Do you ever feel like the stress of everyday life is getting too much? Do your emotions ever get overwhelmed? Or do you feel as if you couldn’t bear any more burden and stress?
If you don’t do anything about this extreme stress, chances are you might get a nervous breakdown.
Keep on reading this article to find out about nervous breakdowns, and mindful ways to prevent having one.
Table of Contents
What is a Nervous Breakdown?
The term ‘nervous breakdown’ is not a clinical one. Neither it is a mental disorder.
Instead, a nervous breakdown refers to a period of extreme stress and emotional burden. When this stress gets too much, you may not be able to perform your usual day-to-day activities.
When people are under pressure, they all experience tension and anxiety. It is normally at a controllable level.
On the other hand, a nervous breakdown occurs when stress and feelings of concern or anxiety are present all of the time and build up to a level that interferes with a person’s daily existence.
What Triggers a Nervous Breakdown?
There is no single cause of a nervous breakdown. It can be triggered by anything that causes severe tension. Some of these factors are:
Underlying Medical Condition
Underlying mental health issues frequently play a role in triggering a nervous breakdown. It gets precipitated by a single event that produces significant stress.
Depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be the underlying mental health issues.
Life Stressors
Major life stressors often catch you off guard. They can contribute to extreme stress and may trigger a nervous breakdown. These stressors can be divorce, trauma, or the death of a loved one.
Gradual Build-up of Stress
A nervous breakdown can also be the result of a gradual build-up of stress. It can be caused by demands at work, in relationships, financial issues, or unemployment.
Worry, stress, and anxiety can build up over a long period and reach a point where a person is no longer able to cope or perform their normal daily tasks.
Read more about mental health management in the workspace.
Burnout
Burnout occurs when a person gets to a level of utter mental, physical, and emotional weariness, with signs and symptoms that are comparable to those of a nervous breakdown.
How to Know If You Are Having a Nervous Breakdown?
The signs of a nervous breakdown vary from person to person. The underlying cause can also affect the types of symptoms you experience.
Research shows that nervous breakdown manifests itself with depressed/anxious feelings. You may experience symptoms that are physical, psychological, and behavioral. Let’s break down these symptoms bit by bit:
Physical Signs: What Your Body Feels?
Your body gives you signals during a nervous breakdown. These signals include anxious symptoms which are physical. You may feel:
- Tensed muscles
- Irritability
- Clammy hands
- Dizziness
- Upset stomach
- Difficulty breathing
- Trembling or shaking
- A racing heartbeat
- Sweating
Psychological Signs: What Your Mind Feels?
Psychological signs appear suddenly. These may include symptoms that are depressive e.g:
- Feeling sad or hopeless
- Feeling guilty or worthless
- Low energy, fatigue, and tiredness
- Loss of interest in hobbies
- Suicidal thoughts
Behavioral Symptoms: What You Do in a Nervous Breakdown?
People experiencing a nervous breakdown may also withdraw from family, friends, and co-workers. Signs of withdrawal may include:
- Avoiding social functions and engagements
- Eating and sleeping poorly
- Maintaining poor hygiene
- Calling in sick to work for days or not showing up to work at all
- Isolating yourself in your home
How to Stop a Mental Breakdown?
In this fast-paced world, nobody is devoid of stress. It catches up to us and engulfs us.
The good thing is, that you can avoid running off the cliff.
Today you will learn some quick fixes that will help you recenter your life amid your stressors. You will learn how to prevent a nervous breakdown. You will also understand what to do when having a mental breakdown.
So, let’s get into it:
Choose Your Thoughts: Accept Your Emotions
When you’re having an emotional breakdown, you don’t have to agree with every concept that comes to mind. Many of these ideas can be difficult to accept.
Perhaps no one has ever told you, but you can pick your ideas.
How?
Begin by becoming aware of all the thoughts that come to mind. Don’t become engaged with them; just keep an eye on them.
Learn to discern between good and negative thoughts while you’re at it.
Positive thinking will bring you to a better place. The majority of negative ideas are hurtful or just lead to more negative thoughts or feelings.
Get Off the Treadmill
Life is like a treadmill, and it goes faster than we can bear at times.
An emotional breakdown is a sign that you’re on a treadmill that’s going too fast. We don’t have a dial to reduce the speed. Do the next best thing:
Get off the treadmill!!!
Simply interrupt whatever you’re doing whenever you feel things are becoming ‘too much to handle.
Take 5 minutes for yourself and do nothing but be with yourself for those 5 minutes. Ignore everything around you and concentrate solely on yourself.
Taking a short vacation from tension is never a bad idea, and it’s a terrific way to stop the downhill spiral.
Take a Step Back and Breathe
If you are extremely preoccupied with your problems can lead to a nervous breakdown.
We become overly attached to our problems and circumstances, which is logical given how much they influence us. We come to believe that they define us, yet this isn’t the case.
When you develop detachment, everything changes.
How do you go about doing this?
Take a deep breath and mentally step back, refusing to perceive your troubles as something that defines you or that is a part of you.
Write it Out: Let the Emotions Flow
You’re starting to feel tense, your thoughts are racing, and you’re on the verge of having a nervous breakdown.
Stop what you’re doing, get a notebook, and start writing.
To begin, write down whatever you want to say about how you’re feeling. Remove everything else from your mind.
Don’t go into much detail. Just write out why you’re feeling overwhelmed. Make a list of the issues that are now plaguing you.
Talk it Out: Communicate Yourself
Humans are similar to pressure cookers. The more stress in your mind, the bigger the explosion.
Sometimes all we need to do is speak it out loud to grasp the situation and feel better.
Discuss the issues that are bothering you. Discuss your worries and frustrations. And, most crucially, discuss your plans for dealing with the situation.
Walk Around: Inhale the Nature
Want a quick fix? Take a walk.
Walking and other physical activities might help you stop the loop of unpleasant emotions and rethink your reality.
You don’t even need to go outside if you don’t have time; simply walking around in circles indoors can get the same result. When you combine this with the right kind of self-talk, your emotions will calm down.
Do Exercise: Get That Adrenaline Pumping
Aim to exercise regularly to keep yourself grounded. Exercise can help you release a variety of emotions.
You don’t even need to go to the gym to exercise; squats and pushups may be done at home.
Allowing emotions to run out while doing the practice is crucial. Allow the exercise to help you release negative emotions by breathing in and out thoughtfully with each movement.
Do some Self-Care: You Need it
Now is the time to indulge in self-care!!
Once a week, go out and buy yourself some fresh flowers to put next to your bed. Listen to your favorite songs on YouTube and sing along if you have the strength to do so.
Watch all the movies you’ve always wanted to see but never had time to. Bathe in as many warm baths as possible.
To feel good on the inside, meditate. Do some yoga as well, as yoga has many health benefits.
Take a pen and a list of all the excellent things you can still do right now, and go for it!
The Last Word!
Always keep in mind that these periods of intense stress are only temporary states and that they do not hold absolute power over you.
The more you practice these quick fixes, the easier you will handle crises in the future.
If you feel like the stress is getting too much to your mind, consult a well-known psychologist to learn how to mindfully prevent a nervous breakdown. You may book an appointment via Healthwire.pk or call at (042) 32500989.
