Common reasons why you may be experiencing an emotional breakdown

Emotional breakdowns are much more common than usual. If you experience it for the first time, you can naturally be worried and anxious. There can be many causes underlying it. Before we step into the causes, you should also be aware of what exactly an emotional breakdown is and what it can look like.

We can understand this better with the help of a metaphor. Imagine that your tears are the rain, clouds represent your dark thoughts, and the storm symbolizes inner turmoil. An emotional breakdown is that overwhelming moment when you feel flooded by your emotions, like being trapped in an endless storm.

For some, this can last for a few minutes and for others, it can last for days. While we can’t control when the storm arrives, we can control how we navigate through it and be aware of the causes behind it.

You can experience a mental breakdown at any point of time. (Image via Vecteezy/ Loucaski)

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Reasons why you may be experiencing emotional breakdowns

What are the causes behind your emotional breakdown? (Image via vecteezy/ Generative AI)

The reasons behind an emotional breakdown can vary from person to person. We all have an emotional capacity and we utilize it in our day-to-day interactions and everyday lives. However, sometimes there are triggers that continue to challenge our emotional threshold. We hold it in and control it as much as we can. However, on some days, we experience a breakdown.

Some common and everyday underlying reasons are:

1.Chronic stress

Even if its common, it doesn't mean that you have to go through it all alone. (Image via Vceteezy/ Yulia Ryabokon)

One of the most common causes of breakdowns is chronic stress and anxiety. We feel stressed when our body feels unprepared to deal with stressors or triggering situations. For some of us, the threshold can be very high, while for others, the threshold can be low. If not addressed, this stress can make us feel hopeless and helpless, leading to a breakdown.

This is especially prominent at the workplace. If we are ill, we go to work. If something has been troubling us, we go to work. If we experience burnout syndrome, we go to work. Everything collapses into a breakdown.

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2. Mental health issues

Is this the first time you are experiencing a breakdown or has it happened multiple times? (Image via Vecteezy/ Loucaski)

Frequent breakdowns may be indicative of certain mental health issues. For instance, emotional breakdowns are very common in Major Depressive Disorder. Since a person's life seems so bleak and they have little energy to process everything, they may experience an intense mental breakdown.

Certain personality traits are also linked to a higher vulnerability to breakdowns. For instance, hypersensitivity is associated to more crying spells and emotional outbursts.

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3. Significant life changes

It is important to not dismiss life changes that may contribute to an emotional breakdown. (Image via Pexels/ Huy Phan)

Our lives are fast-paced and keep changing from minute to minute. To keep up with this pace, sometimes we move past important and significant life changes. For instance, getting transferred to a new location or job, losing a significant other including a pet, getting married, or becoming a parent.

While these are changes that we all experience at some point, they can also become major triggers for an emotional breakdown.

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These are just a few underlying causes of a breakdown. There can be many more that are unique to your life. It is important to know that while it is not uncommon to breakdown, consistent and intense breakdowns can be the outcome of something deeper.

If speaking with a mental health professional seems too far off, try speaking to your significant other about it. If this is not a common experience, you can try to take preventive measures, such as equipping yourself with stress management techniques. You can also enhance your resilience by thinking about your strengths and positive traits.

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Janvi Kapur is a counselor with a Master's degree in applied psychology with a specialization in clinical psychology.

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