It always seems to occur in the same way. It’s a Saturday night and everyone is unwinding at a friend’s house. This is has always been your way of relaxing, after a tense week. This week, in particular, has been even more trying. Your boss was in a bad mood and you became the target of his anger. Your girlfriend was out of town and you drank too much on a night out with the boys. You didn’t have time to eat properly, so you did fast food most of the week. It was definitely a time to relax, unwind and forget about everything. So What Went Wrong?!?

You went home after smoking with your friends. You weren’t feeling as relaxed as usual, even a little edgy. Maybe it was that little piece of the edible you tried. It did seem to add to your anxiousness.

The next morning you wake up and before you even get out of bed, you begin to “check in” and see how you’re feeling. You’re even a little worried about last night. You still feel “funny” and can’t shake the thought that you’re still feeling HIGH. How could that be? It was over 10 hours ago that you smoked. Could it be the edible? Could it be you’re sick? Could it be (heaven forbid) you damaged your brain? All of these fearful thoughts begin to fill a worried and tired mind, adding more fuel to these feelings.

Why You’re Feeling This Way

– It all began with the preceding week. You were tense from work. Your boss was picking on you. You were eating poorly, lack of sleep, drinking too much and generally overlooking self care.

– You smoked and ingested an edible, which instead of calming you down, did the opposite. Interesting enough, many substances enhance the mood we are already feeling. If we’re happy, we feel happier but often if we’re tense, they can add to the tension.

– You’re still tired, lacking proper nourishment and this opens the door for FEAR to enter the picture. With FEAR comes the chemical ADRENALINE. This is the chemical in the body that is released to give us energy when the need to run is in order. Unfortunately, when fearful or worried, just as much adrenaline is released, which makes one feel anxious, on edge and more concerned about how they’re feeling.

– Fear-Adrenaline-Fear begins to cycle, making one’s mind extremely tired. This can be confused with feeling high. Naturally, if one were to know this at the time, they would relax and it would pass. BUT if a person is overtired, stressed and worried about the way they feel, they might begin to worry more, releasing more adrenaline, skip meals, because of lack of appetite and have trouble sleeping due to worry. This all adds to the spacey, foggy sensation of a very tired mind…often confused with being high.

WHAT TO DO

1- It’s very normal to feel worried and upset at this stage. All sorts of fearful thoughts run though the mind. “What if the marijuana (weed) was laced with something bad?” or “What if I damaged myself?” You wish you could turn back time and stayed at home last night!

2- Do Not Panic- You are dealing with a fatigued mind due to a compilation of all the stresses of the week. The more fearful your thoughts, the longer this lingers.

3- Stop Checking In– Every moment you are thinking “What if” thoughts, you are fueling these uncomfortable feelings. Every moment you are NOT “checking in,” your mind is refreshing.

4- Remember, this is nothing but a very tired mind, due to the circumstances that occurred. It is not an illness. You are not sick. The more you stop thinking alarming thoughts, the sooner your mind will refresh. Tell yourself this: “The more I stop thinking “what if” scary thoughts, the faster my mind will rejuvenate.” and “Every moment I am thinking fearful thoughts, the more my mind is growing tired.” It’s as simple as that.

5- It’s basically about STEPPING OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY, allowing the mind to refresh. Be kind to yourself.

6- Eat Well for DPDR– Skipping meals adds to the release of Adrenaline (giving you energy that nutrition would have done). You do not need that release of adrenaline. Eat your meals instead and let your mind refresh. Have a lean protein along with all your meals and snacks.

7- Lastly, memory has a way of taking over, if you allow it. Your mind is fooling you into believing you’re still high. It’s just a tired, fatigued mind…not from lack of sleep but from constant, fearful worry. STOP the HABIT of worry and you are stepping out of your own way, letting the mind refresh, so clarity returns. You can do this!

This is a learned behavior and can be unlearned. This is habit and you have the ability to reverse it.

Feel free to contact us if you have further questions. We’re here for you!

Best wishes,

Ronnie Freedman, PhD
Depersonalization Treatment Center
215-635-4700   We Welcome Your Calls, Emails and Questions
info@depersonalizationtreatmentcenter.com
https://www.depersonalizationtreatmentcenter.com