Stress Center Peer Support

Hey, everyone. I'm so glad I found this forum because I'm really starting to get scared.

As from the end of February I started having panic attacks (I had quit smoking tobacco until then and I relapsed) I used to smoke before and was ok, then I quit but that time in February that I relapsed I started having incredible anxiety attacks (actually they might have started a bit before I relapsed to smoking but it made them a lot worse)

Like nicotine, caffeine also would turn me into a person who's having a "heart attack". I would get chest tightness, rapid heart rate, high blood pressure, insomnia.

Thankfully, I managed to quit smoking again and this time for good (I made it though the nicotine withdrawal) and I rarely drink coffee so I'm good.

But, after the panic attacks ended like a month ago, I've been having this incredibly annoying and scary symptom of derealization. I'm sort of used to it now but I would really kill myself if that would be the way I'd feel for the rest of my life.

I feel like I'm dreaming or high and nothing's real. When I remember something I'm not sure if it's real or not as well. IT's as if my life has ended. I really hate it and wish I could know how to treat it.

I've tried some sedatives but that's just temporary. The only thing that makes this symptom go away is getting drunk but I can't do that on a chronic basis.

I got a bit relieved now that I see it's a normal symptom of anxiety, which brings me to my last point : I've had a lot of things going on with my life a few years ago and I Was ok! I did a bunch of crazy things then and was OK!

NOW, when nothing special is going on and there's no stress, I actually have anxiety! This makes no sense.

I would be very thankful if somebody can reassure me this is not going to last till the end of my life because it's been 1-2 months and there's no change. I'm scared I'm going crazy, I've had a relative with schizophrenia.

Thank you in advance!

OH BOY do i feel your pain! I have dealt with derealization for a while. off and on. last yea is when i first started feeling them and they freaked me out so bad i thought i was going mad. as my panic subsided the derealization did too.. so this year my panic started up again and than like a month later i felt the derealization. especially at work and while i was driving. because those two things have triggered my panic. Now i have learned how to deal with derealization. What i do is not let it scare me and float with it. seriously, i know this seems hard to do but everytime you feel the DR try and float with it and not let it get to you. it'll take some time but practice doing that everytime you get that feeling and since doing that my DR has gone away a great deal. It actually started up while i was getting interviewed and i just told myself "its not a not a big deal, it'll pass it always does,its just a feeling it cant hurt me " I used to be SOOO deathly frightened of DR and DP. It comes from anxiety because before i had my anxiety i wouldn't feel DR. So just try and work on your anxiety and your DR will go away i SWEAR. mine did last year but because my anxiety came back this year even worse than last year i am feeling it again and that how i know DR is from anxiety. Its like a defense mechanism. so it feels weird yes, but know it'll go away and wont last forever. good luck!m You'll be ok I promise. let me know how you are feeling and try to not see it as a big deal.

I have suffered on and off with this as an anxiety symptom almost my whole life BUT- BUT not all the time, it is a symptom.
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