Is it normal in severe depression and anxiety to get this strange, 'spacy!
Question: and i don't mean feeling hopeless, devastated and tired as this is an integral part of depression. but what if what you feel is much more complicated and you can't even explain it clearly? most of the time i can function normally and it doesn't show what i'm feeling but this some sort of 'unreal' feeling really worries me at times.. it's like when you think too much about life and death and suffering and get to the point that nothing makes sense anymore... you don't know if it's all really happening, if you;re still alive, how it is possible that you can actually think or do anything. and then you start wondering if what you;re thinking about is normal.. /vicious circle/
i've heard that some people in depression think they're going crazy (as they feel totally different that they used to) but i'm really anxious and need someone to tell me that i'm 'only' depressed and anxious... :(
Answers: and i don't mean feeling hopeless, devastated and tired as this is an integral part of depression. but what if what you feel is much more complicated and you can't even explain it clearly? most of the time i can function normally and it doesn't show what i'm feeling but this some sort of 'unreal' feeling really worries me at times.. it's like when you think too much about life and death and suffering and get to the point that nothing makes sense anymore... you don't know if it's all really happening, if you;re still alive, how it is possible that you can actually think or do anything. and then you start wondering if what you;re thinking about is normal.. /vicious circle/
i've heard that some people in depression think they're going crazy (as they feel totally different that they used to) but i'm really anxious and need someone to tell me that i'm 'only' depressed and anxious... :(
i have been diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety and yes i had that strange "spacey" feeling. for me it was like looking at the world through thick glass. everything looked, sounded,and felt different. almost like i wasn't a part of the world any more, just an observer. there seemed to be an odd distance between me and the world and yes i thought i was going crazy. it seems to be a common part of certain types of depression. if this is anything like what you are feeling,i can tell you from personal experience that with therapy, medication, or both those feelings can disappear very quickly. i hope you can feel like yourself again very soon
My psych describes this as dissociation - you can't cope with reality so you detach from it. It happens to me under stress and often in the form that I know where I am and where I'm going but I don't really recognize places. It can get a bit hairy.
I have been through this too. It definately is a detached, "spacey" feeling that comes over you and it is very hard to deal with, because as another poster said, you might sill be aware of where you are but nothing is specific or distinct. I have felt like I am going crazy because of it but then I get back to my "normal" state of depression. I used to suffer from bad anxiety and I experienced detachment alot.
nela21 - yes, that 'spacey' feeling is normal in depression. Your body has a 'Pain Threshold.' If you were physically injured and you passed your physical pain threshold (like if you broke a bone) you would go unconscious (pass out). When you pass your emotional pain threshold then your body goes unconscious (gets numb) and you feel 'spacey.'
Depression is caused by a block in the flow of emotions (its like emotional constipation). To heal the depression you need to release the block and get your emotions flowing freely again.
Please know, Emotions are just ENERGIES IN MOTION in our bodies. Every time you don't allow yourself or you aren't allowed to fully experience an emotion, to feel it, and to move through it, the energy of that emotion becomes stopped and blocked in your body. It remains blocked until you go back and re-experience that emotion. Then the energetic block is freed and cleared. Virtually all of our physical ailments come from energetic blocks in our bodies, energetic patterns that are connected to our emotional patterns
One good way to release blocked emotions is by using EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) or Emotional Tapping. In EFT you apply gentle acupressure tapping to specific body points to release blocked emotions. EFT is easy to learn (you can learn the basics in 15-30 minutes). You can use EFT anytime, anywhere for any emotional or physical issue. One basic round of EFT takes about one minute to complete.
Please download the FREE EFT Instructional manual from the EFT website (www.emofree.com). Also, please watch the FREE Introductory video.
There is another EFT website, Tapping.com, where you can get immediate help for your issues while learning EFT by just tapping along to one of their 14 FREE instructional videos (including Depression).
I believe you could be dissociating.
Like you said it is a "spaced out" type of feeling.
You may just stair at something. Everything looks kind of strange when you look around.
When you talk, your voice may feel far away and not connected to you.
It may be hard to get yourself back into the present when you feel this way. This happens more to me when I am more depressed than at other times. If you do not like the way it feels, there are techniques to help keep you in the present.
Good Luck
the reason for the unreal feeling is your thinking is not accurate
you're creating an alternative to reality by thinking
this is a way of escaping the feelings.... but the cure is to feel it all, completely
medication may also help if your depression persists
Hi Nela,
I am sorry to hear that you are going through a difficult time. I am a social worker working in mental health. What I can tell you is that it is not at all unusual for individuals with depression to fell like they are not themselves. Sleeping and eating patterns are also affected which can impact one's sense of reality. Depression can also come with obsessive thought patterns. Some "people in depression think they're going crazy". Feeling totally different is only normal in depression. Some may have been experiencing a depression with psychotic features, and although they may have experience auditive and or visual hallucinations, it is not to be confuse schizophrenia. I cannot stress enough the importance of talking about your symptoms with a therapist, ideally a psychiatrist. It can really help you gain insight into your illness, decide if and what medication is best for you, and accelerate your rehabilitation. Hope this help and all the best.
I suffer from depression and am on meds. I get this feeling a lot. I esp. hate it one other's notice. I hope it gets better for you; just remember you're not alone! Good luck:)