Detached

[Lindsey14]

Can anxiety make you feel detached from yourself?

[tasha78]

im no expert as ive only recently started having having anxiety but yh i feel im on a totally different planet half the time! scary and unnerving x

[Jeff1943]

Lindsey, feeling detached from yourself is a well-known symptom of anxiety. It's called derealisation and its caused by your mind trying to distance you from the every day things that are causing you anxiety. Nice try but it isn't actually helpful. I had it about 40 years ago before it had been given a fancy name, I described it as 'feeling like I'm not here'.

It can be unsettling but it's nothing serious, just another symptom over wrought nervous systems throw at us. The good news is that when you recover from anxiety disorder all the symptoms including this one will disappear.

Is there something in your life that is causing your high anxiety? There's usually something like worry, over work, grief, disappointment, toxic relationships that triggers your nervous system into becoming over sensitive.

Identifying the cause and dealing with it is the first step towards recovering your mental health.

When symptoms like derealisation affect you the best thing is to just accept them for the time being as temporary irritations. Accept them calmly and don't stress, obsess or let them frighten you half to death. Fear generates stress and fear hormones which act on the nervous system causing further over-sensitisation.

So don't fight the feeling, accept it and agree to live along side it for the moment. Don't give it undue importance, just get on with your life knowing it's a temporary thing that can do you no permanant harm. By refusing to respond to it with fear you give your nerves a chance to calm themselves and desensitise. Before long quiet nerves stop sending out strange fears and feelings and your recovery begins. Keep accepting instead of fighting and obsessing and this strange feeling of derealisation fades to nothing.

That's how I freed mysekf from it and I haven't been aware of it for many years.

[Lindsey14 in reply to Jeff1943]

Thank you so much, this message helps me a lot. And something I think is one of the causes is that i do worry over the smallest things

[Jeff1943 in reply to Lindsey14]

Yes Lindsey, that's another trick sensitised nerves play on us, small problems easily overcome are magnified tenfold, we end up worrying ourselves sick over dripping taps or misbehaving mobile phones or dealing with people. We all do it. This too will pass when you regain your quiet mind.

[Lindsey14 in reply to Jeff1943]

Thank you so much

[flaxxy703 in reply to Lindsey14]

temper is the sworn enemy of inner peace and health

[Agora1 in reply to Jeff1943]

Jeff1943, I just saw this response to Lindsey14... I was almost going to write a post today in how little things in our lives get us overwhelmed. It's happening to me lately. When my daughter said to me "Chill Mom", I became defensive and thought doesn't she realize I'm overwhelmed lately? Seeing your response today made me realize that when I regain my quiet mind, the little things won't become astronomical as easily. Thanks Jeff...I needed to read that.

[Jeff1943 in reply to Agora1]

Agora1, I think that's one of the major symptoms of anxiety, not seeing problems in perspective and exaggerating them out of all proportion. My SatNav conked out once when miles from home so I now actually carry a spare SatNav.

It's when we have more than one or two problems to solve that anxiety builds. Drips from joints in water pipes is another national emergency as far as I'm concerned.

[Agora1 in reply to Jeff1943]

Jeff, we are never alone in our thoughts are we??

[Jamie2018 in reply to Jeff1943]

Hi I had depersonilization 35 years ago and thought I was going crazy. The Dr. Said I had depression and anxiety. I. Think the feeling of dp made anxiety and depression even worst. There was no internet back then and until recently the past few years was the 1st time I heard about it. It took me almost a year of therapy and medication to get better and it never came back. Wasn't it so scary back then? What caused it for you? For me it was a stressful event then I smoked pot to get relaxed and had a massive panic attack then for 9 months thought I was going crazy with depersonalization symptoms. After Dr told me I was in deep depression and anxiety I thought that something else was still wrong with me. It was the worst time of my life!

[Lindsey14 in reply to Jamie2018]

Im just stressed and worried

[Jamie2018 in reply to Lindsey14]

That will cause it

[Lindsey14 in reply to Jamie2018]

I feel really detached rn

[Jamie2018 in reply to Lindsey14]

I know how it feels. Are you getting counseling?

[Lindsey14 in reply to Jamie2018]

Not currently

[Jamie2018 in reply to Lindsey14]

Counseling and medication is what helped me.

[Lindsey14 in reply to Jamie2018]

My mom doesnt think i need it

[Jeff1943 in reply to Jamie2018]

Jamie, it first hit me in 1974, I think it might have been caused by a prospective business venture that bombed. Once it starts it can become self perpetuating. My depersonalisation must have been mild because it didn't worry me too much, can't even remember when it stopped. I still feel it a bit under very bright fluorescent lights. I was more concerned with fake visual symptoms at the time. I soon discovered the first book Claire Weekes wrote titled 'Self help for your nerves' in the UK and 'Hope and help for your nerves' in the US. I think that book and her acceptance method for recovery saved my life, that's why I constantly advocate it.

[Jamie2018 in reply to Jeff1943]

I haven't read either one but heard nothing but good things about them. Glad they helped you

[Jeff1943 in reply to Jamie2018]

It's great that you managed to cure yourself of depersonalisation after all those years through therapy and medication, an inspiration to all those who suffer from it.

Marijuana has much to answer for in the mental health arena specially now super-strong versions like skunk and spice are the norm. And there are still people around who think dope is therepeutic for people with anxiety disorder.

[Jamie2018 in reply to Jeff1943]

Not good for me I stay far far away from it