Dealing with Depersonalisation
Hey guys 😄
So I know that a while back someone made a thread about depersonalisation, but I want to talk about it a little more because I think I have it and aagh. So like for a few years I've felt kind of 'spaced out' (I think that's the best way to describe it) and I thought that this was normal. I thought that because it started when I was twelve/thirteen it was just a normal change, and kids feel more connected and present to everything than teenagers do. Then I watched this video and I was like 'WOAH that's a thing? You feel that too? It's not normal? Huh.'
Sometimes I have it real bad and sometimes I don't but it's usually somewhere in the middle. It's like I'm kind of on auto-pilot, and I'm kind of not really here - like I can see what's in front of me and hear all the sounds and stuff but like. It's weird. I looked it up on the internet and it said that most of the time it's caused by a traumatic event, where you like pull out of reality, and then that turns into a dissacociative disorder. Except I don't know what that event would be, cause nothing like super bad has ever happened.
I know that mindfulness is a good way of dealing with it. I find it really hard though, because it's much easier and much more interesting to think about stuff than to not think about stuff.
It's more frustrating than anything else, and I don't really know what to do.
Comments
Thanks @DruidChild @May_, that's really helpful 🙂
@May_ I don't know if it's that I find mindfulness boring, so much as I find it really hard. Like I think A LOT. And it's kind of hard to step away from that and focus on one thing, or focus on nothing. I haven't seen a psych or doctor about it.
@DruidChild Those are some cool techniques, I'll definitely try them out. I'm doing much better today - yesterday wasn't a great mental health day.
Do you think seeing a dr/psych about it is something that you could see helping you feel better?
How have you been going this week? 🙂
I've been doing pretty okay this week, its fluctuates 🙂
Hmm when you are in one of the bad stages do you feel like you want to see someone about it?
How have you been doing lately @roseisnotaplant? Has the meditation been helpful? 
It's great that you've been trying to do some mindfulness stuff @roseisnotaplant! Those types of things help me a lot, I hope they're helpful to you. 
If it's working with the depersonalisation I can have a look around for some more mindfulness exercises if you like?
I'm glad to hear you've been doing okay. Did you feel like talking about the 'not great' part, or nah? Either is fine
So glad to hear that mindfulness is useful @roseisnotaplant! I know that there's a free online mindfulness course offered through a site called Future Learn which you might find helpful
That sounds frustrating @roseisnotaplant 😕
I found a few things that could be helpful! First there's Smiling Mind, you probably know that one! https://smilingmind.com.au They have a bunch of guided mindfulness things and meditations.
There's a bunch of mindfulness worksheets on this website - http://www.stillmind.com.au/mindfulnessworksheets.htm - they could be helpful?http://www.stillmind.com.au/mindfulnessworksheets.htm
I don't know if you experience other types of anxiety, other than depersonalisation, but this awesome YouTuber called Lucy (who suffers from anxiety) talks a bit about strategies to use in this video - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4O53tADdnEs
I do experience anxiety - it used to be pretty bad but it's been a lot better recently. (And I totally know Kaelyn and Lucy, but I haven't seen that video, I'll watch it now, thanks :D)
I'm really glad your anxiety's been doing better @roseisnotaplant 🙂 Haha I thought you might know them, they're both pretty lovely people, hey.
Hey @roseisnotaplant!
First off, it's great that you've been able to do some research and figure out what's going on! Props to you 🙂
Depersonalisation is often caused by a traumatic event; even if there hasn't been one majorly traumatic event in your life, sometimes trauma can occur over a longer period of time when there's a pattern of ongoing low-level trauma.
However - depersonalisation, (which is a type of dissociation btw) is also really common for people who have depressive and anxiety disorders, whether or not we've experienced trauma. It's specificallly linked to panic and anxiety attacks. I depersonalise sometimes, and I don't have a trauma history, for me it's just a symptom of anxiety/depression.
One really cool way that I was taught to use to deal with it is called the game of three. When I'm dissociating, I actually say it out loud while answering the questions. This is the basic format:
Look around. What are three things you can see? (E.g. I can see a bird on the roof, I can see my computer on the floor, etc)
Now listen. What are three things you can hear? (E.g. I can hear myself breathing, I can hear an aeroplane going overhead, etc)
Noticing your surroundings, what are three things you can feel? (E.g. I can feel the floorboards under my feet, I can feel the fan blowing on my face, etc)
Next you you find two things you can see, two things you can hear, and two things you can feel.
Finally (I think you can guess this step! 
) you identify one thing you can see, hear, and feel.
The other thing that helps me is to identify something that makes me feel a lot of emotion - like a favourite book or song - and that helps me to start to feel something and feel like myself again.
There's also an article here that could be helpful - http://www.anxietycoach.com/depersonalization.html 🙂
How are you travelling today? 🙂
I think a good way to think about trauma is that it is about how the person is affected by the event/person/situation or the impact it has on them, rather than how bad the event/situation actually is if that makes any sense.
I totally think I get what you are saying about mindfulness - do you mean that you find it kind of boring in comparison to thinking about things? And the boring factor makes it really unappealing to prioritise? Or am I on the wrong track here?
Have you seen a psych or a doctor about how you've been feeling?
