Have you been missing work or not meeting your friends recently? Have your friends or boss tried to ask you what is wrong? Do you want to tell them you are unwell but are embarrassed after you had a mental breakdown? Well, we understand these feelings can be difficult but we will explain if and how to apologize to your boss or friends after a mental breakdown.

In this article, we will explain what a mental breakdown looks like. Following this, you will understand why people feel embarrassed after a mental breakdown and how not to feel so. Finally, we will discuss if and why you should apologize people who may have hurt by this episode.

Before we proceed, let us discuss some important key terms you will come across in the article.

• Mental Breakdown – When a person feels extreme emotional stress and is unable to perform daily tasks. People also call it a nervous breakdown.
• Embarrassed – Feeling self-conscious, uneasy, or uncomfortable in a difficult situation.
• Mental Health – How we act, feel, and think affects our psychological, emotional, and social well-being.
• Depression – It is a serious mood disorder that causes feelings of sadness and loss of interest.

  A mental breakdown makes people feel like they are losing control of the situation. After reading the signs you will understand the struggles of a person and why they are embarrassed after a mental breakdown. Here are some common signs to look for in a person who may be having a mental breakdown.

• People miss work or appointments
• Stop taking care of themselves – eating unhealthy food, poor sleep, and hygiene, no exercise
• No interest in day-to-day activities
• Isolating yourself from others
• Feeling sad, hopeless or helpless
• Constantly being frustrated or irritated and having outbursts
• Having trouble focusing
• May engage in self-harm or suicide
• Feeling anxious – heart beating fast, sweating, fainting, upset stomach

People who feel embarrassed after a mental breakdown show one or more of these symptoms which affect their social and work life.

Imagine you want to go about your day-to-day life, but you have a heavy rock on your back. Every time you try to do something, the rock gets heavier. If we ask you to close your eyes and think about how that feels, what would you say?

People feel embarrassed after a mental breakdown for several reasons. When they have a mental breakdown, they struggle with feelings of anxiety, shame, and guilt. A person also shows signs of depression which makes it even more difficult to manage.

Moreover, some people feel bad about their depression and inability to do even the simplest tasks. If people don’t have a strong support system, they may feel lonely. So, when a person has an episode, they feel embarrassed after their mental breakdown.

While there is nothing to feel embarrassed about after a mental breakdown, sometimes people cannot accept that they were vulnerable in front of others. When we have an episode, we feel the world cave around us. We worry that people are judging us and we start isolating ourselves from others. Here are some simple ways in which you can stop feeling embarrassed after an episode.

Talk to Someone Close

First and foremost, people understand if we share what we are feeling. Everyone struggles and can go through tough times. It will be helpful for you to share your feelings with people. You can also build a support system of people close to you that can help you when they see signs that you are having a mental breakdown. They can also provide support if you are embarrassed after a mental breakdown.

Write Down Your Feelings

However, before you can make others aware of your mental breakdown, you should be aware of yourself. For this, write down your feelings and thoughts. You can also make a note of your triggers, the initial signs, and how you cope with them.

You can share this plan with a close friend or family member who can help you in case you are going through a tough time.

Make Changes in Your Lifestyle

If you feel you have frequent mental breakdowns and are embarrassed about them, Examine your lifestyle. Make a note of all the good and bad habits that you follow. As much as possible, avoid drinking alcohol and drugs. Try to add exercise, yoga, and meditation to your daily schedule. Along with this, avoid caffeine and other substances that cause alertness. Once a week, do a complete social media detox. As difficult as it may be, focus on having a good self-care routine.

Seek Help

It is important to seek help if you have been facing any of the difficulties mentioned under how a mental breakdown looks like. Working alongside a team of professionals will help you manage your symptoms better. You will also get the right information about your issue with techniques on how you can cope with them. If you are feeling depressed, the feeling of being embarrassed after a mental breakdown can also worsen your mental health. Therefore, finding the right professional help at the right time will be very important.

The question we need to ask is – should you be apologizing after a mental breakdown? Well, there are two aspects we need to consider when we decide to apologize for having a breakdown.

Before asking how to apologize after a mental breakdown, ask yourself why are you apologizing? Have you hurt someone or treated them badly? Or, are you feeling bad about your mental health?

It is absolutely important to apologize if you have hurt people or been rude to them. However, if you have been off or different, you don’t need to feel regret or guilt.

Showing signs of mental illness is not a bad thing. Everyone goes through stressful situations and handles them differently. Therefore, you don’t need to feel bad or embarrassed after a mental breakdown. It can also be difficult for you to interact with people after having such an episode. You may feel anxious or have low self-esteem while trying to reconnect with people. Our courses Low self-esteem and DBT for Social Anxiety can help you tackle both these issues.