Entering the professional world can be one of the most challenging events in your life. You have to start prioritizing many tasks, change your mindset and lifestyle, as well as prove yourself to your bosses. This kind of environment can easily take a toll on the mind and affect their well-being; that’s why people should start prioritizing mental health.

Why Mental Health Matters

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), health is not the absence of disease. Instead, it is the well being of a person in the mental, social, and physical aspects. Unfortunately, society views mental illnesses as an embarrassing and taboo topic and tends to focus on physical ailments alone.

People should start giving importance to mental problems in the same way that they do to physical illnesses because the brain is also an organ. The mind deserves the same treatment as any other part of the body. Also, it’s essential to know that a neglected mental disease can eventually lead to the failure of the physical body.

In a report released by WHO, people who suffer from mental illnesses have a higher mortality rate compared to others. These problems can continue to develop, and co-exist with other diseases such as diabetes, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and heart ailments.

A lot of physical, emotional, and social problems have worsened because many fail to recognize the fact that mental issues can be a cause of more significant and more severe disease.

Signs That You’re Developing Mental Illness

Having a mental illness does not develop overnight. It is a combination of past experiences, genetics, home environment, and access to material things. A young worker can mistake some symptoms for tiredness and stress from work, but unfortunately, these can be a warning sign. Below are some signs that warrant a visit to a psychiatrist:

• You suddenly have peculiar behavior.
• You make decisions that sometimes make no sense.
• You feel disconnected from your friends and family, as well as yourself.
• You find it hard to do the things you loved the most back then.
• You have sudden, dramatic mood swings that affect your decisions and your peers.
• You have dramatic changes in your sleeping schedule and appetite.
• You withdraw from social events, wanting to be alone most of the time.
• You suddenly become sensitive to a lot of sounds, smells, sights.
• You avoid joining activities.
• You find it hard to think logically regarding different situations.

Checking off more than two symptoms won’t suffice to determine that you have a mental illness, but it may be time to ask for help, primarily if you can no longer function properly in your everyday life.

The Consequences Of Not Prioritizing Mental Health

Mental illness is not something that people can see, unlike physical injuries. Some even neglect the thought that there is a high possibility it could have developed in early childhood. Because of this mindset, approximately 50% of children and adolescents have at least one symptom of mental health problems before age 18.

Below are some consequences that stem from not prioritizing mental disabilities:

• The development of chronic, physical pain.
• The worsening of existing diseases.
• There is a lack of motivation in everyday life.
• The possibility of incarceration
• Suicide attempts happen.

Reasons To Stop Ignoring Mental Problems

Most of the time, parents don’t prioritize their child’s mental state because they think they’re too young to experience such ailment. However, as the years go by, the age bracket lowers, and more adolescents develop mental illness.

Ignoring a mental illness keeps you drained and exhausted most of the time, which may also lead to physical manifestations. Also, it may lead to insomnia, heart diseases, or fatigue. If you continue to stop paying attention to what you feel, it eventually affects everything around you, from your work up to the relationships you have with loved ones.

Tips About Mental Health Young Workers Should Know

To be able to adapt in a busy work environment, here are a few tips you can follow:

• Know which task to prioritize
• Make time for slumber
• Choose the right food and live a healthy lifestyle
• Avoid alcohol
• Attend seminars that help you release your emotions from work.
• Exercise regularly

Conclusion

Being a young worker may feel overwhelming, and the stress can sometimes aggravate the already-existing mental health problem. The key is not to feel ashamed of asking for help. If you think that you have a mental illness, don’t hesitate to tell a loved one or contact a specialist. Heal your mind, and everything else follows.

Citations:

Mental Health Should Matter as Much as Physical Health. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/talking-about-health/201903/mental-health-should-matter-much-physical-health

Ghost. (2019, January 21). 4 Mental Health Tips For Young Professionals. Retrieved from https://www.ring.md/blog/4-mental-health-tips-for-young-professionals/

High Focus Centers. (2019, December 19). Dangers of Untreated Mental Illness. Retrieved from https://highfocuscenters.pyramidhealthcarepa.com/dangers-untreated-mental-illness/

K, L., & KI, L. (2019, November 12). 4 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Ignore Your Mental Health. Retrieved from https://letsreachsuccess.com/reasons-shouldnt-ignore-your-mental-health/

(n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/warning-signs-of-mental-illness