When Should I Be Concerned About My Mood?

During these uncertain times, we are facing more and more challenges. It feels like the goal posts are constantly changing. Just when you feel like you have your head around what’s happening in the world or your space it, things change and new stressors emerge. Melbourne is currently in its second lockdown period. It feels like we only just finished the first. It’s incredibly challenging to listen to the news every night and hear the latest number of cases.

For many people the list of things that are causing stress and anxiety might be growing each day. Many people have been significantly impacted financially, others are finding the distance and restrictions from seeing loved ones difficult, and for others it is hard to not be able to do activities that bring you joy (e.g. going out for dinner or seeing a concert). With each day bringing challenges and (often) negative updates it can be hard to maintain a positive mood or optimistic outlook. So when should you be concerned about your changes (or decline) in mood? What is normal? When should you seek support?

At Piece by Piece Therapies, we are trained and experienced Psychologists working most often with mood disorders. We are often asked, ‘Am I normal?’ So what should you look out for in either yourself, or your loved one, with respect to changes in mood?

Have you noticed a significant decrease in energy? This is beyond the normal feeling of tired or yawning during that 3pm slump. Significant decreases in energy usually look more like you don’t have energy to get out of bed in the morning. It may also be that simple tasks like doing the laundry or unstacking the dishwasher seem insurmountable. If you feel like your energy has dropped so much that you can no longer do normal everyday tasks, and this persists for more than two weeks, it might be time to seek professional support.

Are activities that you usually enjoy no longer enjoyable? This may take a little time to notice but you may be reflecting one day that you no longer find joy in things you used to. It may be that your favourite music no longer appeals to you, or it may be that you just don’t want to do that fun activity that you would normally be excited to do. Again, if this were to happen for only a day, it’s not too concerning, but if these feelings persist for longer than two weeks, it might be a good idea to seek professional support.

Do you feel more emotional than normal and are finding it difficult to concentrate? This may be that you’re finding yourself cry more than you normally do, or very easily. It may also be that you’ve noticed you’re quite irritable and find yourself getting easily annoyed at things or people. Furthermore, you may have also noticed that it’s incredibly hard to concentrate, when normally for you this is not a problem. If you notice these changes and they persist for longer than two weeks, it would be a good idea to seek support.

Piece by Piece Therapies offers evidence-based psychological therapy to support people who are experiencing changes in mood, as well as mood disorders. If you, or someone you love, have noticed a persistent change in mood and would like support to improve, and feel better, please click the button below to get in touch and make an appointment. At the moment, Piece by Piece Therapies are offering online appointments as well as face-to-face.

Stay safe!