I thought I was losing myself but it was anxiety and derealization

One of the hardest parts of anxiety for me wasn’t panic. It was the feeling of disconnect. I became so aware of my own thinking that I couldn’t focus on anything else. I kept thinking about how I was thinking, then analyzing why I was thinking that way. It turned into a loop I couldn’t escape. The more I paid attention to it, the stronger it felt. Things started to feel distant. Conversations felt strange. Even normal moments felt slightly unreal, like I was watching life instead of fully being in it. That’s when I realized I was dealing with derealization. For me, the biggest problem wasn’t just the feeling itself, it was how much I focused on it. I kept checking in with myself: “Why do I feel disconnected?” “Why doesn’t anything feel normal?” “Why can’t I stop thinking about this?” The more I searched for answers, the more stuck I became. What helped was slowly shifting my attention outward instead of constantly monitoring myself. I stopped trying to force myself to “feel normal” and started grounding myself in simple things around me. Paying attention to sounds Going for a walk Touching something textured Focusing on what was happening in front of me It didn’t disappear overnight, but it made me feel less trapped in my own head. If you’ve felt this way, you’re not alone. Derealization can make you feel disconnected, but it doesn’t mean something is wrong with you. Sometimes anxiety becomes so intense that your mind turns inward too much. And the less you fight the feeling, the easier it becomes to reconnect with the present again...