Is your temper difficult to control? Do you struggle with irritability and frustration over seemingly small or insignificant things? Perhaps friends and family have expressed concern, attempted interventions, or issued ultimatums.
Does going new places or meeting new people make you incredibly nervous? Perhaps you can't stop thinking about worst case scenarios. Maybe it's even gotten bad enough that you avoid social gatherings or it's impacting your professional life.
Feeling sad, tired, unmotivated? Struggling to get out of bed in the morning or accomplish your daily tasks? Maybe you're even feeling sad about feeling sad, leading to a vicious cycle.
Have you recently lost a parent, child, or partner? Perhaps you've been diagnosed with a chronic illness. Even the end of a serious or long-term relationship can leave us with a feeling of grief and loss.
The end of major life stages can have a similar emotional impact to the loss of a loved one. Graduation, retirement, or major career changes can prompt similar feelings of grief and loss in your life, and may be accompanied by depression.
'Be a man!' We are told not to cry, to be strong all the time, don't be a baby. But fear, sadness, perfectionism, and work/life stress affect men just as much as anyone else. You're not less of a man for experiencing these struggles.
Low self-esteem can leave you feeling worthless, isolating yourself from friends and family, avoiding compliments or praise, or negatively comparing yourself to others.
You don't have to be in constant crisis to think about getting professional help. Stress can take a physical toll on the body. Unexplained aches and pains, trouble sleeping or eating, and headaches or migraines may have a solution.
Do you feel like life isn't worth living? Maybe you go to sleep hoping you don't wake up or you've even come up with a plan to end your life. Self-harm can take many forms. You may be cutting, burning, bruising, or hitting yourself, refusing to eat, overeating, or using dangerous drugs.
As a Jewish person, you may want to see a therapist with a strong understanding of the role your cultural or religious background plays in your life.
As a clinician, you are on the front lines in the fight for the welfare and safety of people in the community. However, emotional and physical fatigue is a by-product of doing such good work. Over time, the consequences of this dedication can start to build-up and you may begin to struggle.