- Date posted
- 5y
- Date posted
- 5y
I second the advice from PeggySantiago: remind yourself that you’ve felt this way before and it’s also gone away before. There’s no reason to think it won’t eventually go away again. Breath and find ways to ground yourself. There are lots of great mindfulness techniques for simply getting into your body and paying attention to your sensations and that can help bring you back down to earth or at the very least stay a little calmer in the midst of the depersonalization storm.
- Date posted
- 5y
thank you all greatly for your help, and I send all my love to y’all as well! watching painting videos now to ground myself. I will take all your comments into consideration: I learned I definitely catastrophize situations and think I will never go back to feeling “normal”! but I’m trying to remain positive and, like you said, remind myself that there will be good times too. again, I appreciate it. be good to yourselves friends :)
- Date posted
- 5y
Yes, I watch Bob Ross and he helps with my anxiety and spirals SO much!!
- Date posted
- 5y
@kittie what a calming man!!! sometimes he makes me want to cry because of how sweet he is lmao (I’m such a crier !!!!)
- Date posted
- 5y
I just talked to my bf about something like this the other day— I get depersonalization and derealization sometimes and I get all existential about it! I told my bf about these thoughts and he was actually so understanding about it and talked me through it. He said: whether it’s real or not doesn’t matter, because you have to experience it anyway. So just be in the moment! Sending love, if you need help pls don’t hesitate to reach out <3
- Date posted
- 5y
I find that it helps me sometimes to remind myself of other times I felt (in your case depersonalization) a certain way and got through. Everything passes, it's just a matter of waiting it out sometimes. I know this can be very challenging. Much love to you! ♥️
- Date posted
- 5y
*now, not new! sorry folks!
- Date posted
- 5y
Sometimes I’ll be at work and I’ll have a thought that tells me “none of this is real, reality is an illusion,” and it sends me into full blown panic mode :\ I also get a weird feeling that reality is a “curtain” that I can rip through, and then my brain feels really 2 dimensional for a while, if that makes sense. I hate it ?
- Date posted
- 5y
that’s exactly how I feel sometimes! that is one of the reasons I feel much calmer about it: I know that these are just OCD thoughts in a different theme. I often catch myself throwing myself into dissociative states just because I’m questioning if I’m real/if I’m feeling the “correct” things/etc. So I’ve been trying to work on just acknowledging the thoughts and not engaging... That’s what causes the panic, which then sends me into actual depersonalization. it’s been getting better recently, but the past couple days have been rough (hence my post)! however, as I know it’s gotten better for me, I know it will for you too!!!! I hope that won’t feed a compulsion, btw!! I haven’t really recognized my mental patterns as OCD until recently, so I’m learning too. best of luck!
- Date posted
- 5y
@jessicabellomy I’m glad it’s getting better for you! Honestly making jokes about it is what’s helping me cope with the thoughts, like when I feel like I’m dissociating I just announce that I’m “transcending,” because that’s what it feels like ? my dissociation lately has been really rough and it’s actually making me feel like I have DID or am developing schizophrenia :\
Related posts
- Date posted
- 15w
I believe I have ROCD — at least, that’s what many people here have told me based on what I’ve shared — and I really need help, because I feel like I’m falling apart. I don’t know what I feel anymore. I don’t know what’s real. My thoughts come as loud, cold statements — not questions. They say things like: “Nothing is the same.” “You don’t love him.” “You’re just staying because you’re used to him.” And even though I know I’m supposed to let the thoughts pass and not engage with them — I can’t. I get stuck in them. I try to find answers, I ruminate, I check, I cry, I panic. Everyone says “love isn’t just a feeling” — and I know that. But… I still want to feel something. I want to feel warmth, or connection, or even just peace. It’s been so long since I felt anything like that. Now everything just feels empty or terrifying or cold. My brain only gives me negative interpretations. No memory brings me comfort anymore. Nothing feels like it used to. And the worst part is — it all feels true. Sometimes I think: “What if I’m just denying the truth?” “What if I’ve finally realized that I don’t love him, and I just don’t want to admit it?” This feels like the worst version of myself. I’m so confused and scared and tired. Even therapy didn’t help — my therapist said things that made it worse, and now I don’t know who or what to believe anymore. I just want help. I want to know how to face ROCD — if that’s what this really is. I want to believe I can feel love again. I don’t want to lose myself in this forever. Has anyone else felt like this? How did you start to get better? i cant even remember past good memories with him, my head tells me that i didnt love him and i was just “excited “ to have someone. We have 2 years together and i have been dealing with this for a year and a half.
