Just wana say a big thank you to everyone that reached out as a result of the last article, both publicly and privately…means a lot. So this time I’m gona briefly discuss the causes of anxiety, stress and other mental disorders in general terms.
I say briefly because there are so many causes, and each could have an enormous article for itself.
General List
The following website provides a list of causes:
- childhood abuse, trauma, or neglect
- social isolation or loneliness
- experiencing discrimination and stigma
- social disadvantage, poverty or debt
- bereavement (losing someone close to you)
- severe or long-term stress
- having a long-term physical health condition
- unemployment or losing your job
- homelessness or poor housing
- being a long-term carer for someone
- drug and alcohol misuse
- domestic violence, bullying or other abuse as an adult
- significant trauma as an adult, such as military combat, being involved in a serious incident in which you feared for your life, or being the victim of a violent crime
- physical causes – for example, a head injury or a neurological condition such as epilepsy can have an impact on your behaviour and mood. (It’s important to rule out potential physical causes before seeking further treatment for a mental health problem).
It’s important to look at such lists and dig a little deeper into them to gain an understanding.
Is There A Problem?
However, sometimes these types of “official” lists may be a hindrance. I say that because the problem is a lot of people feel anxious, stressed or depressed and they have absolutely NO IDEA WHY.
Worst still, a lot of people suffer anxiety, stress and depression but don’t acknowledge that they do and instead shrug it off as there being no problem. Or they are unable to admit it to themselves because it can be seen as a sign of weakness.
So the first step is to take some time out. Maybe 10-15 minutes away from everything, people, television, most importantly your PHONE.
If you do this everyday you might just end up feeling better because of that…in today’s hectic world we just don’t spend enough quiet time with ourselves.
You’ll probably agree that the best time to think is when sat on the toilet haha…then again people these days sit on the toilet with their phone, or so i’ve been told : – ) (I hope YOU don’t do that!)
Anyway, the point is to first establish and admit you’re not happy, or anxious or stressed. If you don’t, it will be like a seed that just grows and grows until it consumes you inside out.
Identify The Problem
Getting past that stage is huge, most people don’t get there. The next stage is to then try to identify what exactly the problem is.
This is so difficult, especially when you don’t know what it could be. It’s even worse when it might be because of something that happened in your childhood and the impact has remained in your subconscious mind.
Not identifying the real problem just creates a whole load of other problems. You’ll end up finding something else as the problem and lash out.
For example, if you’re unhappy about your job, or some element about your job and you don’t deal with it, you might end up coming home and starting an argument with your partner over little things.
If this continues and becomes a habit, you might end up thinking that your partner is the problem and start to feel like you need to end the relationship.
Once that happens, every time you have an argument you’ll just re-affirm your belief that the partner is the problem to the point where you might want to end the relationship thinking that’s the cause of your unhappiness and stress.
So you’ll end the relationship, carry on in life, maybe feel better for a while. You wont confront the real problem though, and so the anxiety will come back. And then you might think it’s because you’re lonely and you have no partner.
So then you’ll start looking for another partner, get stressed and depressed when you can’t find one, making it worse.
Until you do find a partner. Then you’re happy for a while. BUT….you didn’t confront the real problem…so after a while you start to argue with your new partner. And so the cycle continues.
Make A Change
Once you’ve identified the real problem then do something about it. If you hate your job, change it. If you don’t like any aspect of your life, change it.
I just do not understand the amount of people that hate their job but still stick at it for years and years. Well, I suppose I do…security of income, but in this climate is anything really secure? Besides, is the monthly income really worth the time and negative emotion it brings in your life?
The very least you can do, and something that you really should do, is talk. Talk to someone, anyone, if you’re feeling overwhelmed about anything. A lot of the time that’s all you might need, because it’s almost as if a weight has been lifted off your shoulder.
It sounds pretty hypocritical for me to say talk to people, when I generally haven’t. But that’s probably why I went through many days with my head feeling heavy like a thunder-cloud. Having said that, the last article opening up publicly did clear a lot of that cloud out.
It also helped me to have helped others, it’s amazing the access to people the internet gives. A couple of random strangers did get in touch, and were happy that they did.
Let me know if you’ve had experience of feeling stressed or anxious about something for a prolonged period. What did you do about it? If you talked, did it help?
The Importance Of A Plan
I see a lot of people struggle because there’s no plan. Like really, there’s no ambition, goal or target. They’re on auto-pilot. I’ve been on auto-pilot. You just wake up, go to work, eat, watch tv, sleep. Next day the same damn thing. And then the next. And then it’s one week, and then another, which then turns into months and then years.
So it’s incredibly important to make a plan…that includes a plan for today, this week, this month, as well as a long term-plan. And of course stick to it. A plan means nothing if no action is taken.
I’ve been quite general in this post, but in the next one I’m gona get into some real specifics about identifying my problems, and what I did or plan on doing about them.
The above list is one that contains some serious problems, and if there’s something there which relate to your particular situation make sure that you absolutely do get help. There are many organisations specifically created for this purpose.
I’m going to focus on that category of people where something’s up, but they just don’t quite know what it is. Specifically, I can’t remember where, but I came across a stat that said 70-80% of people in Britain are unhappy with their life. I have some pretty strong opinions about why this is, so tune in next time when I start to go through them.
I Need YOUR Feedback
I’m still experimenting as an online writer, so I really do need your feedback. If you haven’t read the first article, read it here.
I felt whilst writing that the tone of this post was completely different to the first one. Did you feel the same as a reader? If so, what do you think was different and which was better and why etc?
Any and all feedback would be great, even if it’s to say yo this is boring, or unhelpful…that would assist so I can then look to change my approach.
Until next time…