Unreality feelings
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mackenzie_1
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2005 3:00 am
Hi Corky1,
You have not officially lost it. This is a symptom of anxiety. Just "float through it" - the thought and feeling will pass. Hang in there. You are not crazy! I try to distract myself when I get that feeling - go for a walk, do a crossword, play solitaire, do something else. I used to sit there and over-analyze which is the worst thing - of course, we (people with anxiety) seem to come by it naturally so it's a bit difficult to just stop. Distraction works wonders!
A
You have not officially lost it. This is a symptom of anxiety. Just "float through it" - the thought and feeling will pass. Hang in there. You are not crazy! I try to distract myself when I get that feeling - go for a walk, do a crossword, play solitaire, do something else. I used to sit there and over-analyze which is the worst thing - of course, we (people with anxiety) seem to come by it naturally so it's a bit difficult to just stop. Distraction works wonders!
A
mackenzie
This is a symptom of anxiety, nothing more...it is called depersonalization/derealization.
Go here for more information, or just search this forum for DR/DP, depersonalization, derealization...etc, lots of great information.
<A HREF="http://www.panic-anxiety.com/depersonal ... alization/" TARGET=_blank>http://www.panic-anxiety.com/depersonal ... zation/</A>
good luck!
-Eric
Go here for more information, or just search this forum for DR/DP, depersonalization, derealization...etc, lots of great information.
<A HREF="http://www.panic-anxiety.com/depersonal ... alization/" TARGET=_blank>http://www.panic-anxiety.com/depersonal ... zation/</A>
good luck!
-Eric
Focus on what you want, not what you fear...
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Guest
Corky1, Hi, I hope you are feeling better soon. The others are right about your "unreal" sensations. They also gave some pretty good advice on ways to feel better. I have had the feeling myself and know how you feel. Relax, because there is nothing wrong with you, it's only a symptom of stress. Read a good book,or watch a good video, do something that you enjoy that will take your mind off yourself. (Like Jacob's mom said, "distraction works wonders".
Maybe it would help to listen to the meditation tape to shake off this feeling and calm yourself
Enjoy your day and take time to smell the roses. Hope you feel better soon! :}
Maybe it would help to listen to the meditation tape to shake off this feeling and calm yourself
Enjoy your day and take time to smell the roses. Hope you feel better soon! :}
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Guest
I FEEL THE SAME SOMETIMES. THERES SO MANY SYMPTOMS ITS HARD TO FIX ONE WITHOUT ANOTHER POPING UP TO TAKE ITS PLACE. I FEEL I'M OUTSIDE MY BODY WATCHING WHATS GOING ON. I JUST WANT TO GO LAY DOWN WITH THAT HAPPENS , BUT I CAN'T ALWAYS DO THAT. I HAVE NO SOLUTIONS THATS WHY I'M TRYING THE PROGRAM AGAIN. I DIDN'T PUT MUCH EFFORT INTO CHANGING MY THINKING THE FIRST TIME I TRIED IT. I SEE NOW THAT YOU HAVE TO CHANGE THE THINKING MENTALLY AND TRULY BELIEVE IT, THEN CHANGE YOUR ACTIONS.
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Guest
Hey Corky, you are fine. i have the same EXACT thing as you. and i dont mean derealization or feeling like youre not there, but i often want to ask is this real. i am working my way through it and get through it, and you will too. it seems like a longshot, or a lost cause but trust me. just tell yourself its real, and convince yourself that what you are doing is real, and you will break the original thought process of unreality and acquire the new one of normal state and peace of mind. The human brain is the strongest muscle in your body, as it sends all the messages and such. you and i will be fine.
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Guest
It is a relief to know that other people have had these feelings which seem so horrible and overwhelming when they happen -- I had a severe bout of anxiety which led to depression a few years back and I can not forget it -- and learned that i became detached from reality or, "depersonalization" it was so scary and I had no support systems -- I was afraid to tell anyone that I felt that I had gone completely insane within a few minutes -- I lost a sense of who I was, where I belonged, although I knew I was still "here" it was the scariest feeling and mine lasted for at least 2 weeks -- One Psychiatrist told me it was the result of a seizure...well, I still get feelings of detachment, but never quite as strong -- but for those of you who have felt this way, do NOT depair and try not to be afraid -- just talk to someone who you can trust, seek counseling if you are frightened that you will lose control -- You won't -- but it is scary while going through it --- there is so much more I want to say but I will later today or tomorrow -- thank you all for being a support which I have wanted for years!
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Guest
corky1,
It doesn't sound crazy at all. When I am in the fit of an unreal moment I use a technique that grounds me.
It's not always possible to do this one but it really works for me...Lie flat on my back, take my thumb nail and run it lightly from my neck to my belly button. It is a simple movement and I do it repeatedly. It calms me down.
If I'm more in a public space I take my one hand and lightly run my fingernails over the palm of my other hand, starting in the center of the palm and go out to the finger tips.
I do self-affirmations also while doing both of these techniques.
Once the heightened sense of anxiety passes the unreal feelings lesson.
Good luck you got to figure out what works best for you!
It doesn't sound crazy at all. When I am in the fit of an unreal moment I use a technique that grounds me.
It's not always possible to do this one but it really works for me...Lie flat on my back, take my thumb nail and run it lightly from my neck to my belly button. It is a simple movement and I do it repeatedly. It calms me down.
