A lot is taught about physical ailments. The winter bug, the common cold, the flu: all these illnesses are well publicized and documented, with public service announcements telling us how to prevent developing them and hygiene leaflets explaining how we can make sure we do not pick up bugs. Our physical health is often talked about on TV shows and if someone says they are feeling unwell, it is easy to assume that they have a rotten cold or throat infection.
But what about the illnesses we don’t see?
Nowadays, there are workplaces that have mental health days where employees can opt for a day just at home to mentally recuperate and feel better within their minds before they make it back to the office again. Recognizing when you need extra help is important, because other people will not see it. In recent years, the awareness and knowledge of mental health have grown. From putting people into a mad house, people now understand that depression, anxiety and paranoia are treatable and should not be hidden.
Physical health issues are easy to see and accommodate because while some have a solution to them, those that do not are easily identifiable. Mental health does not work in the same way. You can exhibit signs of depression and unhappiness, but you can also be someone who has high-functioning depression, whereby you can go about your daily life with the best front on and no one can tell you are unwell. You may find yourself looking online at http://www.bipolar-lives.com/am-i-bipolar.html to understand what you are feeling however it takes being able to recognize those signs to begin a research.
Taking control of your health and well-being often starts with your physical being. How you feel inside is often affected by how you feel on the outside. If you are unhappy with yourself and your self-esteem is low, working on your shape and eating habits can begin to turn that around.
When you find yourself feeling dragged down and overwhelmed by life, it is often not until everything is getting out of hand that you finally realize that you need help. There is such a stigma in asking for help that most people feel like they cannot. Being pegged as someone who cannot cope or is fighting an inner battle and needs help can feel like more of a burden.
The one thing to remember though is that by speaking out you are putting yourself on the road to mental recovery. If you are exhibiting behaviors linked to depression, you have to ask for a helping hand before you get too bogged down in the dark place in your mind, where finding the way back is too hard.
Never feel like you cannot seek out help from the right places. Ask a friend, a family member or a partner to help you get back on your feet. This does not always mean medicating, but it can mean using cognitive behavioral techniques to get back to your best. Recognizing when you do not feel one hundred percent yourself can save your life.
