Is this normal?

[chili2424]

I've been experiencing some extreme mental discomfort for the past couple of days and am wondering if this is part of anxiety or something else altogether. There are 2 components I'm trying to address here. During the daytime, I feel as I am in a "bad dream" and I can't snap out of it. It's really weird and I just feel like I'm in a daze the whole day. I space out constantly and fear I'm just going to lose it. I don't feel myself and feel like if I keep thinking this way I'm going to go mad. Also, during the night I wake up constantly and really want help for this. It takes a while for me to get to sleep but when I do I always wake up in the middle of the night scared out of my mind and I don't know why. It's the worst during the nights because I get so blank-minded and I don't feel real its so scary. I really hope I don't stay this way. My biggest fear is that this will get worse left untreated and I will develop dementia or something. I just want my own thoughts back and not these insane and irrational ones :( Why is it that I feel calm and normal but my body and mind are not reacting in the same way. Should I go to the doctors and get meds for this or are there any other alternatives. A few people suggested to me on how I should fix my anxiety but the problem is I don't feel anxious! I just have horrible symtomps that are anxiety-related and don't know how to fix them. Mind distraction helps a lot but I can't live my life constantly distracted. I need to relax and live my life already. Please comment or suggest on my next step

-Dennis

[Flossy69]

Hi Dennis, I suffer with these exact same feelings. I can feel ok in the morning, and by the afternoon I feel soooo scared like I am going mad, totally out of control. This even happens when i am watching the tv. I have been to my GP who explained to me that it is severe anxiety 'fight or flight' feelings that your body automatically produces extra adrenaline. I said that how can i feel like this when I am watching the tv, but he said you can be unaware of the worry you are experiencing and then your body shows the physical symptoms of this. Last week, I nearly asked my husband to take me to the psychiatric unit as I felt so scared and out of control, but once I calmed down and did some controlled breathing I felt okish again. Just want you to know I can fully empathise with these feelings, but as my doc said its not madness, its signs of anxiety. Have you got a good doc you can go to.

regards, flossy

[Flossy69]

Also, yes distraction is good for the mind and most people experience worse worry in the middle of the night. Do you read or have any hobbies you can throw your mind in to when you start to feel this?

flossy

[NoPoet]

Hi, these symptoms could also be due to stress, but I don't understand how you don't feel anxious if, as you say, you feel scared out of your mind?

They are classic symptoms of anxiety and stress. Regular exercise and staying in contact with family and friends are helpful. You can also try hypnosis, self-help mp3s to listen to at night and if you wake up in the morning.

The feeling that you're going mad is terrifying, I had it all the time and I still get it occasionally. Anxiety is an illness of the thoughts (to quote Dr Weekes) and it feeds on fear: fear you are ill, fear you're going mad, fear of this that and the other.

It is not possible to go mad or suffer psychosis because of anxiety. These are very common fears that I and many people here struggled with. None of us actually went mad.

When you're confronted with overwhelming problems you may retreat into a dreamlike state (depersonalisation or derealisation) as this is an instinctive defence mechanism which protects you from collapsing under the stress. This feeling is actually there to help protect you so do not waste time fearing it, it wears off when you start feeling better and it absolutely will not harm you.

[DavidJ85]

It's certainly anxiety and all part and parcel. The mind is a VERY powerful thing it's just learning to cope and try and distract yourself and keep busy and this helps!

Don't worry I experience the very same things often and I just constantly keep myself busy to stop the madness

[chili2424]

Will I always have to "distract" myself and will it go away all together and I can relax again?

[andrea thompson]

hiya hon
i have been through all this before and managed to overcome it and lead a normal life. i think though you need to understand that your body and mind need to relax and heal gradually. take your time and dont put too much pressure on yourself... take one day at a time.

take care

andrea x x

[PanchoGoz]

Distraction...distraction...thats what we all say and thats what we all need, because us panicy ones are the ones with nothing to do. Its the very same thought I keep thinking: "Am I doing this for amusement or to keep myself occupied - nay - DISTRATED!" Then I feel like I'm wasting my life, just doing things to keep me going from one hour to the next. Wasting my life. But the fact is, one day you will be so busy, you will have to be distracted whether you like it or not. You only need to distract your mind when you are in this state, your anxiety will eventually get better like Andrea says, and then life will be your one huge, beautiful distraction and you won't even know that you're keeping your anxiety at bay.