'I feel like I'm losing my mind': what it means and how to deal with it (2023)

Many of us have thought, "I feel like I'm going crazy." This thought may arise in greater timesto emphasize, but it can also be a manifestation of a mental illness such as anxiety,panic Syndrome,the depersonalization.Sometimes the mere thought can trigger even more stress or anxiety. The feeling of losing your mind is a very scary prospect!

The good news is that if you're confident enough to have that thought, it probably isn't.the truth islosing your mind. However, dealing with such thoughts and the feelings that accompany them can be very challenging. When you feel like you're "losing it," there are things you can do to deal with it and start feeling like yourself again.

what is the feeling

Saying to yourself "I feel like I'm going crazy" isn't just a thought, it usually comes with a variety of physical and emotional manifestations. Typically, people who have this thought are experiencing more stress than usual, are recovering from trauma, or are experiencing an increase in an anxiety disorder, panic disorder, or other mental health condition.

symptoms

Everyone experiences the feeling of "losing their minds" in different ways. Many of the symptoms are related to your stress response.("fight or flight response)activates.

Some of the ways this can be experienced are:

• Running, uncontrollable thoughts
• Feeling like you're in danger when you're not
• Fast heartbeat, labored breathing
• feel headache and stomach ache
• Feelingapartyourself or the world around you
• You have a feeling of panic orimminent fate
• have the thought thatsomething is wrong with you
• Having trouble relaxing or concentrating
• sleep disorders
  

What is causing this feeling?

Just as everyone experiences "I feel like I'm going crazy" a little differently, there are a number of different reasons why you might have this thought. Sometimes there is a combination of reasons why these thoughts and feelings are triggered.

For example, you may experience more stress than usual in your life, which in turn makes your anxiety disorder worse. Sometimes increased anxiety can also trigger a depersonalization or derealization episode, which can also include a feeling of "losing my mind."

To emphasize

There are many types of situations that can trigger stress, including a difficult work situation, family or marital conflict, the stress of a health crisis, the stress of parents, or the stress of hearing about disturbing world events.

Stress triggers hormones in our body (cortisol and adrenaline) that put it in a state of “high alert”.It makes us feel like our thoughts are out of control. These hormones also make our hearts beat faster and our breathing shallow.

We respond differently to stimuli when we are in a state of increased stress and can flinch at sudden noises and feel generally nervous. All of this can make us feel like we are “losing control”.

distress

You may have increased anxiety due to a particularly stressful situation. people with anxiety disordersYou may become anxious for no apparent reason. Either way, anxiety and anxiety disorders can make us feel out of control and make us feel like we're "freaked out" or crazy.

Symptoms of anxiety disorders related to feeling angry include:

• obsessions with death
• Feelingapart
• Rapid heart and pulse
• Unable to stop disturbing thoughts or disturbing thoughts and images
• Not being able to sit still or concentrate
• A feeling of fear, doom, loss of control.

panic attacks

Experiencing a panic attack can be a very scary experience. When you first experience this, you may not know what is going on and you may feel like you are going crazy. Panic attacks can come on suddenly, and while most of the time you can identify a trigger, sometimes panic attacks can come on out of the blue.

One of the reasons that panic attacks can make you feel like you're going crazy is that when none of that happens, you can feel like something terrible is happening.So your rational mind may know that everything is fine, but another part of your mind is convincing you that it is not. This breakup can make you feel like your thoughts are out of control and that something is wrong with you.

Panic attacks include physical symptoms such as increased sweating, shortness of breath (even hyperventilation), rapid heart rate, nausea, dizziness,and chest pain.Many people who experience panic attacks end up having several in a row, which can add to feelings of losing control and that their mind is giving them away.

Depersonalization / Derealization

If you have been through trauma or a period of intense anxiety and/or panic attacks, you may begin to experience depersonalization or depersonalization. Both depersonalization and derealization are dissociative disorders characterized by a disconnect between a person's thoughts and the person's self or identity.Up to 75% of people have experienced dissociation at some point.

Many of the symptoms of depersonalization and derealization can cause someone to think, "I feel like I'm going crazy."

Symptoms may include:

• The feeling of being separated from your body.
• Feel outside of your life and look inside
• No feelings, no emotions
• The feeling of not knowing who you are
• feeling of loss of identity
• feelings of anxiety or depression
  

how to drive

Probably the most important thing you can do when you have thoughts like "I feel like I'm going crazy" is to remember that there are many perfectly rational reasons why you think and feel this way. It is important to note that it is highly unlikely that he will actually lose his mind. It is more likely that you are simply going through a difficult time or struggling with a mental health issue.

self care for stress

If you experience increased stress, it's likely that your "stress response" has been activated and the goal now is to combat that stress with the "relaxation response."Essentially, you want to tell your body's nervous system that there is no imminent danger and that your body's systems can calm down and relax.

Some easy ways to do this are:

• deep breathing exercises: You can focus on lengthening your exhalation to calm your nervous system
• Meditation: Get an app on your phone, plug in your headphones and listen, even a few minutes is enough. One study showed that mindfulness meditation helped reduce stress in nurses.
• A practice: Exercise floods your body with endorphins and other "feel good" hormones
• talk about it: Simply sharing your feelings with someone you trust (including thoughts of "I feel like I'm going crazy") can give you much-needed relief and help you feel less alone.

therapy and medication

If you are struggling with symptoms of anxiety, panic, or depersonalization/derealization, it may be helpful to seek professional psychological help, especially if your experience is intense, interferes with your daily life, or you don't seem to be responding well enough to self-care and other ways of coping. stress.

Anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety and panic disorders, respond well to a variety of therapies and medications, including:

• Psychotherapy/talk therapy
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
• exhibition therapy
• Anti-anxiety medications such asBenzodiazepina
• Antidepressants (usually SSRIs)
• beta blockers

Depersonalization/derealization symptoms also respond well to therapy and medication. Common treatments include:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
• antidepressants
  

A word from Verywell

Again, most cases of "I feel like I'm going crazy" are simply a reaction to stress or a worsening mental illness. Most can be resolved with stress reduction or the help of aMental Health Professional.

However, there are some cases where racing thoughts and feelings of loss of control can indicate a more serious mental illness. If you have thoughts of harming yourself, killing yourself, hearing voices, not being able to sleep or eat, get emergency medical attention.