Mental and physical health are not as separate as some people still think. It amazes me that, in this day and age, there are still people who don’t understand this. Poor physical health can have an adverse effect on your mental health and vice versa.

I have learnt over the years through my experiences with poor mental health just how much of a toll that depression, anxiety and OCD have, and still take on my body. Just like the psychological effects of mental health issues, the physical ones differ from person to person, and everyone deals with them differently. However, just because someone may be more profoundly affected than someone else, it doesn’t mean they are weaker; they are just different.

Below are some ways that my body is affected by my bouts of depression, anxiety and OCD.

Lack of good quality sleep (and sometimes any sleep at all) affects my concentration and ability to carry out tasks. It not only drains my energy but also, if it gets bad enough, affects my memory. My depression also affects my psoriasis, causing it to flare up in all sorts of places, some of which can be very painful and difficult to manage, increasing the risk of long-term skin damage and infection. There is a physiological tiredness that often occurs for me before the physical tiredness joins in.

More of my energy is drained by a greatly reduced appetite, which sometimes is made worse by antidepressants. It is not always that I’m not hungry; it is often a combination of low energy and a degree of self-hate. When my depression is bad, I do not feel like I am worthy of food. Losing a lot of weight is often a byproduct of this (thankfully, I have some spare to lose). I am often congratulated by others when I lose weight, as they assume it is intentional. However, they never ask. Joint pain, headaches, erratic periods and a compromised immune system are other examples of ways my body shows what’s going on in my mind.

These, along with other issues, contribute to the effect my depression has on my ability to manage on a day-to-day basis. Simple tasks I normally do without thinking often become challenging, and I get frustrated because they take so much out of me to complete. Of course, my frustration just adds fuel to my depression, and it can become a very vicious and destructive cycle.

When someone who is struggling tells you that they are tired, it is more than a good night’s sleep they need.

When someone who is struggling tells you that they are finding day-to-day tasks hard, they are not being lazy.

When someone who is struggling tells you that the side effects of the antidepressants they take are making things worse, they do not just need to suck it up. Treatment is no good if all it does is make you worse.

Please, I beg of you, when someone tells you they are struggling, listen to them.

Written by Lorna Smart

Blogger @PoemStellium