7 Warning Signs You Need a Mental Wellness Check 

Sometimes I swear Dr. Marks has eyes in my walls.

1. Not bathing regularly (guilt adds to misery, despite not having energy to do it) 2. Not brushing teeth (just an extra step, too much energy to do) 3. Super cluttered surroundings 4. Lose track of time, doing nothing (psychomotor slowing), staring into space, leads to being overwhelmed by catching up 5. Feeling strong emotions under the surface (tears falling at any time, feeling fragile, or angry or rageful) that don't match the situation 6. Isolation from others because of the deep unhappiness from inside 7. Feeling exhausted and sleepy, even after waking up from a night of rest And yes, this also happens when you are unmedicated bipolar, not just medically depressed.

I have poor hygiene and I don't brush my teeth, my room is a mess and I feel trapped in a constant dopamine cycle that I can't break. Thank you for this video and helping me become more aware of what I have become.

As someone who’ve spiraled into depression a lot of times, i notice these signs leading to that. I’m scared to spiral again so I’ve developed a routine that i follow every single day except for a few exceptions with valid reasons. After i wake up in the morning, i pee, make my bed, brush my hair, wash and refill water bottle, drink water, brush my teeth, do yoga, meditate and take a bath. In the evening before bed, i brush my hair, take a half bath, floss, brush my teeth and journal. I make sure that i follow this routine everyday because i know that it’s going to help me keep going when I’m starting to spiral. And most times, this routine prevents me from spiraling. Sometimes, it takes me late to do them but the most important thing is that I still did them. Taking care of myself and my hygiene is the most basic thing i can do for my own self and this has helped me a lot with not spiraling into depression. I still feel depressed from time to time but i don’t get depressed for longer periods now. I’ve started following this routine in 2020 but almost at the end, some things happened and i spiraled into depression. I followed that routine for eight months before it got disrupted and I hadn’t had a major episode of depression during that time. I struggled to restart following that routine after and i’ve failed to restart it a lot of times last year and early this year but i succeeded in restarting it again this year. I’ve been doing it for over seven months now and i haven’t experienced major episode since then.

I played this video for my addiction recovery group, and they all said that this is what their active addiction looked like. We had a great discussion! I asked why they think that depression looks like active addiction and they said that "no one's happy in addiction." Thanks so much for ALL of these videos! Love the practical advice: sleep well, eat well, and exercise. Just awesome stuff!

I definitely recognize cluttered surroundings as a sign, when I'm stress the cleaning of my room is usually the first thing I stop doing.

I’m bipolar and I instantly know that depression is coming when the quality of my sleep goes down and I start to shower once in 4 days even though I can still feel really good emotionally. You can teach yourself to track those things if you have some sort of recurrent mental health issues. It helps to catch it and do something about it till it gets worse

Whew. I am experiencing all of this. Just scheduled an appointment with a psychiatrist. This came right on time. Thank you ❤️

I have PTSD, anxiety, and major depressive disorder. Exercise is one of the things that makes living tolerable. It also helps me realize how fortunate I am to be able-bodied, and appreciate my body for all the things it does for me.

I wonder why those depression assessment questionnaires don't ask about things like how many times you brushed your teeth last week instead of super subjective stuff like how many days you felt bad about yourself last week. I always feel like the questionnaires don't capture what's going on, but you capture the scary, tangible issues related to inability to function here. All of the things you mentioned apply to me except the emotions one - I don't have emotions when my depression is at its worst.

This video scared me. Number 3 was literally EVERYTHING going on with me right now. I am beyond depressed and things are getting worse. Thank you Dr. Tracey! You save lives with your videos.

My sleep has a domino effect on the rest of my wellness. Same with the time of day I wake up. Sleeping in until 10am seems like a luxury to many people, but getting up before 8am has improved my wellness markedly.

I hit all 7 hallmarks ( no surprises there). I’m too ashamed to say how long it’s been since I showered blast, my pile of laundry is almost as tall as me, my house is in chaos(I think it mirrors what goes on internally, in my head), I’m petrified of someone showing up unannounced at my home. I could go on…..BUT….on this past Sunday, I decided to pick one thing that I could commit to doing for myself, that will hopefully be a start. I have managed to follow through with brushing my teeth every day. I see my psychiatrist tomorrow, and hopefully will have a long-needed medication change.