If I'm more in a public space I take my one hand and lightly run my fingernails over the palm of my other hand, starting in the center of the palm and go out to the finger tips.
I do self-affirmations also while doing both of these techniques.
Once the heightened sense of anxiety passes the unreal feelings lesson.
Good luck you got to figure out what works best for you!
This has been one of my main symptoms of anxiety for several years, and over the past year, I am doing so much better. I'm just letting you know that although it is scary, it really is just one of the symptoms of anxiety, and it won't kill you, and you will not go crazy. It's actually your body protecting you from going crazy:). Lucinda's book "From Panic To Power" seems to talk more about it, and this program mentions it some too.
When you undergo stress, your body releases hormones to help you-it's own natural drugs. When you depersonalize, that's what your body is doing. When you learn how to cope with stress more effectively your body will also stop needing to produce the hormones that cause this symptom. Someone mentioned that a psychiatrist said they had a seizure, and that could have been the case, but this symptom can happen a lot and last for a while for a lot of people and not be tied to any type of seizure.
I have just done so much research on this, and read many books because it was my main symptom. I have a ten year old son who has autism, and after his diagnosis is when it was so severe. From reading many books, I realize that the symptom can also have to do with struggling with your identity. If you grew up in an abusive family, you are too busy surviving to find yourself. When you get out of that situation, you now need to know who you are. You need to establish really good boundaries. This program does help you find yourself, and the depersonalization is just a symptom you have while finding out who you are.
One book that mentioned this symptom that surprised me was Henry Cloud's "Changes that Heal: How to Understand Your Past to Ensure a Healthier Future". Building good boundaries is just so essential in helping alleviate this symptom. This program helps you know what the symptom is and know that it's just a reaction to stress and will not kill you. Boundaries help you know who you are too. I recommend Henry Cloud's "Boundaries" book, and "Boundaries: Where You End and I Begin". Also, Claire Weekes' books are dated, but she really does understand this symptom, and it helped me to read her books when they were recommended to me on this board years ago. In addition, "Stranger in the Mirror: Dissociation the Hidden Epidemic" talks about the symptom and is helpful, but it may be scary for some people, and you may not have the severe dissociation that is mentioned. It did help me when I was at my worst to know what was happening to me, and to implement comforting skills to help me.
On the internet, there are sites mainly for child abuse survivors that teach you tips for "grounding techniques". These are just really simple comforting skills to help you even if you were not abused. They may involve taking a bubble bath or cutting open an orange and paying attention to the scent, and visual stimuli of doing so. I found these helpful too.
Hope something in here helps. I really thought I would never get over this symptom, and I am just so thankful that it has lessened tremendously just from doing this program and other self-help techniques with boundaries, etc. Also, I applied some of my religious beliefs that helped me. I know this isn't the religious section though, but it helped me to know that know matter whether I knew who I was, God was still who he was, and no matter what I am always a child of God. So, when I felt like I didn't know who I was, I would just say that I was a child of God. It was that simple, and it really helped me. I'm not preaching, but if that helps you, I just wanted to share it.
Take Care,
luvpiggy
When you undergo stress, your body releases hormones to help you-it's own natural drugs. When you depersonalize, that's what your body is doing. When you learn how to cope with stress more effectively your body will also stop needing to produce the hormones that cause this symptom. Someone mentioned that a psychiatrist said they had a seizure, and that could have been the case, but this symptom can happen a lot and last for a while for a lot of people and not be tied to any type of seizure.
I have just done so much research on this, and read many books because it was my main symptom. I have a ten year old son who has autism, and after his diagnosis is when it was so severe. From reading many books, I realize that the symptom can also have to do with struggling with your identity. If you grew up in an abusive family, you are too busy surviving to find yourself. When you get out of that situation, you now need to know who you are. You need to establish really good boundaries. This program does help you find yourself, and the depersonalization is just a symptom you have while finding out who you are.
One book that mentioned this symptom that surprised me was Henry Cloud's "Changes that Heal: How to Understand Your Past to Ensure a Healthier Future". Building good boundaries is just so essential in helping alleviate this symptom. This program helps you know what the symptom is and know that it's just a reaction to stress and will not kill you. Boundaries help you know who you are too. I recommend Henry Cloud's "Boundaries" book, and "Boundaries: Where You End and I Begin". Also, Claire Weekes' books are dated, but she really does understand this symptom, and it helped me to read her books when they were recommended to me on this board years ago. In addition, "Stranger in the Mirror: Dissociation the Hidden Epidemic" talks about the symptom and is helpful, but it may be scary for some people, and you may not have the severe dissociation that is mentioned. It did help me when I was at my worst to know what was happening to me, and to implement comforting skills to help me.
On the internet, there are sites mainly for child abuse survivors that teach you tips for "grounding techniques". These are just really simple comforting skills to help you even if you were not abused. They may involve taking a bubble bath or cutting open an orange and paying attention to the scent, and visual stimuli of doing so. I found these helpful too.
Hope something in here helps. I really thought I would never get over this symptom, and I am just so thankful that it has lessened tremendously just from doing this program and other self-help techniques with boundaries, etc. Also, I applied some of my religious beliefs that helped me. I know this isn't the religious section though, but it helped me to know that know matter whether I knew who I was, God was still who he was, and no matter what I am always a child of God. So, when I felt like I didn't know who I was, I would just say that I was a child of God. It was that simple, and it really helped me. I'm not preaching, but if that helps you, I just wanted to share it.
Take Care,
luvpiggy