# It's probably just anxiety, you're probably going to be fine



## Zee Deveel (Aug 3, 2009)

I've had persistent DR for around 3 years now, I was well on my way to recovering. I'd almost completely stopped caring about my DR and was integrating myself back into society and starting to live a normal life again.

A week or so ago I went out with some friends and got really drunk. The morning after I was obliged to get up much more early than I normally would and with an extreme hangover. My DR was off the charts and I had a panic attack, my first one in over 6 months. During the panic attack I experienced DP for the first time, it was unspeakably awful, I was terrified, mostly by the prospect of being stuck in this state. I managed to get some sleep and woke up several hours later in a pretty similar situation. Over the last 10 days, I've been battling extreme bouts of DP/DR and panic attacks.

My DP/DR is pretty much worse than it's ever been, yet.. I really am not too bothered about it. I've realised now that this whole thing is being caused by anxiety, I didn't truly believe it before but let's look at what's happened:

I was doing really good, almost recovered then I had a big *panic attack* (high levels of anxiety) and now I have severe DR AND now occassional DP. What changed? I got drunk yes, is that likely to fuck my brain up in any major way? No, very unlikely. All that changed was my anxiety levels went through the goddamn roof.

I've been overcome several times with horrible instances of panic and DP/DR and I just laugh at them now, it's like "Oh, it's this shit again, oh well.. It's just anxiety, it'll go soon." and you know what? It does.

Yet if I don't treat them like this, if I start to worry, it snowballs out of control and I have a day of DP horror and panic attacks. Over the last few days it's all been getting better and I'm starting to feel reasonable again.

So yeah I'm sure I'm going to get flamed or whatever by a bunch of precious people who want to tell me all about how they have some incurable mental illness that is completely unrelated to anxiety. Well, that's up to you, but I reckon that belief isn't going to get you very far. If you are one of these people then just don't bother replying here please, this post isn't for you. It's for the people who still believe they can recover.

I think I can safely say that for most of you, if you treat your anxiety, this will improve, just as mine has. Everyone thinks they're the one who's gonna be stuck with this forever and it's probably not true. I really believe it's in your hands, if you really want to get better, you can, it's just gonna be a battle.


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## Onibla (Nov 9, 2010)

Awesome attitude. 
I also realised just how much it was caused by anxiety recently, was doing fine for a few weeks, getting better non-stop, things looking up, then I stopped to think about it all for a day - this caused me to spiral downwards into some DP/DR until I checked myself and said 'This is enough, no more thinking, no more anxiety, relax'.
Back on the way up now.


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## ValleyGirl (Nov 10, 2017)

> So yeah I'm sure I'm going to get flamed or whatever by a bunch of precious people who want to tell me all about how they have some incurable mental illness that is completely unrelated to anxiety. Well, that's up to you, but I reckon that belief isn't going to get you very far. If you are one of these people then just don't bother replying here please, this post isn't for you. It's for the people who still believe they can recover.
> 
> I think I can safely say that for most of you, if you treat your anxiety, this will improve, just as mine has. Everyone thinks they're the one who's gonna be stuck with this forever and it's probably not true. I really believe it's in your hands, if you really want to get better, you can, it's just gonna be a battle.


AMEN TO THAT!!! That is exactly what I have been trying to tell people and my posts get negative votes. The thing that most of these people don't realize is that for the first 8 months of my dp, I FELT EXACTLY THE SAME WAY. I was completely convinced that my dp was somehow worse than everyone else's. That I was special and had some massive mental or physical illness that had no cure. So I gave myself license to be owned by the disorder. My entire identity was that I was horribly, incurably sick. You know what that attitude wrought me? Having to spend 24 hours a day in a dark room, in bed, doped up on benzos. Giving into the terror just fed the dp and I was a complete mess. It wasn't until I realized that I wasn't someone special and that in most cases the dp is only a defense mechanism, nothing to be feared, and I really decided to live despite it, I've made massive steps in recovery. I now believe that dp is just there to protect me from something I couldn't deal with and that it WILL go away when my brain no longer needs the protection.

So bravo to you for finding the great mindset that you have and speaking the truth without fear!!


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## sethjohnson326 (Nov 25, 2010)

Exactly, I think of DR and DP as a fire. If you keep on feeding it more wood (Fear) It will keep burning. Your the one with the bucket of water and the pile of wood, You choose to either put it out or put it out and get your life back on track. I know you think its impossible to just recover. I'm on the road to recovery. My method is don't think about and just say its just DR.


