Struggling to sleep can be a sign of poor mental health. You may have many things on your mind that prevent you from relaxing and falling asleep. You may experience tremendous levels of anxiety or stress that your mind is trying to process as you lay in bed.
Struggling to sleep can be impacted by many of life’s habits as well: Diet, nighttime routine, and sleep rhythms. But mental health can play a huge role in your general ability to sleep.
Sign 8: Struggling to cope with daily problems and activities
Life has lots of stressors, but one sign of degrading or poor mental health is when circumstances feel more overwhelming than before. For example: Your work requires 40 hours of intense work which would normally be OK for you. But now you are experiencing severe stress, burnt out, or exhaustion with the same workload.
Sometimes we seem unable to find a healthy balance in our workload. We always add another thing to our plate, or we take on another stressful situation. We just can’t seem to say “no”, and it feels like the ‘straw that finally breaks the camel’s back’.
Counselling can help you understand if an underlying mental health issue is the problem. Additionally, a counsellor can help you to review your daily commitments and activities with the aim of establishing priorities and developing healthy boundaries.
Sign 9: Frequently struggling with anger
Anger, in certain environments and cultures, has become very normalized and accepted. There are very legitimate circumstances where an angry response is justified: For example, defending oneself from an attack.
In most circumstances, an angry response is destructive to yourself and others, and it can be a clear sign of poor mental health. Anger typically is a response rooted in a deeper issue. Think of anger like the ‘Check Engine’ Light in your vehicle. When that light turns on, you don’t have a ‘Check Engine’ Light problem, you have an engine problem. A mental health check-up, and further follow-up counselling, can help you understand what is the root of your anger and give you practical strategies for resolving the trigger of the anger.
Sign 10: Unhealthy conflict
Unfortunately, life frequently has conflict in it. The difference between positive, healthy conflict and negative, unhealthy conflict can be your mental health. Many of us delay necessary conflict until the situation becomes intolerable. This leads to emotional outbursts during conflict, or conflict which includes hurtful attacks. This can result in emotional damage to yourself or the person you are in conflict with.
Unhealthy conflict may not be caused by yourself, but by the individual you are in conflict with. This type of conflict can have a significant impact on your mental health. Counselling can support you learning how to have healthy conflict. Many of our counsellors also support mediation, where two parties learn to communicate healthily, work together to better understand each other, and find healthy compromises.
Sign 11: Having lots of conflict
As a follow up on Sign 10, another sign of poor mental health is the frequency of conflict. Many of us find ourselves in conflict as part of our jobs, workplaces or environments, but if conflict seems frequent, it is always a good exercise to understand if you are playing a part.
Frequent conflict could be a function of a variety of mental health issues, including mood disorders, past trauma, trust issues, or struggles with self-worth.
Sign 12: Having large mood swings: high then low
Mood swings can be a clear sign of mental health issues. You may find that you are extremely happy one minute and then the next minute having violent anger outbursts or depressive spells. There are so many psychological reasons that could cause this. A couple of those examples could be:
• Mental or physical exhaustion: Exhaustion often leads to emotional instability.
• Extreme stress: Very stressful life circumstances can lead to emotional swings. Severe financial struggles, painful conflict in significant relationships
• Fear related to past trauma: One day you feel accepted or valued where you are working and then, for no apparent reason, things change. You may find you don’t feel safe with coworkers, or you become convinced you are about to lose your job.
• Certain mental illnesses: Bipolar disorder, personality disorders, severe anxiety, and depression can create extreme mood swings.
Obviously, there are neurological and physical reasons that can create or accentuate mood swings. Be careful about dismissing mood swings as simply something ‘that just happens.
Sign 13: Not wanting to be around people
Social isolation can be a very clear sign of poor mental health. You may find yourself feeling anxious or depressed just by simply spending time with people, let alone actually being with people. You may find that there are specific people you want to isolate from. Is it about that group? Was there a negative event that happened that you don’t want to repeat? Was there an offence that makes it stressful to be around the offender?
As humans, we are social and interactive beings; we desire and quite honestly need social interaction. Working with a counsellor can help support you in identifying what is causing the desire for social isolation
Sign 14: Dramatic changes in diet
Diet changes can be a clear sign of poor mental health. This is most clearly seen in dramatic weight loss or gain. Many of us have struggled with ‘stress eating’, where we find peace and solace in snacking or eating calorie-rich foods as a way of compensating for negative feelings. This type of eating can be a type of self-medication or emotional regulation.
Alternatively, people may find that they suddenly have no desire for food or feel guilty whenever they eat. There are many psychological reasons why this may be: negative body image, an eating disorder, or depression. Discussing your relationship with food with a counsellor can help you understand any mental health issues you may be experiencing.
Sign 15: Low self-esteem
Low self-esteem (believing you have little or no worth) can be a very clear sign of poor mental health. Examples: You may constantly think negative thoughts about yourself, feel you are ’not good enough’, or think of yourself as worse than others. This is a very common symptom of poor mental health!
The reality is all people have something of worth inside of them. When we struggle with mental health, it can make it difficult to see our worth. If you have low self-esteem, one way to work through that is to explore it with a counsellor to help understand why.
Sign 16: Worrying you are going to be ‘found out’
Like having low self-esteem, you have a general sense that you are a fraud, and at any moment you are going to be found out! You may be worried you’re in a role that you are incapable of doing, and it’s only a matter of time before people realize it. You may feel that you are a terrible spouse and live with an overwhelming sense of shame. This is often called ‘imposter syndrome’ and can result from low self-esteem.