This video embodies a hidden societal problem ... it implies that we need to be busy 24/7 just to keep up. Maybe society in general adds to the problem, human minds and bodies aren't really intended to deliver peak performance every waking moment. Yeah I isolated myself from most of the people that were around me, tired of busting my butt working hard with "friends/family" demanding I fix their problems too, naw dawg, no more of that. Gosh they got angry when I stopped jumping on demand, blocked blocked and blocked.

Wow....this is a wake up call for me. All I have to do now is find the strength to start🤷🏾‍♀️

Several of these applied to me a few months ago. Not exactly sure what changed, but for a while I have been doing better. I'm going to try and use these signs as a sort of checklist in the future so I can know when I need to change something to help my mental health.

I'm not at this low of a point in my depression, but I know I have it. It causes me to sympathize greatly for people who have it worse than me, and I cannot imagine how it must feel for people who are at that point. I feel like I'm in a fairly dark place, so it's terrifying to imagine what it's like to be at a worse mental point.

I have all of these symptoms except the teeth one, and I ALSO have low thyroid and low vitamin D. Somehow I've been getting through most of my life like this and a lot of it has been "normalized" for me. Learning about these things has shown me that I'm missing out on things and that I have a lot to look forward to with my health.

I'm on a study abroad and I've been away from my family for almost a whole semester now and it's been difficult, not to mention I'm feeling stressed with school and I'm trying to help my parents with some business ideas while being half a world away. But I thought I was doing pretty good at managing my depression, anxiety, and my ADHD. But listening to this video I realize I'm actually hitting every one of these marks, I think it's time to review my mental health and try to figure out how to prioritize my mental health a bit. Still all the things I should do I just feel too tired to do, it's always the things that make you better in the long term that can feel so impossible in the short term. But I'll keep working hard.^^

Oh man, I got so many of these checked. Having ADHD, Aspergers, Anxiety, and Schizophrenia doesn't help. Good thing I have 2 good voices helping. I am a mental wreck I stopped counting the mental illnesses.

Physical activity definitely helps me out. It got me out of my depressive Rut during the 2020-2021 shutdowns and I practice being active religiously now. I'm a case manager in mental health and incorporate physical activities with my clients in rehab. However it's still difficult because of the poor food these clients consume. It's like prison food and our agency doesn't have or get enough funds from DMH to subsidize healthier meals. I feel like I'm doing what I can to prevent these people from getting any worse than where they're at. It's very sad and unfortunate that people still live under conditions like this while undergoing treatment. :/

I love how you do the graphics with your face on the tv sets, that is so cool, dang, I'm 67 and have no idea how that is accomplished. Excellent video too!

I've been to psychiatrists and therapists since 13 and I'm 44. Never once have I heard it describe so well almost exactly how I feel

2,5, and 6 really hit home for me. I know I'm going through it when I am always on the cusp of crying for whatever reason. It could be anything that sets me off. A commercial, a song, or watching other people's emotions on display.

The quality of help along with the cost leaves too many to suffer alone.

All these signs is me and it’s been this way for as long as I can remember. It’s my personality at this point. I know it eventually gets better, so I just wait it out. Then I’m golden for a few days or a week, then back into the gloom. Rinse and repeat.

Thank you for all of the great content you produce!

Great video Doc! Thank you for providing resources for everyone! Hope you and your family have a lovely holiday!

Thank you so much Dr. Marks for addressing this to help me know I’m not going crazy and that it’s something that can be put into words. I can just cry!

Thank you! This was excellent, condensed and practical! I really appreciate the services you provide here.

You are doing great work Dr. Tracey!

Thanks DR! I needed this. It’s simple and not overwhelming making the right steps 😊

Dr.Marks: Thank you very much for the videos you publish. Many of them have greatly helped this listener. You are a blessing in my life.

Thanks for another video and congrats for getting a big sponsor!!

Thanks for help great video and editing.

insta watch when i got the upload notification. thanks for being so clear and concise

you have provided such an invaluable resource and are genuinely saving lives. its been getting pretty hard lately to keep it together, and this just came at the time i need it most. thank you endlessly

This video is so helpful. Thank you!

These are all me. I’m finally going to the doctor next week. Thank you for your videos ❤️

I just wanted to say THANK YOU 😊 for sharing good information in a manner that is clear, concise and helpful.

