Anxiety Support Group
Anxiety is a physical condition marked by intense and persistent feelings of distress, fear, angst or dread. General anxiety caused by routine day-to-day stresses usually passes quickly and is experienced by almost everyone at one time or another. However, such feelings that linger over time and are very difficult to cope with, and which lack a clear cause, may indicate...
I have only been on Daily Strength for just a few days now and I love it, but I feel like my anxiety is just not bad compared to others...symptom wise I do not have constant struggles. I have chest pressure here and there and my heart races a good bit, but I feel like I cannot related to many of the other people on here because they are struggling so much more. I have one area that is the hardest for me. Its called derealization. I feel like I do not exist...like everything I touch is not actually there and that I am just looking through a fog. When I had my first anxiety attack it was late at night and I started to feel very detached. Outside was dark and when I came inside I started to get tingling sensations in my legs and arms. As all of that was happening I felt like everything I saw was going black and I felt like I was going to slowing slip away into my mind (it is so difficult to understand if you haven't felt that way...I just don't know how to explain it.) I have talked to my therapist about these feelings and we think that my trigger is when I think about losing someone that I love. I am so terrified that I will not be able to survive one of these attacks. Some days I am perfectly fine..hardly any anxiety. But other days all I can think about it not feeling like my world is real. The past few weeks I have had better day than not, but anytime I have to think about losing someone I start to get anxiety. I honestly am afraid of going to funerals, graveyards, or anything that is related to death because I am sacred I will start to feel detached. I do not if anyone feels this way, but if you do please let me know because I feel very alone.
Regarding your post, though, I absolutely know what you're talking about. I've been dealing with dissociation for around 10-11 years, and it never stops being strange. I do have the benefit of being cognizant of when it happens now, but it still makes things difficult. I too get that sense of nothing around me being real (for me, I suddenly look up and become unsure of whether or not I'm dreaming). I feel very detached and it's difficult to connect what's going on around me to the "greater context" of my day, if that makes any sense. For an anxious control freak like myself, it's terribly unnerving. I've yet to find any good remedy, other than that I've trusted my partner with the knowledge of these experiences and if he's around when they occur I've started to simply ask him if I'm dreaming. When he inevitably replies "No," I try and force myself to trust him and to focus on other things.
Anyway, I'm sorry that I don't have any good advice, but just know that you aren't alone in this!
For example, you talk about derealization. To me, that's one of the most awful feelings in the world. I hate it when I get that. But you seem to be really good at dealing with it. I know you struggle with it and find yourself avoiding certain things to avoid the feeling, but you're able to discuss it and ask for help which is progress.
When I hear you talk about that symptom, I understand your struggle. I've had that in the past but seem mostly over it at this point. But when you hear something I'm going through - that's annoying for me to deal with - but for you it's your worst nightmare, you might think I have it worse.
Hope that makes sense.
I know your posts have helped me a LOT and I really appreciate you. Hope you're finding the support you need.