Nervous Breakdown: 7 Tips To Prevent Nervous Breakdown

Introduction

Nervous breakdown, or mental breakdown, is a term which we commonly use without fully understanding what exactly it means. Nervous breakdown is often taken as a synonym for a mental health illness; however, it isn’t so. It typically refers to a bunch of symptoms that may also occur in various mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, acute stress reaction, etc.

What Is a Nervous Breakdown?

Nervous breakdown, also commonly known as mental breakdown or mental health crisis, isn’t a clinical term or a medical disorder. It is a term used to describe significant mental distress arising from various life situations. A person experiencing a mental breakdown can often, however, also indicate that they may be struggling with a mental health illness. It is commonly seen to emerge when an individual is faced with challenging situations during their life that they might find difficult to cope with, resulting in them experiencing difficulty in their day-to-day functioning and significant emotional distress. 

What Are The Causes Of A Nervous Breakdown

There is more than one reason for a person to experience a nervous breakdown. The common triggers which one often comes across are:

1. 1. Chronic stress: Prolonged high levels of stress due to professional or personal aspects of one’s life can lead to an individual feeling overwhelmed and experiencing a nervous breakdown 
   2. Stressful life transitions: Loss of a loved one, losing a job, divorce, etc.
   3. Financial crisis: Teetering on the edge, a financial crisis spirals into a debilitating nervous breakdown
   4. Trauma: Post-traumatic experiences after physical, sexual or emotional abuse can predispose an individual to experience a nervous breakdown
   5. Mental Health Condition: Underlying mental health conditions in a person make them more prone to experiencing a nervous breakdown under highly stressful situations. 
   6. Genetic Factors: Genetic predisposition to mental health disorders    

Symptoms Of Nervous Breakdown

Symptoms of a nervous breakdown can vary from individual to individual. It can manifest in the form of either physical, psychological or behavioural symptoms or as a combination of the three. They can often resemble symptoms of mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). Some of the symptoms can be: 

• Overwhelming feelings of distress, sadness
• Feeling of worthlessness
• Feeling on the edge
• Irritability, agitation and restlessness
• Some individuals can sometimes experience symptoms similar to PTSD, such as flashbacks, nightmares, etc.
• Decreased energy levels
• Loss of interest in activities
• Physical manifestations can be a common presentation that occurs with frequent headaches and stomach-related concerns.
• Changes in appetite, which can be either an increase or decrease in the appetite
• Disturbed sleep patterns are common to occur.
• Social withdrawal: As a result of the nervous breakdown, they isolate themselves from their loved ones 
• Thoughts of self-harm and suicide 

Effects Of Nervous Breakdown 

There can be various effects of a nervous breakdown on an individual. Impaired daily functioning in any or all spheres of their life. It can impact and cause strain in the relationships around a person going through a nervous breakdown. Nervous breakdown, even though it is not a mental health condition, can result in one. It can also impact one’s physical health and lead to exacerbation or development of physical health concerns such as heart diseases, gastroenterology-related concerns, etc. A nervous breakdown can also make individuals turn to alcohol, drugs or other substances as a form of maladaptive coping mechanism.   

How Do You Prevent A Nervous Breakdown- 7 Tips 

It is possible to reduce the risks of developing a nervous breakdown; however, it may not be possible to completely prevent it. Some steps which one can take to reduce the risk of having a nervous breakdown are:

1. Managing stress or eliminating stress wherever possible, understanding that certain factors in our life might not be under our control, and learning to work around them 
2. Following a healthy lifestyle, including ample exercise, good nutrition, avoiding caffeine and a good sleep routine
3. Practicing self-care in the form of pursuing hobbies, spending time with your pets, etc., can help de-stress and hence reduce the chances of experiencing a nervous breakdown. 
4. Having healthy boundaries can help you prevent yourself from stretching beyond your capacity and help you preserve your emotions and energy, thus preventing you from feeling overwhelmed. 
5. Have realistic goals and expectations for yourself 
6. Keep a regular check on your emotions, and if you experience an imbalance, then reach out to a professional who can guide you in mitigating the stress before it turns into a nervous breakdown or a mental health condition
7. Building and maintaining a good support system, be it your family, friends or colleagues, finding a group of people whom you can confide in

Treatment for a Nervous Breakdown 

Lifestyle modifications play an integral part in managing our mental health and are usually the initial part of management. Incorporating an adequate amount of exercise into your daily routine, which can be as simple as going for a brisk walk for 30-40 minutes, ample nutrition in the form of a healthy diet and avoiding any foods which can hamper one’s health, e.g. caffeine and any drugs or substances. It is crucial to have adequate sleep to maintain a good lifestyle. 

Psychotherapy, specifically cognitive behavioural therapy, helps explore the possible cause, helping you address the situation and build resilience. 

There is a possibility that in some cases, medications may be needed to help stabilise the mood and alleviate any mental health disorder symptoms, if present.     

Conclusion 

Many people experience stressful situations in life, which may cause them to experience brief periods of mood changes and anxiety, but if this stress and associated emotions start to affect their daily functioning and cause difficulty in managing routine tasks of life, then we must address it and help them overcome the same. 

References

1. https://www.newportinstitute.com/resources/mental-health/nervous-breakdown/
2. https://academic.oup.com/book/40758/chapterabstract/348671827?redirectedFrom=fulltext