5 signs of poor mental health you should not overlook

Several signs of poor mental health that may indicate the presence of a psychological disorder.

We all want to enjoy good mental health but, taking into account that it is a very subjective concept, it is sometimes difficult to know if we are really enjoying it or, on the contrary, we could be suffering from a silent but very harmful discomfort for our way of relating to others and the world.

Each culture understands what is good mental health in its own way, but fortunately there are international diagnostic taxonomies that suggest what is mental health and what is not, indicating that there are a number of signs of poor mental health.

Throughout this article we are going to talk about about what is low mental health and what could be the signs that indicate that we should try to improve our psychological state..

What do we mean by poor mental health?

We all want to enjoy good mental health and want to have at our disposal everything possible to ensure it. However, However, maintaining this type of health can be very complicated, especially because the very idea behind it is quite subjective and difficult to define..

Proof of this is that in each culture the idea of what it means to be psychologically healthy is very diverse, interpreting as something perfectly normal behavior that in another could be seen as a sign of concern. When or at what point do we go from having good mental health to having poor mental health?

Mental health is closely linked to culture and should not be understood as dichotomous, but rather dimensional. We have a greater or lesser degree of mental health, and it can vary throughout our lives. because things happen to us, as human beings, phenomena, situations and experiences that alter our emotional stability.

But although it is gradual and it is difficult to draw the line between being mentally healthy and not being mentally healthy, we can affirm that there are a series of thoughts, emotions and behaviors that serve as signs of poor mental health.

What are the signs of low mental health to look out for?

In very general terms, we can define good mental health as that condition in which we enjoy general well-being in terms of cognitive, emotional and behavioral aspects. We enjoy this well-being when our way of thinking, feeling and behaving does not cause us psychological deterioration or suffering.

But no one is well 24 hours a day. Our state of mind can be a real roller coaster, accompanied by all kinds of dysfunctional behaviors and thoughts that only bring us overwhelm, frustration, stress and anxiety. Normal" people can suffer moments of extreme psychological disturbance, what we would normally call having a very bad day, and, let's face it, this is totally normal.

However, if we live every day like this, if what was a bad day becomes our daily routine, our daily bread and butter, then there is a problem.

Unfortunately, people who live immersed in dysfunctional thoughts, emotions, and behaviors They are so used to it practically every day of their lives that they think that this is normal, and do not consider it a sign of poor mental health, even though this suffering may be the tip of the iceberg of something serious, a disorder that prevents them from living a happy, functional, productive and satisfying life.

Each mental health problem has its own signs and symptoms, although we can mention an extensive list of signs and symptoms.Each mental health problem has its own signs and symptoms, although we can mention an extensive list of several of them as follows:

• Changes in eating
• Changes in sleep schedules
• Inability to cope with day-to-day problems
• Feeling of disconnection
• Withdrawal from normal activities
• Unusual or magical thoughts
• Excessive anxiety
• Sadness, depression, or apathy
• Thoughts or statements of suicide
• Thoughts of harming others
• Substance abuse
• Extreme mood swings
• Excessive anger, hostility or aggressiveness

But, In addition to all these signs, we can highlight the following five that we will see belowwhich we will explain in more detail to understand why they could be a sign of poor mental health. Keep in mind that the presence of only one of them does not indicate that there is a psychopathology, and that in any case the diagnosis is only made by mental health professionals.

1. Procrastination

Procrastination is "do not leave for tomorrow what you can do today" but in reverse: postpone what you can do now for later.. It is something that everyone does at some point in their lives as is postponing pending tasks and obligations, and spending time on any other more pleasant activity or, not even that, not doing anything with the excuse that we need to rest a little.

Procrastinating is not something that should worry us in itself, since we all do it. However, we should be concerned that we do it every day, all the time, for any minimally important task. The problem here would not be the momentary laziness we may feel or the lack of willpower, but rather a problem of insecurity and perfectionism. a problem of insecurity and perfectionism..

When tasks are perceived as too complicated, the person does not feel capable of completing them or has such a high self-demand that he/she prefers to postpone them in order to do them better, with more energy. If you are one of those who procrastinate very often, perhaps you should consider working on your mental rigidity.

2. Chronic fatigue and exhaustion

Fatigue can have multiple causes, and one of them would be to have an affected psychological state. If we are constantly tired and it does not seem that the cause is organic, there is a possibility that it is caused by a problem of low mental health..

The feeling of exhaustion and apathy can be manifestations of depression, although it can also be caused by a high level of anxiety.

3. Extreme disorder and disorganization

Disorder and disorganization is understood by some as a reflection of the state of our mind. a reflection of the state of our mindIt is a representation of how unorganized our thoughts, emotions, worries and ideas are.

Physical chaos is a sign of mental chaos, and it is known that disordered people tend to be more dissatisfied with their lives and less productive. Added to this, disorganization can lead to anxiety, distractions and even sleep disturbance..

4. Somatization

The mind and the body are very connected and this is not a mystical statement or anything of the sort. Stress, anxiety, depression and, in short, any form of psychological discomfort can leave a deep mark not only in the mental but also in the body, somatizing in the form of certain symptoms. Among the most common symptoms to which we can attribute as a cause a low mental health we have.

• Gastrointestinal problems
• Headaches
• Skin problems: pruritus, dermatitis...
• Fibromyalgia
• Chronic fatigue
• Muscle pain

5. Arguments with our social environment

A sign of poor mental health is constantly being angry at the world and the people in it..

Our way of relating to others can be a sign of how psychologically healthy we are, and if we have conflicts with the people who make up our social environment, it is likely that there is a reason behind it.

Aggressiveness and irritability can be symptoms of depression, anxiety or the inability to control anger.. In addition, thinking that everything that others say to us or do to us is done to hurt us is also a symptom of psychological problems.

Interpreting the world in a hostile way is a bias that is caused by poor mental health and can lead us to isolate ourselves from others because they may become fed up with the way we treat ourselves.