This feeling may be completely irrational, but it still steals your confidence and prevents you from being effective in your role. Imposter syndrome and a general fear of being ‘found out’ can be a clear sign of poor mental health.
Sign 17: Struggling with addictions
Addiction can be a clear sign of poor mental health. Many people who are struggling with poor mental health are looking for a way to escape their current situations. This could look like ‘drowning your sorrows’ in alcohol, taking drugs to feel better or escape reality. Then there are more socially acceptable addictions that we may struggle with: Binge-watching TV, impulse buying, Video gaming, workaholism, binge-eating.
All of these examples can be ways that we escape our negative feelings by finding momentary enjoyment or escape. Counselling can help you understand what the root of your addiction is. It can help break the repeated cycle of trying to stop, failure, shame, and trying again. Counselling can help you remove the underlying cause of the addiction.
Sign 18: Feeling lonely
You may be surrounded by people; family, colleagues, friends, yet there is an overwhelming sense of feeling unseen, unheard, and alone. Or you may find yourself isolated and truly alone. Loneliness is a huge cultural problem. Change is everywhere. We have never been busier or more distracted, and all of this impacts our ability to connect and build meaningful relationships.
A false sense of loneliness can be a symptom of mental illness. True social isolation can result from mental illness as well or be the result of unhealthy behavioural patterns. Either way, a counsellor can support you in identifying the reason you are feeling lonely.
Sign 19: Overly scared of something
Fear is natural. It’s part of how we are wired to protect ourselves. But there are many situations where fear cripples our ability to think, make decisions, or live a normal and healthy life. Having high levels of fear, especially in environments that typically should be places of safety can be a clear sign of poor mental health.
You may believe you have very legitimate reasons for being afraid. You may have experienced real trauma in your past. If this is you, you don’t have to live in fear. Counselling itself can be scary, but one of the best ways of moving forward with very difficult situations is to discuss it with a trained professional counsellor or psychologist.
Sign 20: Struggling with changing seasons of the year
Let’s be honest, for us here in Calgary it can be very depressing to see the days get shorter and the temperature get colder. We get forced into our houses more and get less sunlight time. For some of us, the season changes can lead to mood changes. This can be a sign of poor mental health. Certain seasons may relate to a past negative season in your life and it draws up past negative memories. You may be unable to do the activities that keep you mentally healthy. Or you may have a seasonal mood disorder. Either way, if you are feeling strong senses of anxiety or depression relating to season changes, you may find support and guidance from counselling.
Sign 21: Wanting to self-harm yourself
Do you have ideas about wanting to hurt yourself? maybe that looks like cutting your skin or hitting yourself. This can be a very clear sign of poor mental health.
Many of us can simply hate ourselves so much that we think we deserve to be hurt! Counselling can support you in understanding the root or main reason why you may want to hurt yourself.
Sign 22: Struggling with intimacy
Do you struggle in your relationships, to feel emotion or show affection to those you love? You may find that your loved ones feel emotionally disconnected from you, or you from them. You may not know how to show them the love or appreciation you feel. Or, you may find yourself avoiding deeper intimacy. You may struggle to trust others or notice a pattern of self-destructing relationships.
Having difficulty establishing healthy intimacy can be the cause, or caused by, mental health issues. Sometimes, though, we’ve never learned how to develop intimacy. Some cultures or families have had little practice communicating affection in healthy ways. Counselling is a place to learn how to develop real intimacy and identify mental health issues preventing you from achieving deeper relationships.
Sign 23: Having suicidal thoughts
You see yourself as having no value; life is hopeless; what is the point in living? If you relate to those statements, firstly, we want you to know that you are valuable, you are loved, you have an amazing destiny! then, secondly, there may be mental health reasons why you feel this way. So instead of wanting to give up on life, give us a call right away and look to get connected with one of our counsellors. Dr. Neil Parker is a great person to chat with about this.
Sign 24: Unhealthy Financial Behaviours
Do you find that you consistently spend more money than you bring in? No matter how much you make, you are always spending more. Self-destructive spending behaviours can be a very clear sign of mental health struggles. Many of us look to consumerism to make us feel happy, masking deep underlying senses of dissatisfaction with life. Helping understand the root of the overspending can help eliminate ongoing financial struggles.
Alternatively, you may be struggling financially because you don’t know how to advocate for appropriate compensation, or you’re in a job that can’t support the life you want to lead. Career counselling can be a great support to you in advocating for the job, compensation, and or long-term career that supports your wellbeing and lifestyle.
Sign 25: Hating the way you look
Do you look in the mirror and hate what you see? Do you dread beach days because the idea of coming out in your bathing suit feels humiliating? You are not even close to being alone! Significant parts of our society have huge body image struggles. Surprisingly, this can be also a very clear sign of poor mental health. Unfortunately, the reality is that there are many messages out there trying to tell us how we should look, and what we are told is ‘attractive’ or ‘beautiful’.
Many of us experience deeply traumatic or painful experiences related to our looks. These experiences can cause life-long struggles with our identity and worth. With counselling and introspection, you can resolve your trauma and grow to see yourself as beautiful, regardless of what society or your trauma says.
There is hope!!
Counselling Centre - Masters Counselling Services, based in Calgary, Canada.
With a commitment to mental health, Counselling Centre provides services in English and Spanish, including .
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Click here to schedule a session with Counselling Centre.
Important:
TherapyRoute does not provide medical advice. All content is for informational purposes and cannot replace consulting a healthcare professional. If you face an emergency, please contact a local emergency service. For immediate emotional support, consider contacting a local helpline.
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