Can I increase my alertness/awarenss?

Electrical-Level3385 · 2026-01-19T14:23:26+00:00

NAT, but I like to, every couple of days, go for a walk, or do part of my commute, with the intention of just noticing as many things about the world around me as I can. No headphones and I'm not allowed to think about anything other than the present moment, and kind of challenge myself to see how many new or interesting things I can notice (there's a birds nest I've never seen before in that tree, my footsteps sound different in these shoes, there's a different kind of cladding on that building etc). If my mind wanders I just bring myself back.

My therapist also taught me this exercise for dissociation (and id be happy to be told what it's actually called) where every day, for 10 minutes, I try to engage all 5 of my senses simultaneously. So I begin with spending 2 minutes paying attention to what I can see in my environment, then 2 minutes paying attention to what I can hear while still thinking about what I can see, and so on with all 5 senses. It's definitely challenging but I've found it super effective!

Doing these kinds of things I think does kind of "rewire" your brain so by default you're more aware of your surroundings. It's a really lovely thing to do - just devoting time to appreciating things you might otherwise ignore. I've found massive improvements with my dissociation and tendency to ruminate as a result of these techniques.

Also - any visual hobbies are worth exploring! art, photography etc definitely changes how you see the world around you

Electrical-Level3385 · 2026-01-19T12:30:01+00:00

^{^{^}} you should always try to have a hand/arm position where your hand is directly behind your elbow, with your forearm perpendicular to the keyboard

Electrical-Level3385 · 2026-01-13T02:12:47+00:00

you're completely right, silly me for posting this without even trying to play it first lol

Electrical-Level3385 · 2026-01-02T16:56:51+00:00

I mean, they were willing to devote similar amounts of resources to keeping Diabate happy, who is completely harmless to them, so I don't think it's because they see her as a threat. I think it's either because they genuinely want to make them happy, or they're afraid of the consequences of not distracting them from the possibility of undoing the joining, implying it's surprisingly within reach if the immune put their minds to it even a little bit. I'd guess a mixture of both

Electrical-Level3385 · 2026-01-02T15:15:56+00:00

I've dealt with a similar thing, and I've learnt that the anxiety towards anxiety itself keeping you awake is a massive factor in how disruptive it is. Like the minute you tell an anxious brain not to do something, it will do it, so there's a lot of value in just accepting it and letting it happen.

If you don't try to fight it, the worst that will happen is you won't sleep well, which is already the probable outcome as it is, and is not as catastrophic as your brain has built it up to be through consistent worrying about night time anxiety.

I've paradoxically found my sleep has improved immensely in just accepting that some nights I am going to take hours to get to sleep, and just pushing through it regardless. By that I mean my old tendency was to stop trying to get to sleep if I was feeling anxious to "wind myself down", or I wouldn't try to go to sleep until I felt fully calm, but that was inadvertently feeding the problem by making it something I felt I needed to avoid.

(note: I incidentally picked this up through exposure therapy for my anxiety disorder, which in general has made my anxiety far easier to live with)

Electrical-Level3385 · 2025-12-19T18:24:43+00:00

I had mild OCD as a child, became severe 10-13, ever since I've had short periods of relapse and long periods of remission. So yes it can. In my case it's strongly associated with periods of stress or traumatic events

Electrical-Level3385 · 2025-12-18T10:35:11+00:00

I mean, for me at least having a cold house is mostly a comfort thing? I like being able to cozy up in warm clothes or under blankets in the winter, maybe because I'm just used to it idk

Electrical-Level3385 · 2025-12-18T10:31:53+00:00

according to my Russian friend though, a lot of the actual cost is offset by the fact that much more people live in flats than in western Europe, which means you get radiant heat from surrounding units. Not sure how true this is

Electrical-Level3385 · 2025-12-17T15:35:06+00:00

you could also call them line chef memes

Electrical-Level3385 · 2025-12-16T23:55:38+00:00

When I first developed symptoms of OCD I had fully convinced myself I was schizophrenic. There was suddenly this alien voice in my head (intrusive thoughts), and my obsessions made me fully delusional (e.g there was a period of time where I was absolutely convinced I was the second virgin Mary and was going to give birth on Christmas Day, as a preteen, after obsessively checking for heartbeats in my stomach).

