# Tips that decrease Depersonalization and ADD



## miguelmalato (Jan 9, 2012)

Hi

I wanted to ask a question: Do you find it difficult to concentrate on things such as reading a book, paying attention to a conversation or basically devoting your full attention without for several moments drifting away from reality into an abyss of distraction and entering some sort of vegetative state where you're not really thinking or doing anything specific??

I find that this was profoundly connected with my depersonalization. And that, as I was trying to discover a method to fight my lack of concentration, that also affected the way I felt reality, the way my body reacted to external stimuli. I could feel things "more real". Sense is probably the proper word actually. I could sense things in a more profound way.

Some things that I found that help me develop a better concentration and that reduce my DP:

- Reading, especially if it's something that requires an extra mental effort such as a text you have to read and talk about next week in school. If you also suffer from social anxiety, try reading these texts in a crowded public area such as a plaza or a pub/bar. You will eventually be accustomed to the feeling, and the presence of others won't have such a deep effect on you.

- This one sounds pretty weird, but it greatly helps relieve the effects of DP. Having a bath with your eyes closed, while concentration on a progressive numeric count (or something that forces your brain to constantly keep focus) such as from the moment you enter the tub you start thinking 1...2...3... and you only stop until you exit the tub (or you can extend this until you are fully dressed - Personally I have yet come to surpass the count of 634 hehe).

This is a great exercise for improving focus, because you are concentrating on something progressive inside your head, but you also have to be aware of your surroundings, and be able to maneuver correctly (E.g. putting shampoo in your head, scrubbing, washing armpits, wiping your body with the bath towel, etc...)

This exercise also helps your brain to better perceive the physical space that surrounds you. I personally noticed that I had less oriental spatial perception when I felt strongly depersonalized.

Plus, you can add this example of shutting your eyes and focussing to an infinite ammount of things, such as when your washing your teeth, getting dressed, having breakfast, listenning to music, I don't know use your imagination !

- Caffeine (or at least, drinks that definitly contain this substance)

You probably heard by now that health-freak nonsense talk that caffeine is bad for your because it increases anxiety, but at least I can say from personal experience that the one time I felt completly depersonalization-free when I pulled an all-nighter and drakn 1 coffee and 2 red bulls (some say that's not exactly a high ammount, for I have friends that can drinks 3 energy drinks and still feel sleep. I guess that varies according to each person).
Pulling that all-nighter also helped me feel less depersonalized but don't go doing these too often, in fact, don't do them at all. They worsen your DP on the long-run, and the effect you get is harder to shake because it requires for you to pay a serious sleep debt over the following days.

Nevertheless, whenever I drank a cup of coffee in the morning, I always felt as if my day were to come in a better fashion. It provided my with a sense of joy, and made me feel ready to embrace the day's challenges. Later, when I discovered that I suffered from depersonalization, I found out that it also reduced my sintoms of depersonalization (like that light-headed feeling you get all the time, not being able to focus, feeling as if you are functioning on auto-pilot, like you're not the master of your own actions, heraing people like they are very far away even if they are standing right next to you, essencially being in the same "mood" wherever you are. This is something really hard to describe, because it's not emotional apathy, but it's something that is felt neither in a superficial or profound fashion. It's like your body doesn't belong to you, you feel seperated from it. You see your reflex in the mirror as someone else's. And this is something I still can't understand - I feel strongly intimidated by the presence of fashion dummies on display, they provoked a stronger realization of presence than that of real people... Maybe because fashion dummies don't exist, and neither did I (so I felt). I constantly had thoughts that said I wasn't real. That this was all fake. And in my worst episode of depersonalization... I literally felt like my head was completly seperated from the rest of my body. It was just fucking gone.)

Ok, back to the coffee thing, basically, I don't know if it's the caffeine per se that helps (because Red Bull's contain other substances too), but whenever I drink coffee or energy drinks I feel more focused and less depersonalized (maybe because caffeine helps concentration and since both are related it ends up relieving the symptoms)

- Pressing your face against the mirror, and focussing on looking to any object that's not seen on the mirror's reflex

This one's pretty self explanatory

- Putting your contacts or glasses on, every morning - no exceptions

Life already seems blurry to you, so at least you're visually be able to see everything right.

- Avoiding any extended use of an electronic interactive object (Such as a computer or console)

My depersonalization was triggered by an astronomical abuse of video-games (don't you fucking dare saying this is not true; it's all a matter of brain chemistry and addiction, and seperation from reality which was what I felt when I played).

I find that it's easier to enter that vegetative depersonalization state when I'm kinda just aimlessly drifting (ironically, my favorite song is Aimlessly Drifting by Chuck Berry), when I am standing in fron of the computer.

