Everyday Triggers That Damage Your Mental Health

Anger is an all-consuming emotion at times, even more so now as we deal with new situations. If you don’t get a grip on it, it can affect your quality of life. Anger will damage your relationships and raise your stress levels. If anger is beginning to impact your life, start taking steps to control your emotional state.

Mental health is a fragile thing. At first glance, the subtle triggers that can damage your mental health don’t seem dangerous. It can be so easy to ignore them. By the time you realize the impact they’ve had, you’re in a depressive episode. At that point, it’s too late to do anything.
You may not be able to prevent all of them all the time, but by reducing them you’ll protect your mental health. Here are a few triggers that you need to be on the look out for.

Lack Of Sleep

The world we live in has become non-stop. Supermarkets are open 24 hours a day, and you can shop online for anything else you need. You feel a genuine fear that if you’re not on social media all the time, you’ll miss out on something important. Of course, you won’t. But, it’s enough to ensure social media is the first thing you look at in the morning and the last thing you look at at night. It’s no wonder you don’t get enough sleep.

Good quality sleep reboots the brain and reduces the production of stress hormones. You also set your subconscious loose at this point. It lets you work through all the data you’ve accumulated in the day. If you deny your body the chance to complete these vital functions, it shows. You’ll feel stressed, groggy and unfocused. So it’s no surprise your mental health will take a big hit.

It’s important to start winding down away from social media at least an hour before bedtime. You should make sure you go to bed in time to get a settle in for at least seven hours of sleep every night.

Not Going Outside

The impact of not going outside is twofold. For one thing, when you stay at home the majority of the time, it limits your interactions with others. If you have negative thoughts or hover on the edge of depression, it’s vital to be around others. They will be there to counter your negative viewpoint. Left to your own devices, you can end up with these thoughts playing almost on a loop in your head. And, those thoughts can cause real damage to your mental health.

Another vital factor for a positive mood and plenty of energy is vitamin D. Sunshine plays a large part in the production of vitamin D within your body. Supplements can help, but it’s not as beneficial as being out in the sun.

Sunshine also makes many of us feel better by being out in it. So, you’ll receive a much bigger boost if you get outside in fresh air and enjoy nature for a while.

Dwelling On The Past

Are you always dwelling on past events, actions, and decisions? Any of these activities that NOT great for your mental health. If you were happier in the past, then wondering why your life isn’t great now is very likely to lower your mood. However, if you are rehashing past failures, it can convince you that’s all you’re going to get in life. That alone will destroy any motivation you feel. This can lead to apathy and depression.

In the past few years, mindfulness has been shown to control the tendency to always focus on the future or the past. Mindfulness teaches you how anchor yourself in the moment. It can help combat the desire to navel-gaze and look backwards. This also reduces the feelings of stress and anxiety.

Social Media

In addition to keeping you from getting enough sleep, social media can have other adverse effects on your mental health.

Social media can be wonderful as it allows you to connect with friends and like-minded people worldwide. You can research everything from tattoos to terrapins. It encourages you to think in whole new ways.

It can also cause you to feel anxious and depressed. It’s a well-known phenomenon that a person’s social media represents their “highlights reel.” It shows the best parts of a person’s life and hides away the bad parts.

Knowing this does not stop you from comparing your life to others and feeling it’s not as good. The fear of missing out causes you to check social media many times a day. It also can make you think that your life is lacking or dull. Over time this can lead to resentment, jealousy, and depression.

That’s why it’s important to take time away from social media every day. If you feel it’s negatively impacting your mental health, it may be time to step back. You might need to give your mind and emotions a few days or more to recover from the negative impact.

Negative Self-Talk

No matter how much time you spend with others, the voice you hear the most is always your own. It’s easy to assume that if anyone is going to speak kindly to you, it’s going to be you! But, low self-esteem, or bullying can start the negative talk. Critical parents or someone close to you can also be a factor that sends you down that path.

This can be even worse. You are often far more cruel and vicious talking to yourself than with others. You would never dream of saying the things you do to them! You literally become your own worst enemies, and there’s nowhere you can go to escape.

If questioned, do you insist you hold yourself to a higher standard? Or do you feel you should be tough on yourself and that’s not a problem? It is a problem and if you do nothing about it, the possible long-term effects can be profound. These include depression, anxiety, eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and many other illnesses.

It’s critical you learn to be as kind to yourself as you would be to others. Saying positive affirmations is sometimes helpful. Be conscious in your efforts to say something positive to yourself every day.

The Bottom Line

Your mental health is too important for you to allow seemingly everyday things to damage it. You need to ensure you are mindful of your mood. Take steps if you’re aware anything is negatively impacting you. This means you can take steps before there is a problem. Prevention is always better than cure.

If you recognize these triggers, it can be time to seek help from a professional. The trained counselors at Pathways Counseling Services are here is help and support you and your mental health. We encourage you to reach out to schedule an appointment. Your appointment can be in person or online. You may schedule your appointment online, contact us here through the website or call our office at 480-235-1682.
We are here to help.