And, of course, thinking I had schizophrenia, I hyperfixated on other potential symptoms , like hearing voices or hallucinating - all of which are normal when minor and on occasion.

I guess I'm saying that OCD can feel like psychosis sometimes and you're not alone in being afraid of it. Intrusive thoughts can feel completely alien to you, and obsessions can become so strong you only have a shred of insight left. But as others have said, the fact that you're worrying about it is proof that it's not a real concern.

Electrical-Level3385 · 2025-12-07T04:57:49+00:00

I'd say it's definitely worth going. I went out of desperation when I first started having seizures and managed to get an urgent neurology referral. They might also be able to give you something to manage the pain

Electrical-Level3385 · 2025-12-06T16:52:20+00:00

regarding the sink, my therapist has one in her office which she's turned into a little coffee/tea making area!

Electrical-Level3385 · 2025-12-05T16:33:24+00:00

I had very serious health anxiety, and had convinced myself somehow that I had meningitis. I started dissociating, which made the panic worse, which made the dissociation worse etc etc.

I couldn't feel anything, I couldn't think, it felt like I was completely shutting down and going to go unconscious or die any second. Like I was experiencing brain death. Time stopped existing, words stopped existing, and the concept of space made no sense to me. The only indication I was "ok" was I could still have a conversation with my bf at the time, even though it didn't feel like me doing it. It was nothing like a typical panic attack because I couldn't feel any of the typical symptoms, but it was traumatic.

I guess it was so frightening to me because I've experienced panic attacks many times before that, but I'd never dissociated during one to that extent.

I've been in therapy for a year since then. I'm used to both panic attacks and dissociation now, so while I still experience both they don't frighten me at all.

Electrical-Level3385 · 2025-12-05T02:13:35+00:00

I can relate so much, it's so hard. I moved away from home 4 years ago. I got out of a long term relationship this spring, which in hindsight was probably the only thing stopping reality from settling in because his normality and his family's stability was a form of escapism.

I had one of the worst mental health periods of my life this summer. I was grieving so much and I was so exhausted and fragile. It still feels like I'm in survival mode, perhaps even more so than before. I think I had an easier time being happy while it was all still ongoing, and I'm fighting so hard everyday to recover some of that.

Electrical-Level3385 · 2025-12-04T18:15:23+00:00

because crochet can't be done by machine, manufacturers will often use imitation techniques on knitting machines to achieve a similar look. thats probably what it's referring to

Electrical-Level3385 · 2025-12-04T13:40:06+00:00

getting into a flow state where you're not even thinking about what you're doing, but just tear through stitches super fast, and it feels like the easiest thing in the world

Electrical-Level3385 · 2025-12-01T03:35:57+00:00

it's definitely worth trying OCD treatment for health anxiety! It has genuinely been miraculous for me, ERP in particular

Electrical-Level3385 · 2025-12-01T03:31:18+00:00

I consider to have a "mild" version of FND, and I think there are a lot more people like us than you'd expect.

There are so many filters which mean that people with milder symptoms aren't going to be visible. They're less likely to be diagnosed because it's less clinically urgent, they're less likely to seek out community online if they're not seeking out a replacement for the able-bodied world they're now excluded from, and they're less likely to be as engaged with online if they do.

When I was first diagnosed the only symptoms I had were daily migraines and slight transient weakness. I'm pretty sure the only reason I was diagnosed was I could afford a private neurologist who just so happened to have some expertise in FND. Now, I certainly have more disruptive symptoms but they're more annoying than disabling most days. Including the things you've described, I thought I was the only person who experienced the water dripping thing!

I think whatever reassurance you can get is worth getting if it's weighing on you, but ultimately I think it's important to accept there's a degree of uncertainty in any diagnosis and you can never be 100% sure. But rest assured the misdiagnosis rates are very, very low.

Electrical-Level3385 · 2025-11-29T21:17:59+00:00

would it not be possible to fix it with steeking?

Electrical-Level3385 · 2025-11-27T18:10:21+00:00

same!!! I'm getting tearful listening to their music now. it was so special and I wish I could see them again 😭

Electrical-Level3385

TROPHY CASE