# alternate alternate alternate Skip to Content Professional - Counselling.com for mental health and relationship advice ( BUTTON ) * Home * Jump - to Menu * Relationships Advice * Breakup Advice * Better Moods * About Elly + Online relationship counselling + Breakup counselling + Mental health counselling + How to easily start a therapy blog or website avoiding 3 common mistakes + Disclaimer + Contact me How long it takes to recover from a nervous breakdown Posted on Published : 17-03-2019 - Last updated : 28-12-2020 By : Author Elly Prior Categories Suffering a breakdown ? , Coping with anxiety Listen How long does a mental or nervous breakdown last ? It ’ s totally understandable you want to know how long a nervous breakdown lasts ! Naturally , you want to have recovered from that nervous breakdown yesterday ! But how long your mental breakdown recovery will take depends on many different factors . Below I ’ ve included some of the key issues that will have an impact on your recovery : 1 . How long the nervous breakdown has been lurking around the corner . 2 . How much time you can give yourself to rest . 3 . What you do and don ’ t do to aid your recovery . 4 . What underlying issues may have led to your breakdown . So , let ’ s start with the latter first . Here are the most common contributing factors that influence how long it will take for you to recover . How long that mental breakdown recovery might take depends on many factors . Some of those factors you ’ ll have control over , some you won ’ t . Discover what you can do to speed up your recovery . ( To have all your questions answered about a breakdown or burnout , do also read : FAQ about a nervous breakdown ) Photo : woman looking out over sea . Text : Discover how long it may take to recover from your nervous breakdown Photo : woman looking out over sea . Text : Discover how long it may take to recover from your nervous breakdown How long does a nervous breakdown last ? I suspect you would have wanted to be over YESTERDAY ! Grey background . Text : Interactive test Grey background . Text : Interactive test TAKE MY NERVOUS BREAKDOWN TEST It ’ s short , it ’ s free , you ’ ll get an immediate result without the need to register or submit your email address ( opens in a new tab ) . How long does a nervous breakdown last ? 11 factors that influence how long a nervous breakdown lasts … and , how long it takes to recover completely The following factors may have caused or contributed to your meltdown . In any case , with regards to your question : “ how long does it take to get over a nervous breakdown ” , each of these factors influences when and how you ’ ll recover . 1 . A sudden relationship crisis – such as the disclosure of your partner ’ s infidelity ( see my complete guide to surviving infidelity ) . A relationship crisis is very unlikely to disappear from one day until the next . It takes time to deal with that and can create a huge sense of insecurity and uncertainty . Both will sap much of your energy . Only when you ’ re in a safer place will be in the right environment and mood to attend to your own pressing needs . 2 . Separation and divorce ( see how to get through a breakup and how to get through a divorce ) . A separation also takes a lot of energy , whether or not you are the instigator . There ’ ll be many practical ( and possibly legal ) issues you need to attend to . Your partner may or may not be cooperative . It ’ ll depend on their sense of urgency how quickly you can put all of it behind you . Your sense of security , so needed for your recovery , will also depend on your financial situation and your living arrangements following the breakup . . 3 . A traumatic event When were traumatised as human beings our body / mind is capable of healing much of what has happened , but it takes time – see : PTSD symptoms . And sometimes , it needs the help of a professional if the symptoms don ’ t subside and disappear of their own accord . Recovery , with or without help takes lots of energy . Even when the event wasn ’ t physical , you ’ re likely to feel very tired . That sense of exhaustion can be caused by a lack of sleep , excessive dreaming and your body using much extra energy to heal . If , however , you ’ re breakdown is entirely due to the trauma , you may well be better sooner than you think . That is if you indeed continue to feel better day by day . If your breakdown is caused by overwhelming stress from another source , its likely to affect the time you ’ ll need to recover . 4 . A series of traumas Life has a way of dealing with some nasty left - hookers one after another . You ’ ve barely recovered from one ( if you ’ re so lucky ) and you find yourself reeling from the next . Or , you ’ ve never really recovered from a previous trauma no matter now long ago . 5 . Multiple losses ( including now those due to the pandemic ) – such as the deaths of people close to you , the loss of a business or other significant losses such as experienced during a traumatic event . Unfortunately , you may now also be experiencing additional stresses on account of the pandemic with its lockdowns , quarantines and closures . All those experiences can make your mental well - being on the brittle side , making it even more challenging to overcome your nervous breakdown . You can , perhaps , begin to see a pattern of impactful and challenging life events that require much time , attention and a ton of energy . All potentially make your recovery that more complicated . Please note , however , none of them will prevent you from getting better ! 6 . A drip - drip effect finally taking its toll – not unusual in emergency service personnel , or those who care for someone with a long - term illness . Police and ambulance personnel are continually exposed to traumatic events . Mostly , they ’ re able to take those experiences in their stride . That is until finally , they can ’ t take it any longer . It doesn ’ t then even need to take something really dramatic that sends them over the edge . It can be a relatively minor incident that they no longer have the spare capacity for to process . 7 . Work - related stress Maybe stress at work was the cause of your breakdown in the first place . The quality of support at work can significantly impact the speed of your recovery either positively or negatively . Not getting appropriate support at and from work can delay your recovery . If you find yourself constantly stressed at work , you may even have to consider getting another job – if at all possible . That isn ’ t necessarily a bad thing . However , I can imagine that the very thought of changing jobs right now makes you shudder for a number of reasons . 