Mental health is a broad term for a wide range of topics. Mental health can refer to:
- Diagnosable mental health conditions
- Overall mental status
- Activities that sustain mental health
- Issues that negatively impact mental health
Your mental health is a state of being. With or without an organic mental illness, you can experience mental health issues. Issues like:
- Brain fog
- Depression
- Behavior problems
- Forgetfulness
- Anxiety
- Fatigue
- And more
Many of the symptoms affecting your mental health can be tied to your rest. Lack of rest and poor-quality rest can trigger mental health issues. Without rest, your ability to manage mental stressors diminishes and can create symptoms of fatigue and worse.
Your rest is tied to your mental health. Managing your physical, emotional, and spiritual rest well helps keep your mind clear and free from worries, anxieties, and brain fog. Bottom line is when you don’t rest, your mental health suffers.
It’s entirely possible to think you are losing your mind when the reality is you need to rest. Use this checklist to see if you are risking your mental health by failing to get adequate physical and mental rest.
Symptom: Brain Fog
Possible cause:
- Poor quantity and quality of sleep
- Failure to eat high-quality foods
- Over-stimulation from screen time
Symptom: Depression
Possible cause:
- Overthinking during bedtime
- Being in unsafe relationships
- Failing to remedy personal issues
- Failing to take time off from responsibilities
Symptom: Behavior problems
- Possible cause:
- Unresolved relationship issues
- Allergies to foods or toxins
- Suppressed anger or sadness
Symptom: Forgetfulness
Possible causes:
- Chronic stress
- Overwhelm in multiple areas of life
- Overstimulation from dugs or alcohol
- Sedentary or “checked out” behaviors
Symptom: Anxiety
Possible causes:
- Sleeplessness
- Chronic worry
- Avoiding important tasks
- Overbearing relationships
Symptom: Fatigue
Possible causes:
- Living in crisis mode
- Frequent illnesses
- Injuries
Each of these symptoms and the possible causes can present as a mental health issue and may stem from failure to get adequate or frequent mental or physical rest. This means you or someone you love might be suffering a mental health issue that could be remedied by simply getting adequate rest. Don’t diminish the impact that healthy rest plays on your mental health. Remedy your brain fog and your behavioral issues by making rest a priority and including rest in your mental health recovery.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, a physician or mental health specialist can help you evaluate your situation and create a mental health plan that makes sense for your specific needs.