As a diabetic, (type 2) with a ‘I just have to count the carbs’ diet, in addition to hypothyroidism from the replacement hormones (thyroid cancer = no more thyroid), I hit most of these bars, albeit marginally. I’m sorry to whoever hits these and finds out some bad news the long way! I’ve got stuff like constant lethargy, but an inability to fall asleep. (It’s a brilliant combo) Social isolation and inability to track time. I’d rewatch the rest just to complete this comment but, well, turns out I didn’t.

Great touch including Ms. Marks on those stock footage! It made them fun instead of distracting and sometimes cringey like they were before. Thanks!

These were some great indicators to look out for. Another great video as always ❤️

Thank you so much for this

Every single thing on this list is my entire adult life. I'm like this all the time. I have major depression. Therapists make me worse cuz they do not understand me. I just keep to myself. I'm used to it. I exercise by walking a lot, I eat well sporadically, and I sleep OK lately. I'm just used to it. I read books and learn new languages on Duolingo. I'm on disability for depression. I will never go back to a therapist. It's awful. Makes me worse every time. Peace to all ✌️🕊️

Thank you for this. I remember when I was experiencing burnout, I showed some of these symptoms. It's important for me to see this video so I can recognize when I need to take care of myself a bit more.

Hi Dr. Tracy Marks, I appreciate how much thought you put into your videos. Your examples are super helpful in visualizing what you are explaining. Your visuals and concepts are beautifully tied together! Thank you for your sharing your content! They have helped me manage my mental health vastly. Much appreciation and gratitude :)

Important signs! Thank you for making this. ❤

This channel just came up in my feed. It’s like the algorithm knew what I needed.❤

you are so kind to do these videos ! thank you !

Great vid! Very informative!

This is so true. I was on the verge of tears by the third day of my company's all hands event. It felt like I was just struggling to not break down, but they're wasn't much I could do except skip a meal and get some more time for rest in my room. Once the event ended, getting out, and riding around the city helped my emotional state immensely. Next event I'm going to make it a priority that I can keep time reserved to myself for physical activity and recovery.

You did it again Dr. Marks ! Another informative video. Thank you so much.

Wow! Thank you Doc! Very informative. I have passed this on.

You have perfectly described my default condition over the last 18 years, after many years of deep episodic depression. Each of the warning signs you described is uncannily accurate. Five years into treatment with medication and therapy, I finally am beginning to feel as though I can function again. (In addition to the depression, I've also been diagnosed with ADHD inattentive type, generalized anxiety disorder, and PTSD.) I wish access to videos like yours had been available when I was younger, but I am so happy that access is available to all of us today. Thank you so much for the good work that you do!

Okay, I have 6 out of 7~! Still brushing my teeth but even that seems an effort. I mentally force myself bc I don't want my teeth to fall out. I have a lot of clutter but do my dishes and pick up regularly. It's difficult for me to open mail, emails, texts or answer the telephone . Bathing is a struggle for many reasons (one being currently handicapped) On the ine hand I know I feel my best after taking a shower; I do have to make myself at least every other day or two. I isolate by choice but like social media to connect with people. I rarely invite someone over. I often don't answer the door unless I am expecting someone. I have struggled with depression on and off since I was 14. I self medicated in the 70's and 80's although I no longer abuse drugs and don't drink alcohol. I recently got into an argument with my next door neighbor bc I didn't answer her text. (Although I had previously explained to her that I don't like talking on the phone or excessive texting.I told her It's was my anxiety and setting boundaries, to "please respect my privacy." To which she should have understood since I compared It to her clinical anxiety disorder of driving her car out of our city limits. She literally cannot drive beyond the demarcation of our town's border and, yes, she is on Disability for her extreme anxiety. So imagine my surprise when she got butt hurt over me not answering her text!!! She rushed past me angrily and mumbled, "I just don't understand your problem with the phone!" So I know depression/anxiety all too well. You'd be surprised how many people are ignorant about the disease and especially the medications like Prozac (which I take and attest to it saving my life.).

I am from Egypt and I do love you ❤️ Thanks for making our lives better

Thank you Dr Tracy. You're the best!

This was awesome and accurate! Thank you!!!!

Thank you for this checklist.

Thank you Dr.Marks!👩

Thank you Dr Marks

This is great! Thank you

Dr Tracy you are the best !!.... That part about processed foods.. that's a hard one right there. It's so hard to escape the processed foods if you live a lifestyle that keeps you on the go away from home in order to provide. It's always a cheeseburger or a slice of pizza right around the corner, it's so hard to find some broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, red bell pepper, brussel sprouts, etc. Steamed or in the raw... But those french fries they're always sitting right there in front of your face. Thank you again Dr Tracy.

