 Hey, Psych2Goers! Have you ever thought about joining our team of animators or writers? Or perhaps you want to start an animation channel of your own? Are you looking through as many YouTube channels as you can for tutorials and tips, but wasted a lot of time on some not-so-helpful ones? Skillshare is a great place where you can learn new things with their online classes, and they have a course on animation as well. Click the link in the description below to get your free trial of Skillshare Premium. Hey, Psych2Goers, and welcome back to our channel! This video is suggested by one of our viewers, Armi and Blink, thanks for the suggestion! Now, let's get started. Have you been wondering if your mental health is possibly getting worse? Mental health, just like physical health, affects everyone, whether you're suffering from a mental illness or not. Your mental and emotional health can fluctuate from time to time, depending on the stresses going on in your life. So, it's always a good idea to check in with yourself and try to gauge the direction your mental health is going in. With that said, here are 10 signs that your mental health is getting worse. Number one, you're losing interest in the little things. Do your favorite activities suddenly seem meh to you? If you've started to lose excitement for life's little things, then this is a sign that your mental health might not be at its best. You might be feeling this way because of an overload of stress in your life, or you're feeling overwhelmed with all of your responsibilities and your to-do lists. When you lose interest and don't enjoy the hobbies and activities that you once did, this could also be a warning sign of depression. If you think this could be what's happening to you, know that you aren't alone and that help is just around the corner. Talk with a trusted friend or family member or a mental health professional to get the help you need to navigate these troubling times. Number two, you get overwhelmed easier. Do you find that you've been getting overwhelmed more often than normal? When you have a to-do list for two or three tasks, does it feel more like you have 10 things to do? When you start to get overwhelmed easily with everyday things, this could be a sign of worsening mental health. According to psychotherapist Sherry Jacobson, feeling mentally overwhelmed could be an internal reaction to excessive outside stress. To help cope with this overwhelming feeling, you can journal, meditate, or practice mindfulness. Number three, you don't feel like socializing that much anymore. Does it feel more exhausting to interact with people nowadays? Regardless of whether you're an introvert, extrovert, or somewhere in between, we all have a standard comfort level when it comes to social interaction. If you feel yourself slipping below your comfort level, pay attention to this. Remember that even if it doesn't feel that way at the moment, interacting with people can help boost your mood. We want to mention that we're happy to have Skillshare as the sponsor today because they really promote the idea of a self-made you. Are you planning to learn a new skill, perhaps on illustration, animation, or writing? It would be great if everything you need was all in one place, right? Well, Skillshare has thousands of catered courses across all kinds of topics, like design, business, tech, and more. There is truly something for everyone. Skillshare has a great intro class on animation that we really recommend. The course is called Creativity Unleashed. Discover, hone, and share your voice online. Biohannous fast. If any of you are interested in learning basic information, I recommend you go check it out in the link below. The first 1,000 people will get a free trial of Skillshare Premium, and after that, it's only around $10 a month. Let us know what Skillshare courses you're taking in the comments below. Number four, you don't have a consistent sleep schedule. Have you developed a seemingly random sleep schedule? Despite wanting to get up at a certain time in the morning, do you wind up sleeping all day? When you have an irregular sleep schedule, this could signify increased stress in your life and a decline in your mental health. If you're struggling to regulate your sleep, you can try setting up a routine to wake up and go to bed at the same time every day. This will get your body back into its regular rhythm of sleep and wake cycles, therefore no longer causing sleep disturbance. Number five, you always feel drained. Despite getting enough sleep and eating well, do you constantly feel exhausted or drained? According to Healthline, mental exhaustion can set in when you're under long-term stress, and this type of exhaustion can make it feel like you're trying to move up a mountain. More than just feeling tired. When you're in this drained and constantly exhausted state, you might struggle to get anything done. Healthline suggests practicing gratitude, relaxation, and yoga, as well as talking to a mental health professional to provide medication for you if it's needed. Treatment plans will look different for everyone, but regardless, there is a way that will work best for you to help pull yourself out of this state of exhaustion. Number six, your anxiety seems to be increasing. Do you wake up in the morning with a crushing sense of anxiety that stays with you all day? Does this anxiety cast a cloud over your daily activities? Worsening anxiety can often coincide with worsening mental health. Anxiety affects us all, whether or not you happen to suffer from a particular anxiety disorder. It's important to monitor your anxiety levels because a noticeable change can tell you a lot about your mental health. Anxiety is a response to stress, and it can cause a variety of psychological and physical symptoms. When you feel overly anxious, you might notice that your heart rate speeds up and your breathing rate increases, and you might experience a bout of nausea. Number seven, you feel mentally and emotionally scattered. Do you feel like there are so many things happening around you but you can't focus on any of them? If so, you're not alone. From time to time, it's normal to feel this way, especially when you're going through higher amounts of stress. However, if you're feeling scattered and like things are spinning out of control, this could be a sign that your mental health is under strain. According to psychologist Rick Hansen from Psychology Today, you probably feel scattered because you're struggling to find your center. This means that in order for your brain to feel more organized, you need to feel at peace within yourself. Practicing mindfulness, such as yoga and meditation, are great places to start on the road to inner peace. Number eight, you can't seem to pay attention. Do you have a harder time focusing and staying on task? When you're reading, is it hard to comprehend? Do you have to reread the same passage over and over again? Though it could relate to potential psychological disorders such as ADHD, depression, or anxiety, it's also likely that a lack of focus can be due to stress or poor self-care. It can be frustrating to start losing focus so frequently. And those feelings are valid and normal. Remember to take care of yourself and, as you recover, know that help is available. Number nine, you might be struggling with your impulse control. Are you acting more on impulse? Are you possibly indulging in things you shouldn't? Whether it's retail therapy or binging all of your shows or playing video games for hours. When you act more on impulses like this, it can signify worsening mental health. You might pick up some unhealthy habits as a way to cope with life stress or to fulfill yourself or distract yourself from a major issue going on in your life. Journaling, mindfulness, and therapy are great ways to start uncovering some of these issues. And number ten, you're struggling to feel grounded. Similar to feeling centered. When you are grounded, you are feeling confident and balanced within yourself. According to Irene Langveld, an energy worker and meditation coach, grounding starts with the root chakra at the base of the spine known to help you feel secure. Activities that connect your body with the world around you such as hiking, meditating, or walking outside are great ways to help you find your sense of grounding. Can you relate to any of the points in this video? Do you think your mental health could be slipping? If so, know that there is help you can reach out for. You can talk to a trusted friend, family member, or a mental health therapist for support. Please like and share this video if it helped you and you think it could help someone else too. The studies and references used are listed in the description below. Don't forget to hit the subscribe button for more videos and thank you for watching. We'll see you next time.