Seemingly out of touch with reality

First off, I'm new to the forums, and want to say hi.

I am a 23 year old guy and for the past four years have been struggling with what, until recently, I did no know to be anxiety.

My symptoms never seem to be overly emotional, more physical as far as I can tell. On a daily basis I will get heart palpitations and chest pain (recently found out its an arrhythmia), but this gets worse because of anxiety attacks and what not. The weirdest part for me is that I often feel like I'm losing touch with reality, especially if I try to relax and calm down. I can be sitting, and everything will start getting warped and distorted in my vision. Does anyone else get this? Is this something thats from anxiety?

Also, I find myself over thinking everything. For example, I will be doing something familiar to me, and suddenly, I feel like I'm not me, like I'm living in a dream and everything is foreign. Its a scary feeling. Sometimes I worry that I'm going crazy. How do I know that this truly is anxiety?

Hey JoeyD: I'm a 27 year old guy and I've definitely experienced what your saying. Sometimes I'll be sitting there doing something and then suddenly feel almost like i'm having an out of body experience. Just remember that your brain is one complex piece of work with tons of chemicals opporating the thing. I would say that your symptoms are definitely from anxiety. What i've learned over the years is that recognizing it helps a lot. Allow yourself to feel "weird" in those moments, and just know that it will pass.

Also, Panic Attacks and Anxiety are Two different things, it sounds like you are having just a good dose of anxiety. When you find yourself worrying about it, just remind yourself that it's quite normal, and many people know what you are going through. I hope this helps! :)

Hey Joeyd,

I've also experienced the same type of feeling you're describing. It's a really bizarre sensation and can be very alarming. I know brief period of disassociation are not uncommon - especially when you're feeling particularly stressed out or tired. When my anxiety is particularly bad it can happen with greater frequency and can be quite alarming. It always helps me to remind myself that it doesn't mean I'm going crazy, just means that I need to try to do something to relax a bit or take my mind of things for a while.

I know that's not particularly helpful, but hope it at least makes you feel less freaked out by what you're experiencing!

You're not going crazy..it's called derealization/depersonalization.

Please..read this story it's VERY encouraging.

http://www.derealization.org/my-expe...cured-my-story

Here's a little part of his journey that describes the symptoms of derealization/depersonalization:

Symptoms of derealization and anxiety

The myriad of symptoms that comes from derealization and anxiety disorder are extremely subjective. Therefore, I will only list the symptoms I experienced.

* Pressure in forehead and nose bridge

This symptom was very irritating and anxiety provoking. Sometimes it felt like my forehead was going to burst open. It did not hurt like a headache does, but provided a persistent pressure sensation inside my forehead.

* Feelings of unreality

This is the “trademark” symptom of derealization and it was the symptom I feared the most. Sometimes it would feel like I was walking around in a dream. It hit me very hard when I was outside.

* Impaired memory

This symptom made me question my own sanity. My short term memory was non-existent and it made me very worried.

* Fear of madness

When I was at my worst, I seriously considered applying myself to a mental institution. It felt like madness, and I struggled to not show it externally.

* Insomnia

This was the first symptom I got, and it persisted for a great length of time.

* Dry eyes

A common symptom of anxiety, solved with eye drops.

* Anorexia

Because all that was on my mind was “What the hell is happening to me?”, I did not feel hungry or tired. I lost 13 lbs in my first 3 weeks.

* Panic attacks

The bad boy of anxiety. Fortunately I got hit by panic attacks very rarely. But I would very often be on the edge of one.

* Visual disturbances

Shadows and objects in my peripheral vision would move, and I developed floaters in my right eye.

* Hypochondria

In the early stages of my condition I was a raging hypochondriac, which does not fit my personality at all. I visited my GP 6 times during my first month. I really don’t wanna know how many times I visited Dr.Google. My self diagnosis would range from brain damage, Parkinson disease to psychosis.

* Strange dreams

This still gives me chills. The dreams I would have felt more real than when I was awake, and they were extremely bizarre and grotesque. I believe this was a side effect from the antidepressant I was on.

* Rapid/heavy heartbeat

This symptom appeared after about two months, and did not accompany a panic attack. The rapid heartbeat would occur at random and would last from 20 minutes to several hours. I measured it to be 140 beats per minute on some occasions.

IMJACE is pretty right at what he said at the ending.

"When you find yourself worrying about it, just remind yourself that it's quite normal, and many people know what you are going through."

Worrying about anxiety and thinking that you have it is only going to make it worse. Don't nurture it or make it grow. Simply look at it as a way of you being scared, then move on and stop thinking about!

Hope I Helped...:9