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Feelings of unreality

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 11

I've dealt with this occasionally. I have heard it described as your body and mind's way of shutting down, or giving it a rest from anxiety and panic. It is temporary, yet can be unsettling. Distraction and focusing on living your life is the best way I've found to deal with it.

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 517

I don't really feel the 'out of the body' feeling much anymore but I do feel like I'm dreaming or i'm in a machine, instead of my body that I control. it vision feels faded and foggy and weird and 'dreamy' in a not so pleasant way. Especially when I feel dizzy. Lately, I am able to convince myself that it's 'just anxiety/fear' but there are times when I still freak out about it. I do over analyze it too and this adds to the cycle.

Lucid dream- that's interesting that you mention sinus... and that everyone is reacting to this because it feels for me that I feel a lot of pressure around this area when i get the unreality feeling. I usually massage that area during that time and I move my eyes(eye exercise) a lot.

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 538

Hi,

Just read these posts...its very interesting, I too have chronic sinuitis...polyps in my nasal cavities...I use a cortisteroid nasal spray daily to control my symptoms...mostly effective..., never made any correlation to it and my anxiety...who knows?PS..have tried the Sea water rinses, Nettie-Pottie...didn't work for me at all....

Cleo

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 180

Lucid_Dream:

Thank-you so much for your description of what I feel on an almost daily basis, you see I have chronic sinusitis. I thought the spacey feeling might have something to do with my sinuses but at times I tell myself I might end up in a psych ward because of the weird feeling.

I can't remember what the doctors told me, I have either 2 under developed or 2 sinuses that are not developed. They told me my sinuses are about the width of a pencil, not good. I find what helps alleviate the feeling is steaming, boil some water, put it in a basin with a towel over my head & breathe in the steam.

I think daily steaming is in order for me.

Thanks again

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 86

I know that feeling well, too. It looks like all the people I pass by are almost "muted" or phantom. And it feels like the world is all washed out and faded. I feel really cotton-headed and of course, all of this makes me panic that much more.

I remember one attack I had where I actually had to take some time and determine if things around me were real or not.

It is indeed, as you put it, a "weird" sensation.

I find now that when I start to get an attack, it's that sensation that I notice first. So, I just remind myself that everything is okay and I then search for reasons I feel that way: over-tired, stressed out, not drinking enough water, etc. I find often, that sensation comes on when my sinuses are plugged (therefore putting pressure on my face and giving me that cotton-headed feeling, which leads to that "unreality"). When I feel like that now, I take steps to try and reverse it: relaxation, drink some water, lay down if I'm tired (and can lay down at the time), etc. Soon, that weird feeling passes and all is good!

I think when we get worried about that sensation, that's when we get into that panic cycle. Remember: it's just a feeling and it will go away, we just have to wait it out. It can't hurt us and many people feel that way from time to time.

Hang in there...it DOES get easier to manage riding out that feeling and then eventually not paying much attention to it at all.

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 11226

Hi redgerbera,

I have heard members of the forum talk about this symptom often. It is often referred to as depersonalization. Members, please share your experiences with this symptom.

Ashley, Health Educator

Here to help :)

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 6252

redgerbera

What has happened to you is called rebound. The mornings are good and you think you are safe there so you have to sabotage that to prove yourself wrong. But the fact is that it is you doing it to yourself. So tell yourself that mornings were and always have been and are safe. That this is just negative thinking and go on with life. These will happen over and over again and every time you shoot one down another will pop up. But they get fewer and farther apart. It is like a mimi exposure. It is a good thing. The more you set up and knock over the more freedom you will have later on. You are doing fine and any questions you have that I can answer just ask. We are all different but the cure is pretty much the same.

Here for you.

Davit.

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 5

Thank you, Davit, I always like reading your posts!

You're exactly right. The feeling I get I suppose used to be the contented feeling, but now I'm interpreting it as a drugged feeling, and thus the panic begins. In addition, I'm severely underweight (98 lbs at 5'9), which also causes extreme fatigue and weakness, which doesn't help the panic. It feels like I'm swimming through a ton of wreckage just to get to the "real" feelings. What I want is just to feel grounded and safe.

And I do concentrate too much on the feeling, analyzing it over and over, obsessing over what it could mean.

This morning I had a 2 hour long panic attack because of that feeling. I never, ever get attacks in the morning. Mornings are my favorite time because I can eat and be happy without worry. That I had an attack this morning was like "proof" that I had been drugged, since I never get those feelings in the morning. But I think I got one this morning because of the exposure work I've been doing. It's been working well for me, so much so that I'm able to eat pretty large breakfasts. I suppose a morning attack was bound to happen, I was just being (willingly) blissfully ignorant : D

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 6252

redgerbera

I have stopped telling people that I am about to have a panic attack because they can't understand. But I certainly understand the drugged feeling. In my case because of fatigue I think it is just a survival thing. My body shutting down anything I don't need. But a feeling weird is a good description. Knowing what is happening helps. You realize that concentrating on this weird feeling that is much like being drugged can pop up when you eat. A feeling of being full or over eating will pop up as a feeling you are drugged instead of a feeling of contentment. Negative instead of positive. Anxiety and panic are basically having too much negative thought in your memory to draw on instead of positive. The cure is to bury all that negative thought with positive thoughts so that when you get that weird feeling, good positive thoughts will pop up instead of negative. More on this later if you would like.

Davit.

14 years ago 0 +0 / -0 5

I know this is a common symptom of panic, but I don't hear people talk about it often.

I said in my first post that the fear that triggers my panic most often is the fear of being drugged. While I'm having a panic attack (or sometimes before), I'll start feeling "weird". Like I've been drugged, but not. It's hard to define, but I'd say "unreality" or even "out-of-body" fits the bill. I feel very not in control, and it's terrifying to me.

How common is the feeling? How many of you have experienced it, and what do you do to cope with it?

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Feelings of unreality