Feeling unreal

[richacon]

I have had anxiety for about a year now and really haven't seeked out much help. It clearly got worse over the year and I've gotten to the point to where I feel "unreal" all the time. I wish I could describe it better than that but I feel it has to do with my anxiety. I have the tendency to pay attention to my body too much and I often get worried about dying or getting sick. Sometimes I think I am losing my mind. This "unreal" feeling I believe is a big part of why I feel the way I do.

Would medication such as lexapro help this "unreal" feeling to go away?

[scatmantom]

it may do, but personnaly i think that professional help would be a better option. There are good therapies out there now to help people like us. Your feelings of illness or dying are very common and are not a sign of madness. You are not mad :D

[EasternDark]

Hey there, I'm new and thought I'd chime in here...

Feeling 'unreal' is a TOTALLY NORMAL ANXIETY SYMPTOM!! Basically I got quite bad anxiety after a particularly terrifying drug experience a while ago... had a bad bad trip/thought I was gonna die, etc. etc. Anyway I experienced the 'unreal' symptoms too, and I know how terrifying it is. Essentially it's caused by your constant introspection, frequently worrying/thinking about yourself makes your mind kinda shut out the world and that's what makes everything feel so 'unreal'... basically when I had it bad I just put up with it & paid no attention to it - the worst thing to do is to get freaked out and try fighting it, that'll only make it persist. I've never been on meds for the condition so I can't say if that'll help or not, but I know that once I found out why it occured I worried about it alot less. Now it seems to happen fairly infrequently for me.

Just try not getting too concerned about it (hard I know), I was terrified of it too, I thought I was going mad or developing schizophrenia or something... urgh. Felt alot better once I found an explanation though - I've read quite a few books about anxiety and none of them went into detail about WHY this symptom occurs. But if you haven't sought out help yet though I would STRONGLY advise it.

Hope that helps!! :)

[leftie15]

Oh man have i been there it sucks but like the other guys said its normal i went through for bout 8months now its pretty much gone don't be afraid fear is the root once u conquer that fear you'll be on your way to a better happier life as for not knowing why it happens basically its your body puttin up a defense mechinism its meant to help you not hurt your your mind goes into almost like a cacoon to protect you so i know its hard but be happy your body is doing it it means you are healthy and not crazy

[matty c]

De realisation and de personalisation are part of the minds natural defence mechanism against trauma and shock. It cushions you against reality and makes you feel as if either you or the world around you is not real.

Many sufferers will say that they feel spaced out and disconnected from the world around them, their eyesight is blurred, they feel woozy and giddy, they look at their body and it doesn’t look like it belongs to them or certain aspects of their body looks or feels distorted.
When you are in the middle of a genuine trauma such as a serious accident or a catastrophe, these defences can save your life or sanity, by protecting you from traumatic events until you are over the worst shock. You often read of people saying ‘it was so unreal’ or ‘ I moved as if I was in a dream’, because this is how they feel. However, the actual trauma would be their main focus and so the defence mechanisms would not really impact on their conscious mind in any unusual way.

However when we have anxiety there is not actual traumatic event happening and so the defence mechanisms of de realisation and depersonalisation are what we focus on and because they make us feel ‘strange’ we can start to be scared and ‘freaked out’ by them.
The more anxious they make us, the more we fixate on them and the more our mind triggers even more of these defence mechanisms to help us.

Of course this means that we end up in a cycle of fixating on the de realisation/de personalisation and then producing even more of these defence mechanisms.



I hope this has been of help

Be stong and try and fixate your mind on other things and it will pass like most sensations

[randyttp]

oh yeah.. I hit the wonderland effect many times a day... it sucks. usually when im walking in a crowded area or alot going around me i suddenly feel like im on a cloud and not really in my body anymore... passing out suddenly feels like a valid option.. lol. But dont worry i never do, constantly moving with the flow.

:D

[EamaneEldendil]

This topic really helped me thanks guys...i've had an unreal sensation and blurred vision right from the start and every day since for 9yrs. Thanks for explaining what it is :)

[MrsSandraD]

YOu are not alone and I feel like this regularly as well. Just today, for the first time I am finally seeking help and reaching out. I joined this forum and am seeing my doctor on Monday for referral to a therapist.

It's scary but I hope to overcome the symptoms and try to feel normal again.

[BYObass]

i have this feeling alot. its very prevailing.

i've had panic attacks, physical pains, changes in mood.. concentration problems. and recently, the derealization/depersonalization have been killer.

my psychiatrist prescribed ativan for when im feeling very anxious (used sparingly) and now depakote er for possible bipolar disorder.

i had tried cymbalta for a few days, which resulted in a worsening of the symptoms. my psychiatrist feels bipolar may be th answer, although i am not sure.

i definitely would like a second opinion. i am starting the meds regardless, though. i do tend to have a lot of the bipolar symptoms, but i also havea great deal of anxiety symtpoms (irrational fears, obsessive thoughts, concentration problems, fear of going crazy, fear of dying, panic attacks) so i am not sure if its a combination of the two, just one. mabe its not up to me to diagnose though...

i dunno. relating to the topic, i definitely share your pain.

when im not feeling like that, and i get "happy" and"noraml again", it does tend to feel like a high, a rush. and ill be doing things slightly faster, yet have a lot of racing thoughts and concentration issues.

its all so confusing. i hope my doc is right. im also starting a psychologist within the week again, to talk about the emotional aspects, control stress, etc.