- Writting

Saved the best for last. Writting about how you're feeling on a piece of paper. Writting about stuff of your past that still haunts you, things you don't dare to talk about to anyone else. A diary. Or journal if diary sounds too fruity for you.

It's no shame. I write everyday and I can honestly say, the progress I've made since I started writting overcame by far those of therapy, talking about your feelings with someone else and medication COMBINED.

It is, however, also important that you go see a psychiatrist and share a few things with people of trust, mainly people that you think might understand what you're feeling (this last is very important. Talking about not feeling real to a completly sane person will only provoke dumb, helpless responses)

I know it's very hard at first. But when you develop the rhythm it's very easy to keep it going. Sometimes I get this epifany to pop in my head, and I write it down. Something so small that a couple of paragraphs would suffice to see it posted on my notebook. 
Somehow I woud up with 2 pages about that same subject.

Also, writting about something stimulates your brain, and the more you write, the more you think about things and yourself.

Write about what you think could have cause your symptoms. The root of everything. My depersonalization had roots in childhood (althought it was only in my teen years that I started to feel depersonalized. However, what cause the problems that later provoked depersonalization in my teens was something that was there during infancy).

I was emotionally abused while growing up, and I developed very early a strong co-dependant addiction to video games. I was bullied, I had a very hard time making friends, in fact I'm not sure I ever made a real good friend during that time, and so, since my anxiety stopped me from making any friendships I started to devote my attention to video games.

Now I could go on and on talking about myself, but this post has already gone quite larger than I expected, and it was not my intention to talk that much about myself, because I know how boring it is to read on the computer someone else's story. Fuck that shit right?

If you guys chose to, I will write my full story on another post.

Right now I only ask that you read and try these methods, and give me some feedback after trying them. Some may only take action after a prolonged use, so developing a daily routine with those methods might be the best way to know if they work or not.

Some of them instantly relieved my depersonalization just as they were being enforced, that is, on the hour. But I guess it can also vary according to each person.

Try it out, give me your opinion, and, if they work, PLEASE, spread the word


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## brian3 (Feb 4, 2012)

miguelmalato said:


> Hi
> 
> I wanted to ask a question: Do you find it difficult to concentrate on things such as reading a book, paying attention to a conversation or basically devoting your full attention without for several moments drifting away from reality into an abyss of distraction and entering some sort of vegetative state where you're not really thinking or doing anything specific??
> 
> ...


I have this too. It's making college nearly impossible. Thanks for the tips, I'll try them


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## Lostwanderer (Jan 31, 2011)

I've found my mind is my worst enemy- sometimes I'm able to distract myself with certain things, but it feels strange because its like that one thing is the only thing that exists.


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## miguelmalato (Jan 9, 2012)

Lostwanderer said:


> I've found my mind is my worst enemy- sometimes I'm able to distract myself with certain things, but it feels strange because its like that one thing is the only thing that exists.


Your mind is truly your worst enemy... I've found that much of this depersonalization thing is really kinda of a mindblock, mind-knot thing.
You just have you find a way to untie it


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## Midnight (Jul 16, 2011)

Lostwanderer said:


> I've found my mind is my worst enemy- sometimes I'm able to distract myself with certain things, but it feels strange because its like that one thing is the only thing that exists.


Oh my dayyysss someone finally put that into words!!! Thank god its not just me feeling this.

Every time I focus on something exclusively my attention gets so focused into what im doing i completely forget everything else. It's litteraly like hypnosis.


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## miguelmalato (Jan 9, 2012)

Midnight said:


> Oh my dayyysss someone finally put that into words!!! Thank god its not just me feeling this.
> 
> Every time I focus on something exclusively my attention gets so focused into what im doing i completely forget everything else. It's litteraly like hypnosis.


That's strange... I get the opposite effect. I can't fully focus on anything for a long period of time; I am easily distracted.


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## miguelmalato (Jan 9, 2012)

miguelmalato said:


> That's strange... I get the opposite effect. I can't fully focus on anything for a long period of time; I am easily distracted.


I would really apretiate if I could get some feedback from this forum's part.
These "hints" helped me greatly, and produced a far greater recovery from my part.

I would like to know if they helped your case !


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## miguelmalato (Jan 9, 2012)

post your answers guys!


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## SundaySeance (Mar 6, 2012)

> Movies / Netflix watching several episodes of a series in one night

> Caffeine

> Going for a walk until the DP/DR hits, and pausing and fighting through it - leaving comfort zone and staying there despite how hard it is.

> Video games, World of Warcraft

> Sports, watching hockey

> Sleep









> Pretending like it's cured.


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## miguelmalato (Jan 9, 2012)

Just wanting to keep this topic from the abyss


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