Letting mental health issues linger on for too long could result in them manifesting into physical symptoms, says clinical psychologist Karen Nimmo. (file image) Photo: 123RF
The pressures to keep up with your responsibilities and commitments can take a toll. Every individual has their own threshold but some of us go far beyond it, telling ourselves to just hang in there.
Clinical psychologist Karen Nimmo sees clients facing this difficulty and says it can be driven by putting too much value on staying busy.
"If you think about it, being busy still has that cool factor, we get praised for being busy, it makes us look productive and popular and all those sorts of things. And also when we're not busy, the opposite occurs, so we can look a little bit lazy, not productive, perhaps even a little bit of a loser."
Mitigating stress for better health
It could also be an avoidance tactic to not deal with some hard truths, Nimmo told Nine to Noon.
Karen Nimmo Photo: Supplied
"We don't have to start that diet or end that relationship that's going nowhere or find a new job while we're busy. We can just wait until things settle down, which, of course, as we know, they never do and being too busy is bad for our health, both physical and mental.
"There's sometimes people who will show up in therapy and they are absolutely ragged and, you know, they're there because they've kind of been forced to be either by a GP or a family member or someone who's worried about them."
People who try to do everything all the time could be at risk of burning out, she said.
In burnout, people may experience physical and mental exhaustion, increased negativity, feeling like they're falling behind on all fronts, as well as feeling overwhelmed, struggling to focus, sleep problems and forgetfulness. Letting mental health issues linger on for too long could result in them manifesting into physical symptoms such as headaches, recurrent cold or flu, digestion issues, and suppression of immune system, Nimmo said.
"We set these high bars and then we wonder why we feel so stretched in trying to meet them...
"Often, it takes getting to that point, that breaking point where you actually have to sit down and think, 'okay, I'm having panic attacks. I'm not coping here. What do I need to do about it?'
"Interestingly too, it's often not the work that tips us over the edge, it's something that happens in your personal life, it'll be just a bridge too far and then suddenly you find yourself spiralling into that dark place, so that's the time when you absolutely have to pay attention."
One of the practical things people can do is seek therapy, Nimmo said.
"If you think about burnout, like we've all been burnt out, I don't think it's possible to go through a career or, you know, live at high revs without experiencing that at some point. So something's got to give and you need to be honest about not just your physical health, but actually looking at your life as a whole and thinking, 'okay, something is off here. There's a message I need to be picking up on'.
"You can always come through the other side. It's just a matter of, first of all, acknowledging what's going on."
Another helpful tip was to take note of how much you were taking on, Nimmo said.
"You have to do an inventory of what's going on in your life. And that's as simple as sitting down and writing everything down. People are often horrified. When they look at their list and see what they are trying to give and what they're expecting of themselves, and then it's a matter of looking and thinking, 'okay, what can I take off the list here?' 'What can I say a hard no to?'
"You can't possibly keep up with every friendship to the same level. It's quite stressful, isn't it? Trying to check in with everybody and then you feel like you've neglected someone for a while... That doesn't mean you have to cut people completely, but you have to accept sometimes a little bit of reduced contact."