Waking up

What do you do when you start to wake up and realize that you are the only one? Everyone else appears to be sleep-walking. How do you avoid panicking totally?

You find some empathy with the sleepwalkers and realize what it took you to wake up and why you fell asleep in the first place and you begin to just be content that at least for you your life is now as you want it and hope that at least some of the sleepwalkers will reach an awake state too. Empathy being the key here, being awake without at least some of that leaves one sleepwalking again?

Too much panic. Cannot stay awake without reinforcements. There are no reinforcements.

hope this isn't too irreverent; it genuinely is one of my favourite cartoons. it gives me comfort, at least.



edit: reach out to someone else, pachy? find someone or something to connect with? it helps the isolation and panic subside (for me, anyway).

Pretty good cartoon! I've saved that one!

I have reached out in the past. Still cannot connect. And being too open feels extremely dangerous. I mean, how about ECT? How about some drugs? How about a lobotomy? How about being locked up?

How come no one has any better ideas?

Panic subsides, but then it always returns.

I look to see what has awakened me or wait a bit and see what happens ("The Matrix").

How long do you wait? Ten years? Twenty? Thirty? Forty? Fifty?

If you're starting to wake up, presumably you'll continue or fall back to sleep. A lot has to do with which you "work" toward? But if you want to wake up, you work toward that direction and whatever that means for you, presumably is a good thing and other good things start happening and momentum moves in that direction.

By wait and see, I meant until it was clear that you were waking (or you doze off again) or the first "waking thing" happens that gets you a bit further awake. All others appearing to be sleep walking would indicate to me I was dreaming.

It is hard to wake up and see reality. Personally, I know I put myself back to sleep :-)

I'm not asking for advice.

What I am doing is saying "Poor me! I want some attention!"

It gets hard after all these decades.

Well, I wouldn't be advocating any of the above treatments that you have stated above. You are talking about extreme anxiety. For that you need reassurance not locking up!

So what can you do for the anxiety?

Talk about it with people you trust (which you are doing here)

Practice some relaxation techniques, relaxing the body can effect the brain and make the brain slow down a bit.

Practice slowing the breathing. Put your hand on your stomach and breathe in for 1-2, and then out for 1-2 for a good ten minutes. Use a paper bag if the breathing is way out of control.

Use distractions to take the mind off the problems.

Know that you are NOT alone in this. Keep sharing.

Hugs!

((((((((((((pachy)))))))))))))))

Sometimes asking to have my needs met, and having them met, at least lets me know I'm not alone, however I may be feeling.

You're not alone, pachy

If it seems too dangerous then your reaching out stopped right before it could have been effective.

How about working on the "fact" that it feels extremely dangerous? As a child, yes, but now you need to get your emotions to recognize the new reality (plus those emotions from childhood need to be expressed because otherwise they ain't going nowhere and will continue to stay with you.).

I do know what you mean, though, about reaching out not feeling safe. I had to work on a few things to make this feat feel more safe. I worked on being able to protect myself (boundaries), my self worth (because you don't want anyone too close to see the "real" you when you feel that you are worthless), worked on my anxiety (because with anxiety you need people back at a safe and comfortable distance), and meeting my needs (because this heals you and healed folks interact easier).

I was trying to explain/answer the question you asked me. But why isn't advice attention?

Heck, I think some of us worked for negative attention as kids; for me, a scolding beat no one noticing me at all. I didn't like others telling me what to do or how to do it (advice) but I guess that could have been better more often than abuse. However, I really really didn't like others telling me. . . and let them know it in whatever fashion I could (including cutting off my nose to spite my face) Ain't taking that advice, it's theirs! Not good if it's a care-taking adult's advice; they often don't take kindly to opposition from a child.

But adult-sized to adult-sized advice giving is different as one or the other can get fed up and leave or ignore and there goes what little interaction there may have been.

Not the first time I tried, with a professional, as an alleged adult. It turned out to be a disaster, of the kind that you would not want to experience.

As an alleged adult, too. Many times. I continue to work on it, and I am aware that to a large extent the dangers are past -- but they are not completely. I really am unwilling to try again; I look sometimes online at T descriptions, and I have seen nothing current that appeals to me. I think I have to work on it by myself, and I find that very hard.