Don't feel like I'll make another day ):

[Jennnnclayton]

I'm having a really, really bad day today! Nothing feels real! I feel like I'm on autopilot, as if I'm physically doing everything but not mentally. I just feel so detached. I'm having a really hard time coming to realization! I've tried keeping myself busy all day, but the impending doom is taking over! I don't feel like I'm even alive. I feel super disoriented and almost light headed? Not sure how to explain it... Please somebody give me hope and make me feel alive. My son is begging me to feel better and I feel so lost ):

[BonnieSue]

I'm sorry that you're having a bad day. I wish I could just change it for you. I think you could feel a lot better if you would get a check up and after that make sure the doctor knows about your anxiety and any depression and let him or her treat your for those. If you get medicine for those you will start to feel better very fast and you'll start to rejoin the human family. The strangeness and disoriented feelings should go away fairly fast. Those are mainly due to anxiety. All of this misery is treatable!

I once felt this same way but not for long!! I got on meds and the feelings went way in a few days. Very fast. But I don't know for sure which meds you'll get, so I can't say for sure how long for you to feel the change unless you call me about which meds you start out on.

Keep in mind that you need a counselor to guide you through this mess. He/she can make sense of some of this craziness and meds and so forth. She can also notice if you're having a side effect that we didn't catch and so forth. Things that you learn about coping will help you be on the least amount of meds possible. Take care and write if you need to or want to.

[Jennnnclayton in reply to BonnieSue]

Thank you so much for your reply Bonnie!

I just recently had a cat scan on my brain, an EKG on my heart, and a complete blood panel test. Everything came back nearly perfect except my cholesterol was slightly elevated but not a cause for concern! She says it's just my GAD, but my health anxiety causes me to think well "what if"... I constantly feel like something is seriously wrong with me because of how severe my depersonalization and derealization is ): it just doesn't feel right! My therapist says I'm to cohorent to be schizophrenic or psychotic. But she's not really helping me cope with the DP/DR ):

I've taken nearly every SSRI,SNRI, tricyclic A.D and benzodiazepines, and my body just reacts horrible to them so I'm trying my best to stay away from the meds if at all possible.

I feel like I belong in a looney bin ): I just don't feel right!

[BonnieSue in reply to Jennnnclayton]

This is a real nightmare for you. I wish I could come in and sweep this mess away for you. Have you tried Wellbutrin? ...and abilify? Those are a bit of different meds. And then there's ECT. A tough decision.

Have you seen my list of about 24 non-drug options for anxiety (which is largely responsible for DP/DR)? It's options to use that other people here have had success with. Would you like me to print it here for you to look over?

[Jennnnclayton in reply to BonnieSue]

Thank you, that's very thoughtful. I wish it were that easily taken care of ):

What's ECT?

And no I haven't seen the list but I would LOVE if you could print a copy here for me to see. Thank you so much!

[BonnieSue in reply to Jennnnclayton]

ECT= ElectroConvulsiveTherapy. Electric shock therapy. Just enough electricity to produce seizures because no one who gets seizures has ever been depressed. Sometimes it works. It didn't work for my son. BIG disappointment.

The list:

Some natural remedies and non-drug sources of information are books, videos, and workbooks suggested by other people on this site:

1---"I've found David D. Burns' "Feeling Good" and "When Panic Attacks" to be very helpful."

2---"I am working through the anxiety workbook by Dr David Carbonell and it has helped immensely!!! " His website is anxietycoach.com

3---psychcentral.com/lib/9-ways...”9 ways to reduce anxiety now”

4---Dr. Jonice Webb authored "Running on Empty: Overcome your Childhood Emotional Neglect"

5---Mindfulness has helped many people and is now recommended by doctors in the UK. Here’s just 1 link that explains it’s usefulness: heartwoodrefuge.org/benefit.... Another option of many is called MINDSHIFT. You can download it to your phone from Google Playstore.

6---TRE (Trauma releasing exercises) is something you can learn in a class but you don't have to talk about your problems and once you have learned the technique you can use it at home.

