Feel so strange...

[Sugarplum001]

Thank you very much I really appreciate your time and support. I will try that.
I can feel it all happening before I've even woke up properly I can feel it building and then when I do wake I literally feel like I've woken up into someone else's life. Like I've never been here before and just been placed in this body. Everyone and everything looks so unfamiliar. I think too that I worry each day is getting worse so each day does feel like
It's getting worse. I had another really bad day of it yesterday and have woken up bad this morning feeling like I'm in a strange body in someone else's life. Obviously I know it's my life and I know who everyone is but it doesn't feel like it And it feels like everything changed/switched and I can't get a hold onto any reality. I'm just worried that it's constant and not in patches. Thank you again xx

[ana]

Oh dear, I'm genuinely sorry to hear that you're suffering so much; those thoughts and feelings sound horrific.
Perhaps when you see someone privately, they may be able to prescribe a medication that will help with relieve some of those feelings of unreality. I was given Sulpirid back in the day when my depersonalisation was really bad. It's an anti-psychotic, but it helped a lot with the physical sensations of my limbs not feeling like my own, me not being real, and so on.
Are you still making an effort to keep busy and to go out and do things? I believe maintaining a steady everyday rhythm keeps one's anxiety levels in check. Hope you're having a better day today.

[Sugarplum001]

Ow gosh I'm really struggling with this. I can't stop the panic that I'm actually here, real and a person. My whole body feels strange like I've never been a person before. I feel funny to be in a body facing out. I just can't stop the panic but the panic is only over the strange feelings. I feel like I don't know who I am and want to get out of my body. I'm trying to take myself for walks and making myself get showered etc but I'm petrified all over being a person! Is this 'normal' for depersonalisation as I'm so worried that it must be something else as it feels like it's getting worse. Many thanks x

[ana]

I really can't tell you what is 'normal' and not because I'm not a medical professional, but from what I know from personal experience and from talking to therapists, depersonalisation is accompanied by a variety of unpleasant thoughts and sensations of unreality. I've experienced this myself, too, and whenever I panic, I feel unreal and not present in the moment. I do believe, though, that you'll start feeling better so long as you continue going about things the usual way, forcing yourself to go out and do things. You need to work against yourself - it's the only way.

[Lissa101]

Hi Sugarplum001, I used to suffer from this really, really badly a few years ago to the point where I literally thought death would be the only way to escape it. What helped me get over this and anxiety in general was changing the way I thought about these feelings and sensations. Instead of fighting them as if they were my enemy I began to realise that my mind has been under extreme stress (real or perceived, it doesn't matter) and that my brain is trying it's best to deal with that prolonged pressure. It's working FOR me, to try and cope, to find a way out and to try and preserve me as best it can. That results in DP/DR sometimes and, while its probably the most horrific experience I've ever went through, its harmless. The best way to deal with it is to accept it into your life and work on dealing with the root causes of your anxiety. That's not easy to do but I'm living proof that it does fade away eventually x

[Sugarplum001]

Hello,
I just come back on as I'm having abit of a melt down today and was just seeking some reassurance so thank you very much for your message.. I've really pushed myself the last couple of days but finding it really hard to distract as I'm constantly focused on the feelings and panicking about having a brain tumour or something with the feelings being so bad all the time. I feel so spaced out and not with it...my mind keeps going blank and I feel so detached from myself. I'm finding it hard to even hold/focus on a conversation! I feel like I've just been placed here in my body and finding it so hard to just accept its anxiety. I really feel strange to be in a body facing out...looking out of my eyes and I can't help questioning if I'm really hear or if this is my life. I find the feelings keep changing too but if I was to explain them they would still sound the same. Thank you again for your message xx

[Jenijar]

Hi Sugarplum001, I used to suffer from this really, really badly a few years ago to the point where I literally thought death would be the only way to escape it. What helped me get over this and anxiety in general was changing the way I thought about these feelings and sensations. Instead of fighting them as if they were my enemy I began to realise that my mind has been under extreme stress (real or perceived, it doesn't matter) and that my brain is trying it's best to deal with that prolonged pressure. It's working FOR me, to try and cope, to find a way out and to try and preserve me as best it can. That results in DP/DR sometimes and, while its probably the most horrific experience I've ever went through, its harmless. The best way to deal with it is to accept it into your life and work on dealing with the root causes of your anxiety. That's not easy to do but I'm living proof that it does fade away eventually x

Hello Lissa, how long did your DP/DR last for and did you have it constant 24/7?. Also did it make you feel/think you/life wasn't real? X

[Lissa101]

Hey,

Yep, I had all the classic symptoms. Felt like I'd been transported to a parallel universe where everything was exactly the same but also completely different (if that makes sense). The scariest thing was not the feelings of disconnection from the world but feeling disconnected from myself. I hated looking in the mirror because I didn't feel any connection to the person I was looking at. And on top of that was the weird existential terror. Its a horrible, horrible experience and very isolating. It does go away though, just takes time, patience and strength to get through it. X

[Sugarplum001]

Hey,
I really feel like I've never been here or a person before and I can't stop questioning it because I feel like I can't remember so don't know if I'm Right or not (if that makes any sense). I've really tried to keep myself busy by doing jobs but I just feel like I can't remember being here or this person...like I've really just been placed here and everything feels so wrong and not right. Xx

[Jenijar]

Hey,

Yep, I had all the classic symptoms. Felt like I'd been transported to a parallel universe where everything was exactly the same but also completely different (if that makes sense). The scariest thing was not the feelings of disconnection from the world but feeling disconnected from myself. I hated looking in the mirror because I didn't feel any connection to the person I was looking at. And on top of that was the weird existential terror. Its a horrible, horrible experience and very isolating. It does go away though, just takes time, patience and strength to get through it. X

Thank you for replying, yes that really does make sense to me re the parallel universe where every looks the same but also seems completely different at the same time. I feel like I'm living in an imitation of my life. Did you feel disconnection from your memories too? I feel like my memories pre DP are from a different lifetime ago, like a past life. One of my biggest fears in all this is that I've actually died and that this is just my spirit imagining life, I think this pretty much non-stop and sometimes I think it must be true. It's relentless. I've had it for a year now, there was a time back in January when I felt I was getting better but then it all went downhill again. I haven't been able to work for months. I'd give anything to feel real again. How long did it take for you to feel back to normal? I'm worried that because it had it a year it's not going to get better now x