 Hey, Psych2Goers. Have you ever felt like you're cruising through life on autopilot? Do you no longer find joy in the things that you used to? When you're running the marathon of life, you will at some point feel exhausted or unsure of yourself somewhere along the way. You might lose touch with your real authentic self and lose sight of one of the most important things in life happiness. So if it's been a while since you last checked in with yourself, let's find out if you're truly happy or not. Would these six tell tale signs? Number one, you're always trying to be excessively busy. Are you always running to cross off task after task on your to-do list? People who are subconsciously struggling to find happiness or satisfaction in their lives often try to stay overly busy. This may be because you're trying to avoid addressing any unhappy feelings you may be experiencing. When you want to escape how you feel, you may use productivity as a measure of success. Author of Daring Greatly, a research professor, Brene Brown, shares that one of the most universal numbing strategies is what she likes to call crazy busy. We are a culture of people who've bought into the idea that if we stay busy enough, the truth of our lives won't catch up with us. Number two, you engage in addictive behaviors. Seemingly addictive behaviors can be a huge sign of hidden unhappiness. When you hear the word addiction, the first thing that may come to mind may involve substance abuse, such as drugs, alcohol, and a smoking addiction. But addictive behaviors can come in all shapes and sizes. According to the American Addiction Centers, behavioral addiction is the compulsion to continually engage in an activity or behavior despite the negative impact on the person's ability to remain mentally and or physically healthy and function in the home or community. Addiction can look like binge eating your favorite unhealthy foods, sleeping too much, or the excessive use of social media. Number three, you try too hard to show others how great your life is. You may often notice the sign in others when scrolling through social media. Someone's overly hyped up and bubbly posts or stories online aren't necessarily an accurate reflection of their mental state of happiness. In fact, a recent study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh found that heavy social media users tend to be far more likely to be lonely and unhappy compared to those who spend less time on the sites. Showing how great your life is could be a way to overcompensate for the dissatisfaction and lack of pleasure you feel in life. By outwardly showing others that you're doing and feeling better than ever, you effectively avoid addressing any lingering sense of emptiness you feel. Number four, you start to overlook self-care. When's the last time you had a self-care day? They're important a whole day for you. What about even just some time to yourself? Overlooking self-care may be a sign that you're struggling to feel a sense of satisfaction in your life. Despite the common misconception that self-care is a luxury or an indulgence, it is a necessity that can truly help you feel back in touch with yourself. When you're feeling unhappy, deep down, self-care is the first thing that can start to slip out of your hands. This is most likely because it requires you to take a moment to step back. While you're busy going through your list of tasks, running away from taking good care of yourself may distract you from coming face to face with your unexplainable lack of contentment with life. Oof, I know you felt that. Number five, you have unrealistically high expectations of yourself. Do you always need things to turn out perfect? Another source of unhappiness can come from setting too high of expectations for yourself. This is because it can lead to excessive self-doubt and feelings like you're not good enough when you don't or are unable to reach those goals. You may even become hyper aware of your weaknesses and feel less than because they exist. Number six, you experience physical pain and or discomfort. Our bodies are hard-working machines that are programmed to do their part in keeping us well. When you don't do your part and letting your body help you, it will speak up in its own way. According to the myoclinic, some of such symptoms can include mood swings with irritability and frustration, typically over more seemingly insignificant issues, reduced or increased appetite, sleep disturbances, back pains, headaches, and fatigue. These are just some of the ways in which your body may be trying to tell you that something is wrong and needs to be addressed. If you find yourself experiencing one or more of the symptoms listed above for a certain prolonged period of time, it might be a good idea to seek help from a medical or psychological professional. Did you relate to any of the signs mentioned above? If so, we highly recommend that you reach out for help. If you find this video helpful, be sure to like, subscribe, and share this video with those who might benefit from it. And don't forget to hit the notification bell icon to get notified whenever Psych2Go posts a new video. The references and studies used in this video are added in the description below. Thanks for watching and see you in our next video.