 Hey, Psych2Goers, welcome back to a brand new video. Do you have time set aside to rest, relax, or do things that you enjoy? With how society has been emphasizing the need for being productive, people have started to fill their already busy routines with even more tasks and removing any free time they have. But this habit will only end up stressing you out which results in deteriorating your mental health. According to a recent study by the Mental Health Foundation, only 13% of people are living with good mental health, with 65% reporting having experienced a mental health problem. When your focus is just on work or school, you may end up forgetting about your mental well-being. So if you're worried that this sounds like you, here are eight signs you may be neglecting your mental health. Number one, you put everyone's needs before your own. Are you constantly trying to please the people in your life without thinking about yourself first? Of course, everything depends on circumstance. Putting other people's needs before your own can be very effective for forming strong relationships and can sometimes help give meaning to your life. However, when you constantly do this for the wrong reasons such as because of guilt, peer pressure, or tradition, you may end up building a bad and harmful habit of always sacrificing your own needs and wants for others. This can bring about a great deal of stress, a higher risk of depression, and the possible risk of developing neurotic tendencies. Number two, you lean on unhealthy habits to hide your emotions. Have you ever felt like the best way to deal with depression is by ignoring it? Defaulting to unhealthy habits just to hide or numb our emotions might feel like a good idea at first, but it can lead to a number of consequences for your mental and physical well-being in the long run. According to provisional clinical psychologist, Victoria Tarrett, suppressing your emotions is known to affect your blood pressure, memory, and self-esteem. Additionally, you might also let out your pent-up emotions in unfortunate circumstances. For example, the unaddressed negative emotions you may have for your family may manifest themselves into frustration and get the better of you when you're driving. Number three, you lose interest in things you used to care about. Are you bored with the things you used to enjoy? This may be a sign that your mental health has deteriorated. Your lack of interest in things that you used to care about, be it your personal hygiene or hobby, can be attributed to depression, anxiety, emotional fatigue, or burnout. All of these affect your mental health and can heavily disrupt your daily life if not dealt with. While it can be difficult to address, especially when you don't feel like doing anything, it's important to try to move forward and push against these habits since they can worsen your mental well-being in the long run. Number four, you have trouble concentrating. You often have difficulty staying focused. Having trouble concentrating is normal and can happen to anyone. However, if you're constantly struggling to focus on something that you're doing, there's a high chance that your mental health is declining. A lack of concentration can be attributed to a variety of factors, including anxiety, excess stress, and lack of sleep. This is something that people often brush off and ignore since it can happen to anyone on off days. However, if you notice that you're constantly struggling with staying on task, you might need to seek help to address some of the anxiety or stress-related problems you may be experiencing. Number five, you have physical symptoms that you can't explain. Did you know that mental problems can cause physical pain? The human body needs to be healthy, both mentally and physically, in order to operate optimally. There's no point in being in great physical condition if you don't have the motivation to do anything and vice versa. If you're experiencing some physical discomfort without any real explanation, there is a chance that your mental health may be responsible for it. According to clinical psychologist Deborah Offner, being under constant anxiety and stress can result in stomach aches and headaches. So whenever you experience these types of unexplainable physical symptoms, try to take note of them and take them to your GP to see if these problems are indeed caused by anxiety and stress overload. Number six, your sleep cycle is off. Have you experienced any sleeping disorders? According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, NAMI, mental health issues are very closely related to sleeping disorders. The thing about the interaction between poor mental health and sleeping disorders is that they feed each other. In other words, if you neglect your mental health, it directly affects the amount of time and quality of sleep you get. At the same time, when your sleep cycle is off, your mental health may deteriorate until you address the issue. Number seven, you criticize yourself for every mistake. Do you constantly criticize yourself for everything that happens? Having the willingness to even acknowledge that you made a mistake takes a lot of mental fortitude. A lot of people would rather just blame someone or something else instead. However, on the other hand, if you fall into the habit of always criticizing yourself for every little mistake that you make, your mental health may suffer. So while it's important that you're able to take responsibility for your actions, it's also healthy for your mental well-being that you avoid only having this type of constant negativity surrounding your way of thinking. And number eight, you overwork to get to the finish line quickly. Are you someone who is constantly rushing to get things done? Well, a big part of how successful you become depends on how hard you work. Overworking yourself to get things done quickly may end up simply causing you to exhaust yourself and burn out, both physically and mentally. So as much as it's good to be productive and efficient at work, making sure to have a good balance between your work and taking care of your mental and physical health can go a long way for your success in the long run. So be honest, have you been neglecting your mental health? Let us know in the comments below. If you found this video helpful, be sure to like and share this video with those who might benefit from it. 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