Our psyche tends to have a cumulative effect: you endure, endure, and then suddenly there is an explosion. However, the body does not remain silent; it makes it clear that the nerves are already at their limit.
“I’m fine” — this is how we respond even on days when we feel very bad. Often, a person continues to work and perform their usual tasks even when they want to hide in the farthest corner to be alone.
The longer you pretend that everything is fine, the more dangerous the consequences can be, psychologists warn. It starts with apathy and worries but can escalate into an anxiety disorder or depression.
“Mental difficulties rarely begin with an obvious crisis. Much more often, they exist for a long time in a masked form — while a person continues to work, function, and be ‘fine,’” say specialists from Dr. Isaev's Clinic.
How can you tell that your psyche is at its limit? Experts have listed signs that should clearly raise alarm.
Here’s how a person behaves when not everything is okay.
1. Becomes a Workaholic
A person suddenly becomes overly active — they work as if they don’t notice fatigue. In reality, increased productivity may not be a sign of resourcefulness but a form of defense. This is how our psyche tries to isolate itself from feelings of anxiety and escape from gnawing thoughts.
2. Rationalizes All Feelings
A person tries to find logical explanations for all their feelings. Here are some conclusions they might reach:
- everyone goes through this;
- it’s just this age;
- there are objectively no reasons to complain.
This way helps create an illusion of control, as it is easier than allowing oneself to experience real emotions.
3. Constantly Jokes and Ironizes
Joking is good, but there is a limit to everything. Sometimes irony and self-irony can serve as a way to distance oneself from pain. A joke reduces affect but simultaneously makes it impossible to process — the feeling seems not to have time to be experienced.
4. Complains of Headaches and Digestive Issues
Our mental and physical health are closely linked. Headaches, tension, sleep problems, gastrointestinal issues, and tachycardia often become the only language through which the psyche communicates overload. How else can one reach out if the brain refuses to accept reality?
5. Wants to Control Everything
A person plans every step, tries to adhere strictly to deadlines, and becomes very anxious if something goes wrong.
Control here serves a regulatory function. It temporarily reduces anxiety but makes the system fragile, say psychotherapists.
6. Stops Feeling the Fullness of Emotions
There is a feeling as if nothing touches them, a loss of interest in usual activities, emotional numbness. This is not an absence of problems but a defensive shutdown of feelings, as the psyche is already overloaded.
7. Becomes Irritable and Aggressive
Anger, intolerance, and outbursts of irritation often mask anxiety, shame, or helplessness. You need to get rid of emotions, and anger is one of the most accessible and straightforward ways. You allow yourself to be angry but not weak.
8. Starts Smoking and Drinking
A cigarette helps calm down, and after a glass of wine, it’s easier to fall asleep. But this is just an illusion of control that makes a person a hostage to bad habits. Thus, anxiety will only increase.
9. Constantly Compares Themselves to Those Who Are Worse Off
A person devalues their own state through external criteria (“others have it harder”). This helps them not to acknowledge the need for help but does not reduce the internal burden.
10. Tries Hard to Live a “Normal” Life
Work, family, social activity — all these are signs of stability and confidence that everything is like everyone else. The psyche can maintain external order for a long time, especially at the cost of internal exhaustion.
“How long can a rope twist, it will still have an end” — do you remember this proverb? So don’t try to deceive yourself, seek help from a specialist if you feel the need.
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