# the one big thing I still struggle with



## abr88 (Oct 24, 2013)

My days of having constant feelings of depersonalization and derealization are over but the one thing I still struggle with that causes me to have anxiety is the paradox of existence. How can we ever rationally explain the physical realm? Yes, there are theories that point towards how the universe started... but there was matter there before that and no one is denying that. Where did it come from?

Does anyone else have these types of thoughts that bother them a lot? They have caused me to have panic attacks numerous times. What's the most comforting thing someone's said to you to help this?


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## abr88 (Oct 24, 2013)

Yoshiki said:


> Why do you feel you have to have the answers ?
> 
> No-one does, and it isn't your responsibility to worry about them.


it just makes me feel really uncomfortable that i'm a part of something that doesn't make any rational sense


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## Isilme (Jul 8, 2012)

I know how you feel. I have these thoughts about existence a lot. The fact that world and universe exist seems absolutley ridiculous and weird. And the same about my own existence and consciousness. Realization of "self" and not understanding what it is and how it is possible that it exist scares me so much and make me feel disconected from myself.


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## flowergirlkat (Mar 7, 2014)

I think these thoughts are very common with DP/DR. The best thing I can recommend is distraction, as soon as you start thinking these thoughts go and do something to distract your brain.


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## tim49 (Mar 23, 2014)

Just try to distract yourself and when an existencial thought appear, just try to think about something you like, it could be some kind of food you like, a girl you like or something you like doing. Eventually you will think about your existence less and less and you won't care about it anymore.


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## Legitlex_ (Feb 8, 2014)

I had a huge problem with that, and it would work me up into a frenzy each time.

After a while, someone told me, "soon you'll realize there is no answer, and its not worth worrying about" it took a while obviously for that to click in my head, but once it did the thoughts didnt work me up into that frenzy. still bothers me at times, but not major enough to cause a panic.


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## Erik197834 (Jul 5, 2013)

Give yourself the permission to have these thoughts, you do not like them but it is ok that they just are!

Also give yourself permission to be scared...it is ok..do not fight it.


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## katiej (Jan 21, 2012)

Hi have this also. But I don't actually care about the universe existing. I like that something exists. What I care about is that me personally is here. I think what the chances are. Andththen I get the thought that everyone gets it but me. And I feel like I shouldnt be here because I know too much. Part of me knows this is a symptom. But the other wants to panic


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## SheWontFollow (Apr 16, 2013)

This is the ONLY thing I still struggle with as well. What helps me is distraction, but then again that's only for short term relief. For long term relief, keeping a journal of your everyday feelings and reconnecting with your past traumas is what has helped me tremendously.


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## Guest (Apr 28, 2014)

I struggle with this a fair bit and the best I have come up with is this:

There are certain concepts which our brains are not designed to understand, we believe that everything must have a beginning and an end but maybe the universe doesn't. Maybe it just 'is'. Trying to solve a question we are not able to by design by is fruitless, so we should try to accept that and stop thinking about it.

Incidentally, does anyone know what the link is between DP and these thoughts? Why are they so important when depersonalised? Is it because we feel unreal we are trying to work out our origin in order to feel better? Maybe that combined with the brain's higher thinking department being on overdrive and impaired ability to care about anything else that would normally enable us to shrug it off?

All I know is I had these thoughts before and they never bothered me at all, I think it's a chicken and egg thing, we need to block the thoughts until we recover enough to not care about them anymore, we will not find an answer so I guess we need to work on getting back to not caring about such things, like how we were before we got DP.


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## Anonymity (Jul 8, 2013)

You are the universe technically and literally. If you really have the urge to understand what it means, just accept that we are the universe unfolding, experiencing, adapting, and learning. The universe is existance in its own, and we are here to participate in the universe understanding itself. There isnt much more to it. Find love in yourself and in others, as that is the ultimate goal of our free will and individualism. Do what you need to get you there. This is the meaning of life.


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## katiej (Jan 21, 2012)

This is what gets me though. everyone seems to worry about the universe thing in Dp. I dont. I worry that im here. and how.and how i came to understand things. And also this huge desire to get out of reality which i cannot escape from. I feel like things have been programmed in my brain and that i dont actually know them myself. As weird as that sounds. I suppose its all highly anxious thoughts regardless of what thoughts in particular i am having....


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