sensation of presence?

[starmiya]

yo, i'm new here, and i was wondering if anyone else ever gets this sensation of a presence or a heavy feeling right behind you/on your back? i experience it off-and-on at random throughout the day, though it happens most often during and after my period (which is also when my anxiety seems to worsen).

it's really wigging me out, and since i can't find anything about it through google, i end up worrying that maybe it's some spooky supernatural thing (it's embarrassing to admit, but this is a huge fear of mine....) and that only makes me feel more anxious. please tell me this is just some obscure symptom of anxiety disorder or maybe other mental illnesses... :(

[Sassybot]

That's odd. I'm not a believer at all but it would freak me out :)

The only thing that comes to mind was in my late teens I had bouts of sleep paralysis. It felt like there was something on my back so I couldn't roll over and I was convinced there was something in the room prowling around. Obviously there wasn't as my Bf was there and saw nothing but me looking freaked out. Apparently most ppl who believe they have been abducted by aliens suffer from it too!

Must admit I've never heard of it for someone who's awake but I bet there's a connection.

(my first evening alone in my new house I refused to go to the loo because I thought something had touched me when I was cleaning my teeth. Was a long night until I realised it was my own hair... Hope that eases any embarrassment u may feel Hehe)

[ab123]

It's something your mind naturally does, like to sense danger, maybe because of your anxiety that part of your brain is overactive.? But I also believe in the other stuff.

[starmiya]

That's odd. I'm not a believer at all but it would freak me out :)

The only thing that comes to mind was in my late teens I had bouts of sleep paralysis. It felt like there was something on my back so I couldn't roll over and I was convinced there was something in the room prowling around. Obviously there wasn't as my Bf was there and saw nothing but me looking freaked out. Apparently most ppl who believe they have been abducted by aliens suffer from it too!

Must admit I've never heard of it for someone who's awake but I bet there's a connection.

(my first evening alone in my new house I refused to go to the loo because I thought something had touched me when I was cleaning my teeth. Was a long night until I realised it was my own hair... Hope that eases any embarrassment u may feel Hehe)

i do experience sleep paralysis a few times a month, actually. used to be worse a few years ago until i figured out my triggers (sleeping on back, xanax, going to bed stressed or upset). REM sleep gets so weird sometimes...

(haha i've overreacted to my hair touching me too a lot before)


It's something your mind naturally does, like to sense danger, maybe because of your anxiety that part of your brain is overactive.? But I also believe in the other stuff.

i guess that would make sense

thank you for answering, you two

[NixonRulz]

I had a friend who always said he had a monkey in his back

He meant he was a heroin addict so I think it's safe to assume it isn't a monkey on your back

I don't know if it is anxiety related but I do know this

If you are anxious and you believe you felt something on your back, even for just a moment, it would completely makes sense that your anxious mind believes it

You can convince yourself of anything when you are anxious

I would ask normally if you have had a full check up from a doc to eliminate any real physical possibilities

But that usually revolves around heart, brain and cancer type fears

Being that I couldn't imagine anything you are feeling is in any way life threatening, I would chalk it up to anxiety

A good rule of thumb is to wait to see a doc for two weeks if it is a symptom that isn't dangerous

If it doesn't go away by then. Check it out

Once the doc tells you that you are fine, the symptom will usually go away

That's true for anxious people or not

[starmiya]

it's been a day and the feeling still won't go away, and the more i focus on it the worse it feels and now i'm starting to get paranoid about objects i can see from the corner of my eyes. i'm getting really freaked out and don't want to do.

and NixonRulez, i can't afford to go to the doctor anytime soon... :(

[Sassybot]

What have you done in that day? have you been busy, out and about?

Don't worry, it's nothing spooky. Even if spooks exist they'd have better things to do than hug you all day :)

[starmiya]

yesterday, i stayed home because i had a panic attack the night before and woke up feeling sick. aside from washing the dishes, i didn't do anything but lay around in my bedroom. my dad suggested i'm stressed, and it's true that i've been worrying about something lately, but i don't think i've ever had to deal with something like this for three days in a row. i'm used to my anxiety being triggered by something specific and it doesn't last that long. this... just feels almost random, given that the feeling will stop for a while and then come back; and while it's happening, i normally feel emotionally fine.

i'm wondering if it's some sort of hallucination brought on by worry or anxiety, but i dunno. is it possible to hallucinate the sensation something's sticking to your back off-and-on for three days?