The winter months can be trying on our mental health, and many may blame the weather when they’re feeling down.
Lots of us will wait for a full-on breakdown or a panic attack to realise that our mental health is suffering.
However, a self-help influencer who ‘helps people break free from anxiety’ has explained that there are common symptoms that can be early indicators of suffering mental health.
Lisa Houghton, a self-help author and coach, regularly shares her mental health tips with her 226,000 followers on Instagram.
And in one of her latest posts, she shared some subtle signs that you may be struggling with mental health issues, reported Surrey Live.
Overlay text over a cup of coffee read: “We don’t realise that the first sign our mental health is suffering isn’t a panic attack or an emotional breakdown. It starts with waking up exhausted, even after sufficient sleep.”
Difficulty getting out of bed, a lot of headaches, lack of motivation, gut and skin issues, muscle aches, distancing yourself from people and being irritable were all other signs of poor mental health, according to the self-help coach.
More symptoms she added included low energy, feeling lost, stuck or joyless, memory struggle, self-sabotage behaviours and brain fog.
She added: “Your body speaks to you. Listen before it has to scream!”
Following up in her caption, Lisa said: “I used to think that the panic attacks and anxiety I experienced just came out of nowhere. Like it was some illness I’d developed because my brain was faulty.
“But the truth was, they didn’t just appear suddenly. My mental health and nervous system were sending signals all along that they were suffering. Unfortunately, I missed or ignored them.”
She added: “I used painkillers to numb the discomfort, alcohol to drown out the noise, and worst of all, I was incredibly harsh on myself. Labelling myself as weak, stupid, and useless.
“In my defence, I didn’t know that our bodies communicate with us. I only learned this during my second mental breakdown, in my mid-40s.
“I doubt many doctors fully understood it either. But it’s true our bodies do talk to us. So, let’s start listening.”
Lisa concluded by encouraging people to “give themselves permission to be human, not machines that just need a bit of maintenance when things go wrong.”
She also encouraged her followers to ‘makes themselves a priority’ and reclaim their wellbeing by listening to their needs and honouring them.
The post racked up more than 15,000 likes, clearly resonating with her followers.
One person wrote: “Such an important topic,” while another added: “The wisdom of listening out for the whispers, rather than waiting to be derailed by the shout.”
A third chimed in: “This is such an important reminder! Anxiety and burnout don’t always show up as full blown panic attacks … they whisper through exhaustion, brain fog, and feeling ‘off.’
“Learning to listen to those early signs can make all the difference.”
The NHS says that stress, depression and dealing with life challenges can all be a cause of tiredness and fatigue.
It recommends seeing a GP if you’ve been feeling tired for a few weeks and you’re not sure why, or if your tiredness affects your daily life.