Nervous Breakdown

Written By:  Andrew Eide

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines NERVOUS BREAKDOWN  as: An attack of mental or emotional disorder especially when of sufficient severity to require hospitalization. A sudden failure of mental health that makes someone unable to live normally.

I’ve listed some common signs of a nervous breakdown below. A person may experience one or more of the symptoms or all of them. Just because a person experiences one or more of the symptoms doesn’t mean they are experiencing a nervous breakdown as the symptoms could be due to diet or illness.

Sleeping too much, or not enough – Some people find that they go into sleep overdrive. Sleep becomes an escape. Others may develop insomnia and be unable to sleep because their brain is in overdrive. They may lay awake at night mentally rehearsing situations over and over again that have no solution.

Fatigue – Extreme tiredness could also be a clue you're stressed to the max. You might feel weakness in your body. Activities you previously handled with ease may become increasingly difficult and things that used to bring you joy may lose their appeal.

Changes in appetite – Maybe you're not eating, or conversely, you might be overeating. The stress hormone cortisol can trigger cravings for high-fat, high-sugar foods. What's more, when you're in the middle of a breakdown, you may be less motivated to prepare healthy meals. There's less ability or desire to care for oneself in the way one typically would.

Physical pain – Think of headaches, stomachaches, and pains in muscles and joints. For some people there might be a gastro-intestinal reason such as diarrhea or constipation. These conditions often cause brain fog and inability to focus. As for body aches, pains, and fatigue, this could be related to stress and a nervous breakdown or it could be a result of a medical condition such as arthritis or an illness

                                     

I will be honest that I have all the above symptoms. I feel the need to sleep all the time. I am tired and exhausted all the time. I want to eat a lot or not at all. I am suffering physical pain in my lower back, my legs, and my hip. . I have a difficult time concentrating on things especially when something and someone interrupts me. It often takes five minutes or more to get my focus back after an interruption.

I have tried to inform everyone around me how I feel but they are not seeing the signs that I may be close to a nervous breakdown or they don’t want to believe it might be happening. I’ve had one nervous breakdown in my life and I never want to have another one. I know I over-react sometimes but it is usually after hours of having to deal with situations I have no control over. Others try to tell me to ignore those things. Unfortunately not being able to ignore things, or resolve things, because you have no control over doesn’t make the stress and the possibility of a nervous breakdown go away. The Jews in the Death Camps in Germany had no control over their situation. They were unable to change anything about their captivity. Trying to tell Jews in Death Camps to ignore the stressors, when there was no way for them to ignore or escape them, is as useless a suggestion as to tell me to ignore the stressors causing me problems as I cannot alleviate or control those outside influences.

Here are some suggestions of what to look out for that I found on the internet:

Are you having trouble concentrating? Or just feel like you're not thinking clearly? There are often cognitive symptoms with a nervous breakdown which might include anything from difficulty with problem-solving and indecisiveness to a sense of disorientation and memory loss.

Trouble breathing is another one. Keep an eye out for classic signs of anxiety too, such as tightness in your chest and rapid breathing. Taking quick, shallow breaths can ramp up the body's stress response even more. A breathing exercise designed to slow down your breathing can provide relief. But if you experience trouble breathing on a regular basis it's important to address the root of the problem. 

I am crying out for help. I don’t want to have a total nervous system collapse and end up in the hospital as I did once before. I cannot control the stressors and the lack of control drives my stress higher. Hopefully the stressful situation will be resolved soon and finally the stress-causing factors which are causing myself, my wife, and my daughter, to extreme stress levels, will be eliminated.