Signs to be aware of
Experiencing difficulties can happen at any stage in life. We may struggle as children, understanding school related tasks, finding it difficult to leave home and being separated from our parents/caregivers, making new friends and so on. We may struggle as adults, we may find it difficult to get used to being independent, to maintain existing friendships and make new ones, to enter into romantic relationships, to maintain boundaries, to deal with loss and so forth. We may struggle in different roles in our life: as a partner, as a parent, as a friend, as an individual. In fact, whatever role we are in at whatever stage in our life, we may struggle at times.
There are several signs that we could pay attention to; signs that may signify the importance of a recent or a long-forgotten change. Whether we are talking about children or adults, there are signs that are universal across all ages, and there are signs that are more specific to certain age groups, gender, occupation and so on. It is important to recognise signs but it is also important to understand them. For example, being tired after a long shift and not wanting to socialise because of the tiredness does not mean that we are isolating ourselves and we are depressed; it could ‘simply’ mean that we need some rest. However, if it happens more often than it is comfortable for us and/or it causes significant negative changes in our life, it may worth the time, energy and resources to investigate why it is like this, and how to deal with it. Whatever the difficulty may be, it is okay to ask for help.
Below, there are a few examples to sings to be aware of:
Sleeping difficulties
Tiredness
Questioning One’s values
Lack of motivation
Feeling lost
Self-isolation
Becoming argumentative
Feeling unhappy/low mood
Feeling helplessness
Feeling overwhelmed
Feeling easily frustrated/angry
Feeling alone