PART 1 : RECOGNISING MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES
How Depression & Anxiety Affect Your Life
Depression and anxiety can show up in all parts of your life. It’s important to pay attention to how you’re feeling physically, psychologically, and socially to get a clear sense of whether you’re fighting something like depression or anxiety.
Below is a chart that shows the different ways anxiety or depression can affect your life:
- Physical
- Feeling tired and lacking energy.
- Sleeping too much or too little.
- Eating too much or too little.
- Moving or speaking more slowly or more quickly than usual.
- Trouble relaxing.
- Racing heart, chest pains, sweating and breathlessness.
- Psychological
- Difficulty thinking and concentrating.
- Losing interest in things you used to enjoy.
- Worrying that awful things will happen.
- Feeling sad and hopeless.
- Feeling shame or like a failure.
- Feeling nervous or anxious a lot.
- Feeling like ending your life or harming yourself.
- Feeling there is no purpose to life.
- Social
- Losing interest in family and friends and avoiding contact with them.
- Feeling like other people don’t understand.
- Feeling empty and lonely.
- Wanting to be left alone (but often at the same time really wanting connection with others).
- Getting irritated or angry with others.
- Feeling numb and disconnected from others.
Productive Spectrum
HEALTHY
TALK TO
SOMEONE
SOMEONE
ILL / HIGH DISTRESS
Typically even tempered
Now irritable, grumpy, or angry
Usually sociable
Now distant and isolating himself
Generally able to handle things
Now not able to cope with things well
Usually thinks pretty clearly
Now struggling to concentrate
Normally gets things done
Now struggling to finish tasks
Was pretty responsible with drinking
Now seems to use alcohol or drugs a lot
Usually reliable
Now coming to work late
HEALTHY
TALK TO
SOMEONE
SOMEONE
GET HELP