10 Minutes
Have you ever felt like things around you do not seem real anymore? Like, you are busy doing your thing and living your life as usual, but it feels like a dream? Known as derealisation, this feeling can be an unsettling and jarring experience for anyone, and it is not uncommon to experience it for people battling anxiety.
Derealisation has been identified and accepted as a psychological phenomenon for years, and it might be called unusual but not rare. Sometimes, even the simplest things like standing up too quickly, staring at someone, or hyperventilating can induce this feeling of unreality. Using certain recreational drugs like hallucinogens or marijuana may also bring it on. However, if it starts occurring spontaneously without any apparent reason, consider it the aftermath of anxiety.
Around three-fourths of people worldwide experience derealisation at some point in life. According to some theorists, this dissociation from reality is your body’s way of protecting you from high levels of stress or trauma, and others assume it to be a scar from the trauma itself.
Derealisation anxiety can be a confusing or frightening experience for anyone, and it can interfere with life, making it harder to go about daily activities. Fortunately, educating yourself about its causes and learning a few self-care tools with the help of a mental health professional can make it manageable.