Weird symptom...any advice very welcome!

[SarahP]

Hi guys,

Was just wondering if anyone had any advice on how to deal with a weird symptom I've been having. A lot of my anxiety has been dying down, which is a relief. Thing is, it's left me feeling not too sure who I am anymore (cheesey, I know). I often question why I am doing things, feel disconnected from myself, find the sound of my own voice weird, and generally sometimes feel like I don't even like myself/find everything I say/think daft.

Does this make any sense to anyone? I emailed my counsellor about it but she doesn't seem to understand what I'm talking about, and she's freaked me out by suggesting she's out of her depth with this, which makes me scared I'm going mad.

I'm trying to re-enter my circle of friends but I feel like I don't even really know how to connect with them at the moment, like I don't even know where I fit in.

I'm trying to stay positive and see it as yet another symptom of anxiety that will fade if I don't attach too much fear to it, but it's really bugging me at the moment.

Any advice or similar experiences?

Hope everyone is having a good day :)

Sarah xx

[Maz21]

I have exactly the same thing often when my anxiety is going down like who am I, where is my life going, what am I going to do, is this life? everythings strange like I touch my face n its weird and question everything I say and find looking at myself strange. I say life is such a odd concept Im surprised people dont get this more often, i must say its not as bad as when Im getting full blown anxiety though and it often goes after a while. Im not sure what advice to give just that your not alone. :)

[Jenny]

I sometimes feel that when there is a group of us togther that I am on the outside looking in, if you know what I mean. I can say something and then think 'I am making sense here'. Weird feeling.

Jenny F xx

[Vanilla Sky]

Do you think because your anxiety has calmed down a lot that you are now " replacing it " with something else ? Just a thought because i am going through a weird feeling that i think i should be panicing and i'm not! Perhaps we have spent so long being in panic mode it just kinda feels weird being normal? My guess is that this will calm down Sarah and don't worry about what your counsellor said she probably just meant she does not have phyciatric training, counsellors only deal with what is there and if anything new crops up it is out of they're depth untill someone higher can tell them what they are dealing with . You are not mad , you are simply adjusting to getting your life back on track Good Luck ! Paige x

[SarahP]

Thanks for the replies, you've really helped put my mind at rest! It's weird isn't it, that you'd think finally emerging from anxiety would be an amazing feeling, but it's like leaving a relationship that you know is bad for you, but that you feel drawn to anyway!

It's so good to be able to say things on here and have people know exactly what I mean, like being an internet hug :)

Thanks again for the support

Sarah xx

[Alicat]

Hi Sarah,

I've just had that for about 3 weeks...it's only just stopped and it's a huge relief. It is a symptom of anxiety. Have a look at depersonalisation/derealistion. There are some threads on here. It's horrible when others don't understand.

Hope it goes away soon.

[SarahP]

All those replies a couple of weeks ago seemed to help me feel less alone in this feeling, and I had an awesome weekend just after where I went to stay with my sister in London and didn't let those feelings bother me at all!

They've crept back in now though, and it's really getting me down that I can't get rid of them. I was lying awake last night getting more and more panicky about it, and hating myself more and more. I know this isn't going to help anything, if anything it'll make it all worse by me getting more stressed out, but I'm finding it so difficult to put it out of my mind!

I have times when I forget to worry about how I sound or what I'm thinking, and then I panic because I feel I should have been watching for it. I'm really strung out by this at the moment.

Sorry to vent, I just felt I needed to tell someone and everyone here is always so understanding! I don't want to talk to my family about it as we're going to a funeral tomorrow and I don't want to add to their worries!

Sarah xx

[MOJO]

Hi Sarah,
I understand how you feel. It's really horrible and very scary. I have been suffering with this on and off for a long time. For a few weeks it almost went away although anxiety never leaves me for even a whole day at a time.
The last few days I have been feeling really odd about my mind. I have strange thoughts then sit and wonder why I thought them. I feel detatched and really like I must be going a bit mad. I'm so frightenend there is something wrong with my mind. This all makes me even more anxious of course. Sorry you are feeling so bad too. If so many people have it I suppose I have to accept that it's all the anxiety causing it. Doesn't help us to know how to carry on though.:weep:
xxx

[SarahP]

Aw Judy, sorry to hear you're suffering with this too. You're right though, we have to accept it as anxiety but how do we carry on with it in the background? I understand that you defeat anxiety by taking the fear out of symptoms but this feels so hard to ignore!

Sarah x

[nomorepanic]

Sounds like depersonalisation/derealistion to me too.

It goes in time when the nervous system calms down but can linger sometimes for a long while.

[SarahP]

I hope it does go in time cos am feeling really worn down by it! Feel constantly on edge and watching what I say. I'm going on holiday on Friday so hoping the change of scene will shake me up a bit :)