I don't know what to do anymore

[RT24]

I feel like my life is falling apart. Lately I feel like my head is always in a fog, and I keep feeling off balance and dizzy, or like things are rocking back and forth. My head will feel heavy or dully achy, and just walking around feels like a chore. I feel like I can't think straight, and sometimes things that are familiar to me sound foreign or weird for a split second. I'm waking up in the middle of the night having attacks worrying about going insane and that the world is never gonna be the same for me. All I can do lately is lay down and cry because I miss my old life so much. My family is going insane because they don't know what to do with me other than tell me it's all in my head. I really don't know what to do. I can't seem to feel normal anymore, and it's making me absolutely miserable. I feel like I've had my life taken from me and I don't know how to fix it.

[parkermom]

OMG I hate that statement, "It's all in your head". Also the statement I got when I was younger, "Snap out of it" People just think it's so easy to get over being anxious like it's a cold or something. Get thyself to a psychiatrist, then a therapist, get some meds if needed, take them faithfully and consistently, listen to your therapist and hang in there. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. I've been in that tunnel quite a few times and always come out of it okay. God bless.

[patchezzzz]

What you're feeling is derealization. The "out of it feeling that makes everything look foreign and hard to think." It's a survival mechanism for your brain. If your nervous system is way overstimulated, it shuts down in a way. It does this so it can have stress free time to repair nerves that were damaged with stress hormones. The best thing you can do is remain calm when you have this dreamy feeling. The mere fact that you are experiencing it means you have a healthy brain that is proactive on taking care of itself.:) You will return back to "normal".

[jayj404]

Patchez said it. The only way derealization can be cured is with time. During that time, you have to stop worrying about it. It slowly fades, you you can't tell when it's gone. The reason people have it for years is because they wake up each morning and ask "Is it gone yet" and the feeling returns. Exercising and eating healthy might make the process quicker. How long have you felt this way? When I first got it, all I wanted to do was cry.

Hope you get better. Good luck!

[RT24]

Thanks for the help, everyone. It's just really scary feeling so distant and confused and off all the time. I have some sinus problems right now too, so I doubt that's helping matters with regards to my head. I just hope I can pull through. I was so scared today I was considering writing a note in case anything abruptly happens to me :(

[newzie]

I was so scared today I was considering writing a note in case anything abruptly happens to me :(

I did that the other night when I felt friggin terrible! Good to know others think the same way.

[RT24]

I've thought of it before, but I came closest today! I'm anxious that I'm losing my mind or my brain faculties or something because of how out of it I've been. I'm scared I'll never be the same again. I gotta try keeping my head up, though. Ugh.

[RT24]

Also, does anybody have any advice for coping with derealization like this? I'm so anxious my brain is like, deteriorating or something. It's driving me nuts. Any methods?

[newzie]

Best advice is to focus on something else, go on the computer play a game on your phone; it sucks but it will pass, remember that!

[RT24]

Thanks :( It's such a struggle because my anxiety's been day-in, day-out lately. Every twitch of my body is a new worry.

[Anxietysucks99]

Hey man I just read your post about dizziness and stuff and I'm exactly like you, you explained my thoughts to a tee, Our condition is horrible and so many people are so lucky to not feel like us., If you want you can text me and we can talk about it, I kinda want to talk to someone who understands me and wont judge my every thought and fear, if not I obviously understand haha just message me back if you want to talk

P.S: your fear of your brain deteriorating, don't worry about that. Things can go wrong with your brain but that's not heard of, The thing about me is I kind of know a lot about medical issues and symptoms and stuff and im sure you're just like me because you probably google symptoms on a day-to-day basis plus go to the doctors office, Am I right? haha anyway message me if you wanna chat just PM me your number.. I tried to message this to you but I need 10 posts to PM so maybe I can read your PM though.

[Anxietysucks99]

Hey man I just read your post about dizziness and stuff and I'm exactly like you, you explained my thoughts to a tee, Our condition is horrible and so many people are so lucky to not feel like us., If you want you can text me and we can talk about it, I kinda want to talk to someone who understands me and wont judge my every thought and fear, if not I obviously understand haha just message me back if you want to talk

P.S: your fear of your brain deteriorating, don't worry about that. Things can go wrong with your brain but that's not heard of, The thing about me is I kind of know a lot about medical issues and symptoms and stuff and im sure you're just like me because you probably google symptoms on a day-to-day basis plus go to the doctors office, Am I right? haha anyway message me if you wanna chat just PM me your number.. I tried to message this to you but I need 10 posts to PM so maybe I can read your PM though.

[Sarah W]

I felt derealized for several months a couple of years ago, and it was easily the worst thing I've ever felt. Almost like a moderate terror all the time. It convinced me that I was going nuts and my gp told me that he thought I might be schizophrenic (which I'm sure didn't help me get over it any faster). I don't even know how it went away. Nothing really snapped me out of it. It wasn't like I just woke up one day and it was gone. It sort of ebbed away on its own. I don't think it really slipped completely away until I started this month-long project that I was able to be engaged in.

Hang in there. And (if applicable) try not to base your actions on the thought that nothing matters or that you or everything else will suddenly cease to exist. It is in your head, but it doesn't mean that you're crazy or that it's not real or that it's easy to overcome. It may just be something you need to work your way through--establish for yourself that, indeed, everything is real and nothing has changed and this will all be here tomorrow...not that it's a philosophical bent. It's more of a sensation that things aren't real or that they feel different and sinister, right?

Sorry if I didn't understand what you were trying to say. Maybe I'm being too focused on my own experience.

[patchezzzz]

Meditation helps rewrite the brain to calm anxiety which then helps with derealization.:) also, CBT is very helpful.

[RT24]

Ugh I actually started writing that note. This weirdness where I can't seem to recognize familiar words (even if I can use them in conversation just fine) is really scaring me. I'm totally terrified my brain is falling apart right now.

[newzie]

I think you are focusing too much on the details; we all do that when dealing certain types of anxiety. Forgetting words and things is completely natural...it happens to all of us all the time, but because you are exceptionally anxious at the moment, you are are hypercritical about your actions and everything out of perfection causes an 'alarm' to go off

A good example is saying or typing the wrong word in a conversation; this happens to most people on a regular basis; but because you are dealing with excessive anxiety and some stuff is a little 'off' at the moment, it can cause you to freak out a little bit

When I am at 100% and anxiety/depression were just words to me, not something I had to personally deal with, I can remember many occasions where I might have forgot something, or screwed up words or was looking for my cellphone while it was right in my hand; what did I do? I laughed it off and would have a moment of what I would call a 'brain fart.

But now, because I am a bit over anxious as of late, this causes me mild panic or more likely mild 'alarm.' This stuff happens every single day to healthy people , myself included! You just need to re-learn how to let those moments come and pass. You've done it before and you will learn how to do it again.

Let those moments, come and pass, don't focus so much on the details (easier said than done, I know).

Also, if you are on meds, or in a transition period, know that once that levels out, you will feel so much better.

[RT24]

Thank you :( Everything is a threat to me lately. I keep having random head pains too, which is throwing me off. Ugh. All in all, I'm really worried about my brain. It's so awful. I keep worrying I'm just gonna have a seizure or pass out (God forbid).