Is Mental Health Holding You Back? Uncover the Truth with this 7-Question Checklist.

Psych Boston - Blog

Just as being free from all diseases doesn't guarantee optimal physical health, being free from mental illness doesn't necessarily mean optimal mental health. Mental health, like physical health, exists on a spectrum—you might never know what's brewing inside until symptoms appear.

However, the similarities end there.

Mental health is far more intricate and complex compared to physical health.

Unlike physical health issues that often show apparent symptoms, mental health difficulties can develop gradually and may not be immediately obvious. The root causes are usually ignored; unhealthy and destructive habits develop as coping mechanisms. 

When coping mechanisms stop working, it's a signal that deeper issues need attention. Without a guiding hand that addresses these issues, coping mechanisms always fail, leading to symptoms and, in rare situations, even more severe challenges.

Navigating the Unknown: A Simple Mental Health Checklist

The good news is that many mental health problems are preventable. We can prevent these situations from escalating by actively identifying underlying concerns and addressing them with the right support. However, recognizing the signs can be difficult.

That's where we can help!

This blog offers a simple mental health checklist to help you assess potential areas that might benefit from professional support. It consists of 7 key questions that shed light on your inner well-being. You can better understand your current state and take steps toward a healthier mind by answering them honestly.

7 Vital Questions That Uncover Your Inner Well-being:

Most mental health problems often start with small, seemingly minor issues. Like tiny ripples in a pond that grow into more giant waves, the difficulties grow chronically over time and amplify.

To identify the core yet minor issues, we advise you to carefully reflect upon newly found habits, routines, and problems that have developed recently. 

The following questions can help you in this journey:

1. Can you stay focused and complete tasks on time?

Are you struggling to focus and meet deadlines lately? Occasional lapses in focus and occasional missing deadlines are normal. However, if these problems seem persistent and you find it difficult to focus, and missing deadlines has become the new normal, it is a matter of concern.

More often than not, stress, lack of sleep, and distractions play a role, but if there is persistent trouble, there could be underlying issues such as ADHD & anxiety, and they are treatable.

2. Do you feel constantly tense and anxious?

Tension or anxiety is a common reaction to stress, and everyone feels it at some point. However, some individuals may experience constant, excessive worry or anxiety for no apparent reason. This persistent worry and anxiety can exceed normal levels, leading to fatigue, an inability to focus, and reduced motivation. 

Children, adolescents, and adults – anyone may experience this state, according to double board-certified child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist Dr. Gurvinder Arora at PsychBoston.

While many people might dismiss these feelings, they can subtly impact everyday life before causing severe disruptions. If you are experiencing continuous anxiety and tension for an extended period (usually at least 2-3 months), it is essential to seek support from a mental health professional.

3. Do you find yourself avoiding your thoughts or feelings?

Is it difficult for you to confront your thoughts and feelings? It's normal to sometimes shy away from difficult emotions. However, if you consistently avoid them, it might indicate underlying issues that need attention.

"Avoiding yourself" refers to the idea that you might be evading your thoughts, feelings, or unresolved issues. It can happen when you engage in activities or behaviors that keep you from spending time alone and facing your inner experiences. This avoidance can manifest in various ways, such as constant socializing, overworking, excessive use of digital devices, or engaging in other distractions.

These habits don't form overnight. They creep up gradually until one day, we realize a significant change has occurred. So did you identify any such changes?

4. Are your emotions generally steady, or do you often experience intense highs and lows?

Everyone experiences a range of emotions throughout the day. Like ripples in a calm pond, they gently touch and fade away as we learn to manage them. In some cases, emotions can surge like high tides, causing intense highs and lows.

The intensity of emotions happening frequently and the inability to deal with them is often a latent sign of trouble in the mental landscape, which could be relational problems, anxiety, mood swings, or even a mood or personality disorder. 

Are you experiencing these intense emotions frequently and finding yourself unable to manage them to the extent that they affect your daily life? A qualified mental health professional uncovers the layers of complexity to identify the sources of these challenges and guides you towards better solutions. At Psych Boston, our team of psychiatrists, psychologists, and behavioral counselors in Adult Psychiatry Services actively work with individuals experiencing these issues to find resolution.

5. How well are you sleeping at night?

Sleep is often the first thing affected by even slight disturbances in mental health. Issues like stress or anxiety can disrupt our sleep, depriving us of relaxation and rejuvenation. This lack of sleep can make the original problems worse, creating a cycle of sleeplessness and exacerbating the mental health issues.

Sleep problems occasionally are typical, but chronic sleeplessness, even after maintaining a good diet and sleep hygiene, must be carefully examined. Chronic sleep problems are one of the common symptoms most patients admit to at Psych Boston, and more often than not, sleeplessness is accompanied by low energy, emotional instability, and difficulty concentrating.

6. Do you have enough energy to accomplish what you need and want to do?

Low energy is not just the feeling of being tired after a long day of work. In our context, it is more often a content lack of energy, reduced motivation, or a loss of interest in activities that were once enjoyable. This is usually followed by a struggle to focus for extended periods and a feeling of constant fatigue, even after adequate sleep and nutrition. 

Lack of sleep, physical health issues, emotional disturbances, or even medications are some of the most common causes of low energy and reduced motivation. When the first three factors are ruled out, it is usually a mental or emotional disturbance. 

"A persistent feeling of anxiety, chronic stress, or an unknown disturbance can sometimes linger for long periods, causing fatigue, reduced motivation, and low energy. However, it is important to know that with the right help, these issues can be resolved," says one of our behavioral counselors in Boston.

7. Is there a good balance between your personal and work life?

Stress or anxiety in day-to-day life can be ignored as part of everyday life. Chronic stress and overworking could be attributed to work pressure, sleeplessness due to excess caffeine or medications, or lack of quality 'me-time,' which can be overlooked by work accomplishments.

But it is hard to hide or ignore a distorted work-life balance, which, with its growing symptoms, eventually leads to burnout over time, causing severe repercussions for both physical and mental health.

If you have been facing problems managing this balance, and are repeatedly falling short while ignoring symptoms like stress, anxiety, overworking, and sleeplessness, this may indicate that the root cause lies elsewhere.

In our "Mental Health Services for Professionals" program, we regularly work with executives, professionals, and individuals facing similar problems that eventually lead to burnout. If you are in a similar situation and would like to seek help, please know that our dedicated psychiatrists and behavioral counselors are always at your service to help you achieve a healthier and more balanced life. You can contact us here.

Psych Boston: Enabling Optimal Mental Well-Being for Everyone

Life can be a rollercoaster of challenges that test our mental well-being. Work stress, unexpected anxiety, grief and loss, relationship challenges, bouts of loneliness and isolation—anything and everything can happen at any point in time. While these are challenges we face, they can become overwhelming and significantly impact our daily lives.

Optimized mental well-being is the state that enables people to tackle and cope with the stresses of life, live and work well, find peace, and realize their potential, contributing to their community. At Psych Boston, our motto is to enable optimal mental well-being so everyone can build resilience and navigate these inevitable ups and downs with greater strength and confidence.