8 . Not eating and sleeping enough ! Read what Doris Lessing discovered when trying it out for herself . You may not be able to relax at the moment , let alone sleep for long - or restfully enough . However , if over time you ’ ve willfully neglected yourself – gaming , partying or working all night long , gues what ? That ’ s where you ’ ll need to make some changes if you ’ re wondering how long it takes to get over a nervous breakdown . 9 . Domestic violence If you ’ re living in an unsafe environment and you ’ re suffering from a nervous breakdown , you need help as soon as possible . Please , hop over to my article on the signs of an abusive relationship or take a look at my abusive relationship test . 10 . Existing mental health issues * Depression – see my depression quiz , symptoms of depression in men , alcoholism and depression * Obsessive - Compulsive Disorder * Suffering from anxiety for ‘ no reason ’ * Suffering from social anxiety or other fears * Addictions . 11 . A combination of any of the above could have an impact on your mental breakdown recovery That needs no further explanation now ! This list is by no means complete , there may well be other factors that have contributed to your breakdown . For example , a natural disaster , a war , a shooting or another personal crisis . So , when you want to know how to recover from a mental breakdown and how long it takes to get over a mental breakdown , you can now see that the best answer is : “ it depends ” . All of the above takes time to heal . Vertical banner . Text : 3 stages of recovery from a nervous breakdown Vertical banner . Text : 3 stages of recovery from a nervous breakdown By the way , if you ’ re here because you ’ re concerned about someone else , then do also read my article on how to help someone having a breakdown . How long it takes to get over a nervous breakdown The stages of a mental breakdown recovery I ’ ll break it down into stages for ease , but keep in mind that this is just to give you a general overview . There are so many variables that it ’ s impossible to make a blanket statement about exactly how long recovery from a nervous breakdown will take . Stage 1 Your breakdown was probably caused by a crisis of some kind . At some point ( or immediately on account of a major traumatic event ) you succumbed to the pressure – you body / mind could no longer fight . Maybe you had an emotional breakdown , you simply couldn ’ t get out of bed or off the sofa , or you didn ’ t make it into work because of a panic attack . So how long does a nervous breakdown last ? Usually , the worst feelings start to subside within one to three months – depending on whether or not the trauma is ongoing . Don ’ t hold me to that though – it can happen sooner or , unfortunately , later . Stage 2 Then there comes a fairly long period of gradual overall recovery with lots of ups , downs and periods of stagnation . You ’ ll find that you slowly begin to be able to do things that you haven ’ t been able to look at for weeks or maybe months . This is when there ’ s a lot you can do to speed up your recovery . I highly recommend you get a hypnosis download to help you cope . Self - hypnosis , with the help of a professional audio download , is a user - friendly , affordable and – above all – effective way to help you feel better fast . Discover how it can work for you and which specific download would suit you most – see my page Hypnosis FAQ and Downloads . Stage 3 After that , you ’ ll find you ’ re slowly returning to some sense of normality . Don ’ t be surprised if , for some time , you remain somewhat vigilant for further symptoms of a nervous breakdown . Know that after you had such a difficult time it ’ s normal and necessary to be on your guard . For more information on how long a nervous breakdown lasts , hop over to my article How long it takes to recover from a nervous breakdown . What might delay your recovery There ’ s much that could potentially delay your recovery , such as : * Being hard on yourself * Not taking it easy * Fighting against the reality of your condition * Lack of understanding and support at home * Lack of support and consideration at work * Lack of social support in general * Poor general health * Additional worries about job security and financial stability * Medication – taking antidepressants and long - term use of anti - anxiety drugs , on account of their side effects and withdrawal symptoms However , your focus needs to be on what you do have control over , and not on the things you can ’ t influence in any way . You ’ re short of energy as it is , so use what you have to aid your recovery . Recovering from a nervous breakdown ? What speeds up your recovery from a nervous breakdown There ’ s much you can do to recover more quickly from a nervous or mental breakdown . One of the best actions to take is to connect with an online counsellor whom you can contact every day if you need to for a very reasonable monthly fee ( in comparison with finding one local to you ) . The following , which you do have control over , can help to speed up your recovery too : * Not fighting against the reality of your condition . I truly know how difficult this can be , but if nothing else then try simply to accept that it is what it is . * Not giving yourself a hard time . That means not saying anything to yourself that would undermine you . Treat yourself as your very best friend . * Not living your life at the same speed as you had been doing . Look out for opportunities to slow the pace down a little , e . g . by meditating , doing something creative , being outdoors in nature . Take active rest , because sitting still is probably not going to work for you right now ( unless you are actually able to sleep ) . I ’ ve set out a 3 - step treatment plan to help you when you ’ re recovering from a nervous breakdown , so if you ’ re ready to get back in the driving seat then hop over there now . If you ’ re here because you ’ re doing some research on how to help your spouse or partner through a breakdown , I ’ ve got you covered too : How to help someone with a breakdown . Finally As I ’ m sure you ’ ll understand , nervous breakdown recovery times vary hugely . The speed of recovery depends on : * the severity and duration of the issues that caused the breakdown * how able you are to handle challenges and difficulties generally * how committed and actively involved you are in your recovery . One thing ’ s for sure : the quicker you start finding the support you need and helping yourself to get better , the quicker your recovery will be . My site is full of help and advice , so start exploring , and know that I ’ m on your side . 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