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## Kitr (Jul 7, 2009)

Yea i also know that. But ever since my panic attack a month ago i get new symptoms like when i eat food DP DR increases or after 30 minutes i get weird feelin g in my body like soemthing is inside like its nerving me i think allergies went more up. Also i get depresession feelign in my chest like someone died for no reason thru a day in waves and i'm now like very sensitive.

Anyway if anyone wants to talk what helps and some positive stuff mail me









Thanks!!!


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## Zee Deveel (Aug 3, 2009)

ustabetinyfairypeople said:


> Yea i also know that. But ever since my panic attack a month ago i get new symptoms


Yeah I hear you dude, thing is, anxiety manifests itself in really weird ways. You've just gotta think, what's actually likely to be happening to you? You obviously have anxiety problems as you have panic attacks, you're also suffering some pretty unusual symptoms following your latest panic attack.

Does panic and anxiety cause weird fucked up symptoms that are seemingly inexplicable? Yes.

Have you just had a big panic attack and are you suffering anxiety? Yes.

Is there really anything more sinister likely to be going on like brain damage, baring in mind this all started occuring after a panic attack? Probably not.

You should try your best not to worry about these new symptoms, it's very likely just being 'caused by anxiety. Once you cut out the anxiety things will probably improve. They won't get better overnight, it might take months and each day won't necessarily be better than the last, recovery is not a linear progression. Some days or weeks you will feel worse than you do right now, but you've gotta keep the faith and I reckon you'll be fine.


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## RockinCelery (Nov 13, 2010)

Brilliant post. I think it's this no nonsense and come on let's cop the [email protected]!k on and get up attitude that really helps you get through this. At first I was all like wah wah why me?! But now i'm just like ok, time to get over it and move on, life can't be lived sittin in my room regretting my actions and consequences. Just gotta chill out and move on. Do you mind me askin though Zee Deveel, how did your Dp?Dr come on, is it purely anxiety and stress related or did anything else have a role to play?!


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## ValleyGirl (Nov 10, 2017)

> ustabetinyfairypeople, on 05 December 2010 - 10:17 PM, said:
> 
> Wow, much respect girl. I'm really impressed by your change in attitude towards this.
> 
> ...


Yep, see, you are my proof. You remember the mess I used to be. I think you and I are both proof that recovery does happen when you change your mindset. It sounds like you made major progress and for me, my dr is 95% to 100% better (depends on the day if I have it or not) and I'm 80% recovered with the dp. Most days the world around me looks real and I know it's real. That's a sight more than I can say for the people who are at the bottom of the barrel and choose to be that way by fighting off good advice like this. Yes, there are some people who have unexplained dp and no matter how hard they work, it doesn't get better. I deeply feel for those people and wish I could take it away. But they are probably less than 1% of the dp population and the rest of us do have the power to change this if we decide to. It's that simple.


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## Zee Deveel (Aug 3, 2009)

RockinCelery said:


> Do you mind me askin though Zee Deveel, how did your Dp?Dr come on, is it purely anxiety and stress related or did anything else have a role to play?!


Well, I actually can't quite remember. I had 4 - 5 little episodes of DR before it finally stuck and I can't remember which one was the killer lol.

I think the time my DR became persistant, I had been drinking heavily and taking cocaine, but it was also about 2 months after I got dumped and I was an emotional wreck anyway... I also used to do a lot of MDMA and sometimes other drugs, but not around the time this occurred. So I'd say anxiety/stress was the major factor, but maybe drugs played a hand somewhere.


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## Saint_Josh (Dec 8, 2010)

I completly agree with you Zee. That is the exact attitude I have taken upon myself for my cure of Dp and Dr too. And, like you, it has worked!

I don't laugh at them yet, the panic attacks and what not, but I really consider them to be really "just anxiety" and I'm "probably going to be fine". And I really am! I dont know what else to say except that what you got there is most likely the best soultion we have right now, for non-medication, and non-professional therpy, self help.

It is hard to convince yourself that what you are feeling is really nothing at all to worry about. But all you gotta do is try, slowly try, like a siege against a castle. If you just inch your way, always keepign your fotting, you'll over take thsi castle and regain what you had, but with new experneces to boot!

Eventually you'll find one day that you have convinced yourself that aniexty is kind'a silly to worry about







Indeed, that unnessesary worrying, itself, is silly.


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