- Date posted
- 15w
Hi everyone. I’m really struggling and I need to let it all out. I’ve been dealing with ROCD (or what I think is ROCD) for a long time, and I feel like I’m at my breaking point. I’m in a loving relationship with a boyfriend who is kind, understanding, and patient. But ever since I started reading a lot online, googling symptoms, talking to AI like ChatGPT, searching for reassurance, things have gotten worse and worse. And now… I feel completely disconnected from my feelings. I don’t know what’s real anymore. My boyfriend told me that he believes I’ve convinced myself that I have something that needs to be treated, and that all this constant researching is making me feel worse. And honestly, I think he’s right. Before I fell into this cycle, I could be more intimate with him. I used to say “I love you,” I used to feel warmth. Now I don’t say it anymore. I haven’t in a long time. And it hurts him. And I know I’m hurting him, and that makes it even worse. He also said that maybe I’m having these obsessive thoughts because I don’t have a daily purpose, that I need to get occupied, to stop being consumed by this. And others in my life have told me the same. He even suggested taking a break from each other for a week, just to give me space. But I’m terrified of that. I’m scared that the thing I fear most will become “the truth.” I’m scared I’ll feel relief, and that will mean everything I fear is real. But he told me that if I don’t want the break, maybe it means I still care. Still love. Still want this. The problem is, I don’t know anymore. And that’s what’s killing me. I’ve also had a psychologist who told me that just because I feel guilt or “care,” it doesn’t necessarily mean I like him — and that sent me spiraling. She said that maybe I care about people in general, but it doesn’t mean I love him. And it made me feel like I’m just lying to myself. That maybe I’m holding on out of obligation, or because I set in my head that I “have to be with him.” And even when he tells me beautiful things — logical things — things that SHOULD make me feel safe and seen… I don’t feel better. I just feel more empty. And then I start spiraling again: “If this doesn’t help me feel better, then something must be wrong.” “What if I’m just pretending?” “What if I’ve been lying to myself all along?” I feel like there’s something wrong inside of me. Like no matter what anyone says, or how much love I’m given, I can’t feel it. I just want to know what to do. I want someone to tell me what this is. I want to stop feeling like I’m running after a version of myself that used to feel, used to love, used to be calm. I don’t know if this is ROCD or if I’m just slowly facing a truth I’ve been afraid to accept. Please, if anyone has felt this way, I need to hear that I’m not alone. And if you’ve come out the other side… how? My relationship is perfect and he is perfect, i just deal with this and i am far from happy.
- Date posted
- 13w
feel like I’ve been stuck in this ROCD cycle for so long that I don’t even know what’s real anymore. Everything feels so heavy and confusing. I keep having thoughts like “I don’t love him,” “I never really did,” “I’m just used to him,” or “I’m staying out of guilt or fear.” They come with a strong emotional pull that makes it feel like I’m finally facing some ‘truth’ — but I don’t even know what that truth is. Even when things are going well with my boyfriend — when he’s loving, caring, affectionate — I still feel disconnected, like I can’t feel love or calmness. And then I feel guilty for not feeling what I think I should feel. I overthink everything: memories, how I used to feel, how I feel now, what I might feel tomorrow. I can’t tell if I’m just scared to lose him or if I’m trying to force something that isn’t there. I’ve read so much about ROCD and I know I’m supposed to sit with the thoughts and let them pass, but sometimes they feel so real that I don’t know how to keep going. Sometimes I even feel numb and that scares me too — like if I don’t react with panic, it must be true. I just want peace. I want clarity. I want to stop analyzing and doubting every moment. Has anyone else felt this way? How do you sit with this and not spiral? Thank you so much for reading. 💔
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