Does anyone else suffer from derealization?

Hi yes I have my husband who is amazing but just feel that no one really understands really what I'm going through, my doctor as said I just need to wait for my MRI scan. just not feeling in the real word & being detached from.the word and the people I love is so scary. I have to young children and don't feel this is fair on them as I can't do the things we used to do x

It just came on so suddenly, I was out shopping and had a funny turn as if I didn't know where I was and was feeling lightheaded and panicky, I had dizziness, nausea, headaches, pains in the back of my head & neck, also tiredness & this derealization feeling which as been 24/7 for 7 weeks now but seems to have worsened in the last week, which is sad as I thought things where getting better as some of the symptoms had lifted but are just as bad now ×

Can you think of anything which may have triggered it? x

Not 100% sure I'm not sure if its a mix of a few things. I've not really had a a good night sleep for over 3 half years as I've feed both my children for 3 years none stop and only stopped 6 months ago but for 3 half years my little ones have got up quite a few times for feeds and still now my almost 2 year old wakes a few times so most days I'm shattered, but the day it happened I had only about 5 hours broken sleep and had been cleaning everywhere upstairs and cleaning the some mold off the windows with different cleaning products and felt a bit lightheaded and tired after. I went to bed that night with stomach pains & Some bleeding but the next morning I felt dizzy a little & then when I went out it came on x

Anita, you are not alone!! I had that feeling years ago. It's very unnerving! But it WILL go away when you learn how to respond to it. I promise. Have you ever read Claire Week's book, "Hope and Help for Your Nerves"? She wrote it a long time ago, she was a woman ahead of her time and her methods are simple and straight forward. She has a 5-step process to deal with anxiety: Face, Accept, Float, Stay Active, Let Time Pass. It's been years since I've read her book, but the phrases still come back to me. I applied her method to those feelings and they eventually left. For me, it took a long time, I think because I was so hypersensitive to it and found it hard not to believe it meant something. The key is in acceptance. You have to accept the feeling....completely. I used to even tell myself I LIKED to feel that way (which, of course, would make me laugh - a good thing!)  And really, think about it. You're miserable, but really, has it hurt you? No. And it won't. It's just your body/brain trying to cope with stress. Blessings on you with your little ones. They are a joy and a drain, aren't they? You have been mommy to them 24/7 for 3 and a half years. I bet you're emotionally depleted, just from caring for them. It's no wonder your system responded this way. Let me ask you this. Do your thoughts feel like they keep you prisoner? Like you can only think about how you feel? You may be thinking about something else like preparing your kid's meals, but all the while, at the same time, you're focused on this weird feeling? It's no wonder you don't feel connected to the world around you, you're stuck in yours. This is actually a symptom that is listed among anxiety symptoms (google it, if you don't believe me). Your thoughts are playing a trick on you. Those thoughts have worn a rut in your brain and are fueled by adrenaline (fear). You lose the fear, you lose the feeling. You were created to function normally (and did so just fine until this railroaded you). There's nothing wrong with you. Thank God for "fearfully and wonderfully" creating you. You are PERFECTLY NORMAL. You just need to get back out of the way and let nature take over again. Trust me. This WILL work, I know. If you try it and it doesn't work, it means you didn't fully accept the feeling and you were waiting for it to leave. Accepting means letting it be there and not worrying about it. You will eventually lose interest in it and one day you'll realize that you feel normal. Which may have you try to go find the "weird" feeling again. This is also normal. Don't despair. Just let yourself be unimpressed by it again. By the way, I'm the biggest weenie on the planet....if I can do this, so can you!

Thank you so much for your post this means a lot and makes a lot of sense. I do think about the wired feeling 24/7. I know I have to be strong and do this for my little ones as they need me. I do also feel that my thoughts seem to keep me locked away . thank you again anita

Please try to find a copy of that book. She doesn't talk about the disconnected feeling (another reason I think it took me so long to be convinced it was all part of anxiety - and the internet wasn't something I used back then), but just apply the same principles. It truly does work. And be sure you're doing things that you enjoy, a little bit each day. Find something that is interesting that can take your mind off of it, even if it's only for a few minutes at a time. 

I am suffering from the exact same thing, except I think mine came on because I quit my medication suddenly but I am back on them starting from today. Your post really helped me. I've been feeling this way for 8 days since stopping the medication. 

Could this be a reason for it coming on? Do you think it will go away now that I am back on them? I have seen different Doctors this past week and each of them say it will go away, but I'm anxious for it to leave so I can get back to work. 

Great advice! This is very encouraging since I too am going through the same feeling (2 months now and it's all I think about and try to fight). Perhaps the art of fighting without fighting as Bruce Lee once said. Thank you for your words!

I know it's so hard to get on isn't it? if it wasn't for my little ones I wouldn't even bother getting up on a morning. I've been taking beta blockers but the seem to not be working as good this last week x

Yes your right. We have to try to think positively rather than let the negative thoughts etc consume us. Easier said than done sometimes...I know, but it does get better :-)

Thank you x

I have had 1 full straight week that has been rough. I just don't feel right. For those of you that work, how do you keep pushing forward? I have already on the last month stepped down as a manager and went to workin 28 hours a week now. But I'm still struggling😨 I feel wobbly and unsteady when walking, I feel like in losing my mind when staring at the computer for work.