7---UK site for stress, anxiety and depression information: panic attacks: nhs.uk/conditions/stress-an...

8---anxietytipsoftheday.weebly.com

9---"A good book that I came across recently is "The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook, 6th Edition" by Edmund J. Bourne, PhD. You might find this book to be of some help to you, although communicating your thoughts and feelings in a group setting is enormously helpful as well. "

10---“The book DARE, which is about anxiety. It’s a very good book about accepting anxiety and letting go of the fear. The author is Barry Mcdonagh and he also has a YouTube channel and a Facebook support group.”

11---For anxiety: Claire Weekes audio books on iTunes. “Self Held for Your Nerves” is one title that is good. You can see her on YouTube. “The Dr. Claire Weekes book is easy to understand and will help you on your way to recovery through acceptance.” Someone else says: “I like the paradigm of acceptance by Dr. Claire Weekes in "Hope and Help for your Nerves"”.

12---I would also add "Don't Panic" by Dr. Reid Wilson.

13---Another really good CD and book is the Linden method.

14---How to be good with yourself: self-compassion.org/the-thr...10---Try the meditation app called Headspace. It's done in 10 mins slots once a day.

15---Videos on YouTube by THAT ANXIETY GUY helps with anxiety re: depersonalization/ de-realization states.

16—For UK residents: Have you ever been in touch with the organisation called MIND? They offer one to one sessions with a Project Worker free. They also run courses that you can attend free of charge. One of the courses is about Anxiety. Their website is mind.org.uk

17---"Go on the Psychology Today site and look for a therapist that specializes in anxiety." Psychology Today has listings with psychiatrists and psychologists and therapists with their pictures and the therapists’ specialties and philosophies, sliding scale fees if they have them, education and insurance accepted and other details they choose to post for you.

18---Instead of mercilessly judging and criticizing yourself for various inadequacies or shortcomings, self-compassion means you are kind and understanding when confronted with personal failings – after all, who ever said you were supposed to be perfect? self-compassion.org/the-thr...

19---“Have you ever listened to Louise Hay on YouTube? Some of the talks help motivate you and hopefully you will feel a positive energy.”

20---“I called one of these online therapist sites. The therapist was really good. It was prestoexperts dot com. Her name was Lori Burke. Definitely a professional and she got me through this awful depression/anxiety morning.” (There is a charge for this service)

21---For meditation look at:

Tara Brach and Chopra Center

22---theworrygames.com/anxiety-f...

23---“AnxietyNoMore” by Paul Bywater. A phone app.

24---“At Last a Life” book by Paul David.

25---The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook

Practical DBT Exercises for Learning Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation, and Distress Tolerance

By: Matthew McKay PhD, Jeffrey Wood PsyD, Jeffrey Brantley MD

A Clear and Effective Approach to Learning DBT Skills

First developed for treating borderline personality disorder, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) has proven effective as treatment for a range of other mental health problems, especially for those characterized by overwhelming emotions. Research shows that DBT can improve your ability to handle distress without losing control and acting destructively. In order to make use of these techniques, you need to build skills in four key areas-distress tolerance, mindfulness, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.

Source: NewHarbingerPublications

Caution for non-Buddhists: Zen Buddhism inspired aspects of DBT, along with behavioral science and dialectical philosophy. Source: GoodTherapy.com.

[Deb1658 in reply to BonnieSue]

Great resources!!!

[Deb1658]

Stay strong! You're not alone!

[stoneym]

Have you checked out adrenal fatigue?; Google Dr Lam and see if the symptoms resonate with you. The feeling of impending doom is an adrenal symptom. Do you feel like you can't cope with any more, even the tiniest stress?

[Jennnnclayton in reply to stoneym]

Funny you mentioned that, my mom has suggested that might be apart of my problem. That sounds like me to a T! The tiniest bit of stress throws me into a whirlwind of anxiety and I don't even want to deal with it. I just want to sleep it away ):