I love your videos because you always make me feel like I’m not the only one with depression giving me the messages that there is always a way to get help with your variety of mental health videos. Thank you so much for being an amazing creator !

Thank you for making these videos. You are helping to make the world a happier place😘

Thank you for this video.

Thank you for this ma'am 🙂 I'm 17 and I'm fighting this

I knew I'd been having a hard time for a while but every single one of these is something I deal with everyday now

Great video. Thank you

I’m so grateful for your work💝🙏 Anyone who has experienced deep depression will relate🫠🙈🙊🙉

Hi Dr. Marks. I would like to express gratitude for your channel. Your videos are very informative. Thank you! :)

This is good information. Thanks

I can't stress enough how much I didn't know I needed this channel.

Talk about 'in a nutshell'! Every time I feel myself plunging down into the pit I feel all or most of these things. It takes a HUGE amount of energy to push through and continue your regular routine whether it's working, going to school and/or parenting. It is ever so helpful to ride out an episode without commitments. Since I am retired I can wait for better days to accomplish tasks. It seems like a lifetime ago that I was able to be physically active. Exercise was a healing balm. For those who can exert themselves, start training when you feel well then push to keep it up during the down times, even if you have to modify it a bit.

This was a really good video!

Useful vid, thanks

Thanks for sharing 💜💜💜

Thanks Dr. Marks. This video confirm to me that a sabbatical was warrented. Your points on losing track of time, isolation, exhaustion hit home. Awesome information. 👍🏽

This made me cry- the darkness of depression is not to be taken lightly.

The isolating is true for me. I also try and pay attention to when I can’t fall asleep at a normal time- it’s a bad sign for me. I try and get back on track as soon as I can. I also pay attention to my eating- when I’m starting feel low I start to not eat. I just forget and I don’t acknowledge my body being hungry or thirsty. So I track my water every day and focus on eating a little at normal meal times even if I’m not hungry. I find tracking ( in a notebook) all of these things to be helpful.

It’s been now a couple of years since I discovered Dr Tracey, I’m so grateful to come accross her, she has helpedme understand so much about my own health, and I think she has contributed to me getting better. ❤

Highly informative video.

Thanks Dr Tracy

You are truly wonderful.

I love you Dr. Marks 🥺

Thank you, Tracy! Thank you!

Here I thought I was doing better but you literally just made a checklist of my life.

Scheduled my first behavior health specialist appointment today at age 27. Other than 1 and 2, all the other signs have been pretty consistent in my life for little over 1 year now. This was a very helpful video and during my appointment I'm going to express what symptoms I've been experiencing. Thanks for the content! Much Appreciated :)

My weak points are definitely brushing my teeth and showering. It's like my brain makes super articulated reasons up for why I shouldn't shower and I go "Yeah...makes sense, I'll shower tomorrow cause today I didn't workout so I'll workout tomorrow and shower" When I see I can't find time for these basic needs I know I'm getting into the hole. Recently dodged the bullet realising that these things were off. Lovely video and thank you so much for the reminder. Feels very good to know I'm on the right track.

Thank you Doctor Tracey Mark's for helping people 👍😎

7/7 varying at different points in my life, but there have absolutely been times when it was all seven. I’m grateful to have access to treatment via therapy and a psychiatrist, I know not everyone does.

Feeling this so much. I speak to a counselor but couldn't get an appointment until next week. I ended up calling a line for help through work today. I didn't go to work yesterday because of anxiety. Today I got up, got showered, then froze. Couldn't do it. So I'm home scrolling mental health videos. I'm trying to find a psychiatrist for an assessment and diagnosis

Thank you for this video. I really need to get things together.

I needed this

I have all the signs. Not responding to drugs or therapy or mindfulness. Depression has stolen my life. Everything is meaningless. No friends. No family. Depression has made me ugly and stupid. My apartment is a dump. Yup, I am sick.

Wow, this video woke me up to what’s been happening lately in my life.

Brief and easy to follow ,guide on tips for following when Life seems to have you down

Sadly I check off all symptoms. I new I had a crap couple of years, but I didn’t know how deeply significant this was!

Love your vids