#depresonalisation

[mental-health-advice]

Hi, recently I've had issues distinguishing real memories from dream memories. For example, I'm not sure if I actually fed my chickens or if I just dreamt that I did. I've also been depersonalizing a lot lately, especially when around a lot of people.

Hello lovely,

I'm sorry that you're experiencing this, lovely. I went through a point where I had the same thing happening to me. For me, it was really confusing, but the depersonalisation also made that confusion feel unreal as well. It's a difficult thing to handle, but there are ways to work through it.

Firstly, what can really help is carrying a notepad with you and writing down every activity that you do as soon as you've done it. Similarly, you could take your phone and take a picture of each task as you do it. This can really help you keep track of what really has happened during the day, and let you know what you need to and don't need to do. Secondly, I recommend using our Grounding Techniques. These help you to reconnect with your body and reality, and can help you give you relief from that dream-like state.

My last suggestion is to see your doctor and speaking to them about what you're experiencing. Sometimes depersonalisation and feeling like you're in a dream-state can be caused by other factors, from stress, to physical health, to mental health. Getting a check up and talking about these experiences may lead to you finding the root of these problems, which can lead to finding ways to overcome it.

Take care,Alexandria.

[mental-health-advice]

i'm depersonalizing pretty badly and i'm still in school and i can't go to the councilors 'cause i don't want my parents knowing, they have no clue what depersonalization is, nothing feels real. i'm not real. none of this is real. i don't know what to do. i nkow there are no urgent asks or anything but please, please try to get this as soon as you can because i'm still in class and i can't face the world but facing my parents after the death of grandpa is worse. -vanilla/dani

Hello lovely,

I’m sorry the loss of your grandpa, and that you’ve been experiencing depersonalisation so often. It’s not a nice feeling to have around, especially when it’s occurring a lot of the time. I know it’s scary seeking help for it, but I really think that you should speak to your school counsellor about what’s going on. They may not tell your parents about it, as they are only bound by law to report self harm or someone that is a danger to themselves or others. Depersonalisation is neither of those, so chances are that they’ll talk you through what you’re feeling, and find ways to help you one-on-one. So do tell your school counsellor, lovely. I think it’s important to seek the help.

As for some things that you can do to help with the depersonalisation, what I recommend is taking a look at our Grounding Techniques page. Grounding is a term for attaching yourself to your body and reality, the world around you, and can be very helpful in bringing you out of that depersonalisation. There are a few different styles of techniques, so I encourage you to work through them until you find ones that work for you, particularly whilst in public.

Please do reach out, lovely. Reaching out is the start of getting the help you need to learn to cope with and reduce this feeling.

Take care,Alexandria.

[mental-health-advice]

3 days ago I sent an ask about DR/DP... Did it go through?

Hello lovely,

We have a number of messages about depersonalisation and derealisation! They'll be answered when we can. In the meantime, I recommend taking a look at our Whilst Your Waiting page, to see if those further resources can help you during the wait.

Take care,Alexandria.