Having A Nervous Breakdown: Your Limit Has Been Reached

Reaching your limit… being able to do nothing… feeling like the weight of the world is on your shoulders… Struggling to remember things or make decisions… We experience all of this when we have a nervous breakdown, a state that comes from an intense and prolonged state of stress.

Physical and emotional exhaustion are constants at the moment. For example, not only do we have more stress in the workplace, but if one thing is clear, it is that our worries are increasing, which in turn negatively affects our mood.

As such, we feel overwhelmed and in a brooding psychological state. This in turn can cause health complications.

As Pablo Neruda used to say, sometimes we even get tired of being people. Well, maybe he’s right. People get involved in increasingly complex and demanding scenarios that take their toll later on. If it’s normal to feel blocked and weak, then we need to understand why and how to deal with it.

Having a nervous breakdown: what is it and what are the symptoms?

A nervous breakdown in itself is not a disorder nor a diagnosable clinical condition. In fact, it is actually a symptom that can trigger an intense state of stress.

It is often a reaction to unpleasant circumstances and can happen after receiving bad news, going through a traumatic event or dealing with a particularly emotional breakup, etc.

In other words, it can happen after a very emotional life event. As stated in a study from the University of Leipzig in Germany, “a nervous breakdown is associated with a state of heightened stress, leading to a feeling of physical and psychological exhaustion.”

In that state, the brain releases an excess of neurochemicals, such as adrenaline or cortisol, which makes us feel overwhelmed. This accumulation of emotions, feelings and psychological changes can eventually affect our cognitive capacity and our physical resistance.

Symptoms associated with a nervous breakdown

Some people call it a ‘nervous crisis’, but in reality it is not the same. Although external symptoms such as feeling stressed or overwhelmed, intense emotions and nervousness usually accompany a nervous crisis, with a nervous breakdown we see a mental block. Below we go into more detail.

Psychological symptoms to expect when dealing with a nervous breakdown

• Concentration problems.
• Difficulty with reasoning: You may be in a kind of mental haze.
• Trouble remembering.

• The feeling of being out of touch with reality, as if your surroundings are not real.
• Mood swings: Feeling irritable or apathetic is especially common.
• Inability to perform daily tasks as normal: lack of motivation, desire, and ability to focus on what you are doing.

Physical Symptoms

In addition, there are several physical symptoms associated with a nervous breakdown. That said, the intensity of these symptoms will be worse the longer you deal with the stress. These symptoms are on average as follows:

• Constant exhaustion and the feeling that no matter how much you try or want, you struggle to respond to things.

• Muscle pain, especially in the extremities.
• Changes in your sleeping pattern, insomnia or excessive sleeping.
• Pressure on your chest or increased heart rate.
• Dizziness.
• Experiencing headaches.
• The feeling that you are moving more slowly than usual.

How can we deal with a nervous breakdown?

Is there some kind of treatment for a nervous breakdown? Unfortunately, no, not one. In fact , these psychological conditions require a multidimensional coping strategy. Let’s analyze some of the key points.

Stress Relief Technique

This technique addresses part of Lazarus and Folkman’s model for stress management. It consists of applying a series of techniques that aim to relieve the stress little by little.

To do that, we need to develop a set of skills with the aim of creating new, healthy thinking patterns and, in turn, reducing anxiety. The following steps can help you with this:

• Cognitive Restructuring: Identify negative thoughts and obsessions and replace them with healthier thoughts.
• Use relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing.
• Start new changes in routines to manage stress. For example, ask yourself what changes you need to make to feel better.

• Sometimes our well-being can improve if we distance ourselves from certain situations and start new projects
• Learn emotion management techniques

Troubleshooting Techniques

Here’s an interesting fact: An excess of untreated problems is a huge catalyst for a nervous breakdown. It’s as if before we notice it, one problem mixes with another. We don’t know how to solve some problems and then they all get mixed up.

After this has happened, we start to feel overwhelmed and mentally blocked. When dealing with this common situation, it is important to learn a series of techniques. Below we explain some steps that can help.

• Identify the problem and describe it.
• Divide it into smaller parts. Each challenge or concern actually consists of several units.
• Make clear what you want to achieve.
• Grab a pen and some paper and brainstorm solutions. Don’t just stick to one. The purpose of this exercise is to write down several possible solutions.
• Apply these solutions.
• Appreciate the actions you took: were the results what you expected?
• Control the emotions that arise at each stage.

We can deal with a nervous breakdown

In general, we should keep in mind that in times of crisis or uncertainty it is very common to have a nervous breakdown. Devoting time to ourselves, meeting our needs, and incorporating healthy stress coping techniques into our lives can help.

Needless to say, if we can’t control these emotions, the best course of action is to seek professional help. Visiting a psychological professional is key to discovering other coping techniques to manage your nervous breakdown.