Has anyone ever felt lost in their own house

[Marina]

Hi,

Ive been doing really well with therapy the last few weeks and felt I was getting somewhere, and starting to calm down. But this week Ive had loads of problems I got called into school by the headmistress because my daughter had been picked on by two boys, then my other daughter was ill and my boss was funny with me because I couldn't go in to work. Anyway Ive felt that stressed, like my head would explode, but last night I had this awful feeling just lying in bed, palpitations started which I often get, they seemed to last hours but then I felt lost like I didn't know my husband lying next to me and didn't belong in my own house like I'd never seen it before. Ive had panic attacks for years but never had this feeling, its really unnerved me I couldn't sleep all night and this morning my head is just spinning.

Marina x :unsure:

[Veronica H]

Hi Marina
It is just the dreaded adrenaline with nowhere to go, therefore gives us vile symptoms. Try not to read too much into it, as you said yourself it has been a bad week for you, and thoughts become feelings with this illness. Everyone gets anxious, but we have to find ways of reducing ours to manageable levels. Have you read Dr Weekes, I am constantly boring everyone with my posts about her, because this really has helped me. If you haven't then her books and free downloads are in the NMP shop. Hang in there Marina.

Veronica

[CONS]

Here you go Marina,

this is a post by ollie on what it could be:

Here is a chapter from my book on this feeling, I have posted it before I hope it helps.

Depersonalisation

In the process of writing this book I covered the feeling of detachment from oneself, otherwise known as depersonalisation: an emotional disorder in which there is loss of contact with your own personal reality accompanied by feelings of unreality and strangeness, also a sensation of ones environment looking or feeling ‘strange’ and unusual.

This one question kept coming up more and more as I was writing this book, so I decided to add an extra chapter on this annoying, yet harmless, symptom.

D.P., as I will refer to it, is a common and understandable offshoot of the anxiety condition. I can also tell you that it is in no way a mental illness. It is not serious or harmful in any way and has a totally logical explanation. It is temporary and, with patience and understanding, eventually passes like any other symptom.

The key to recovering from this feeling of detachment is to surrender to this strange feeling, to pay it no respect and realise it is just the product of an over-tired mind, fatigued by your constant worrying thoughts and the constant checking in to how you feel. This symptom relies on your fear of it to keep it alive.

When people are caught up in the worry cycle, they begin to think deeply and constantly. They study themselves from deep within, checking in and focusing on their symptoms. They may even wake in the morning only to continue this habit, “How do I feel this morning? “I wonder if I will be able to get through today”. What’s this new sensation I feel?” This may go on all day, exhausting their already tired mind further. This constant checking in and constant assessing of their symptoms then becomes a habit, but like all other habits this one can also be changed.

All this worry is bound to make your mind feel dull and unresponsive. Is it any wonder you have come to feel so distanced from your surroundings? Is it any wonder you find it so hard to concentrate? Some people, when studying for exams for hours on end, get to the point where they can no longer take information in, so they take a break and carry on the day after. For you, there are no breaks and no time outs.

As I have already mentioned earlier, your body has a safety mechanism that protects it from all this worry and slows the mind down to safeguard itself. It takes a step back from this onslaught, which can then produce your feelings of detachment and the world around you may become hazy or out of focus.

Once you understand this symptom as being caused by an over-tired mind, exhausted through worry, that you are not going mad and these feelings can’t harm you in any way, it makes sense. With the fear factor taken out of this symptom, it can start to hold less power over you and affect you less than it did before. Although still annoying, you now know why you feel these feelings. Once you learn to accept them and stop adding worrying thoughts to the mix, this is another symptom that you will be able to overcome in time. Taking a step back and giving up the worrying thoughts, gives your mind the chance to rest, rejuvenate and refresh.

When it happened to me, I recognised and understood what was causing it. I realised that I was checking in and worrying about it and I did fear this sensation, so I just stopped doing it. I also learnt to get busier and stop brooding on this and other symptoms. Being active gives you another focus. Having too much time on your hands can open the door to too much needless thinking. With less worry and fear of this harmless but upsetting symptom, I was eventually able to overcome it. It merely became a nuisance and because I knew the reason for its existence, it no longer held any power over me. When a worry or fear loses its importance, it loses its power and that is why it is essential to realise these symptoms are neither harmful nor serious. Gradually, without all the checking in and worrying, this symptom that so dominated my life began to diminish and eventually disappear.

[Marina]

Hi Veronica and Cons,

Someone advised to get Claire Weekes book the other week aswel, I listened to a friends tape called good morning, good night and she was really good,It was out of stock for a while but I have just bought it from the NMP shop-cant wait for it to come now.! What you said makes sense Cons I am in a worry cycle and I do feel mentally exhausted I worry about everything and anything my panic started when I had kids and this bullying episode just really upset me, my daughter is only 5 and I was so worked up, and to make it worse it made me even more frustrated and mad with myself because I had been doing so well I had been learning techniques about staying calmer in situations that would normally make me anxious. I felt like I was slowly climbing up a mountain and just fell back down to the bottom again. Like your post says the key is to let it go I need to try not to think about it and read too much into things I think I need to keep busier too.

Thanks for your replies

Love marina xx