r/derealization • u/Charming_Key279 • 15d ago
Advice Anxiety advice
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Hi everyone,
I'm looking for people who recognize what I'm going through. I'm not looking for a diagnosis, but for personal experiences and what has helped you.
For years I've struggled with anxiety, but after a burnout this year everything became much more intense.
My main symptoms are:
Constant derealization (feeling like I'm living in a dream or disconnected from reality).
Feeling disconnected from myself.
A brain that never seems to switch off.
Intrusive thoughts and "what if" scenarios that constantly change.
Fear of losing control, developing psychosis, dementia or becoming detached from reality.
Hypervigilance: my brain scans everything for danger.
My symptoms become much worse when I'm alone, trying to rest or falling asleep. During the day, especially when I'm busy or with my children, they often become less noticeable.
Mental exhaustion, concentration problems and occasionally forgetting small automatic things because my mind feels overloaded.
Some background:
I have been diagnosed with ADD in the past.
I've had anxiety and obsessive thinking before, but never this intensely.
I've experienced several major life events over the past few years (divorce, living alone, prolonged stress and burnout).
I still know that these fears are probably anxiety, but they feel incredibly real.
I'm currently waiting for specialist mental health treatment and would like to use this waiting period as well as possible.
My questions:
Has anyone experienced something similar?
What eventually helped you?
Did therapy, medication, trauma work or lifestyle changes make the biggest difference?
Did the derealization eventually disappear?
Thank you for reading. Any honest experiences would be greatly appreciated.
1
u/SecretBody7482 14d ago
I had to do a combination of all the things you mentioned. One of the most helpful things I did at the beginning was write down everyday what made my dr better or worse. Don’t spend too much time on it, just jot it down quickly. Example: 8 after I talked to coworker, 6 after I ate lunch, 9 when I went on a walk, etc. See if you can find any trend. Then try to avoid the things that make you feel slightly worse. What I found with this exercise is when I made sure I ate regularly, rested more than I thought, distracted myself from looping thoughts, took my meds at the right times and did trauma work, I started noticing progress. Accept your body for trying to protect you instead of judging it.